06 Dec Access Sciences Recognized as a 2021 Top Workplace
Once again, Access Sciences received recognition as a Top Workplace in the Houston Chronicle, ranking #43 out of Houston’s small companies. We owe this achievement (and all other successes) to our incredible team of employees who live by our core values every day:
Without a strong, united team, we wouldn’t be where we are in 2021. And we wouldn’t be embarking on this next period of change and transformation.
INVESTING IN OUR VALUES
This past year, we set a goal to refine our core values so that they reflect the best of our current team members – as well as set the bar for all future employees.
To really capture who we are as a team, we consulted with employees from all organizational levels, all service offerings, and all locations across the U.S. We gathered their feedback on our current values and their thoughts on revisions. Ultimately, our team landed on five core values that truly define who we are:
We go above and beyond.
We put in the extra effort to do the unexpected to stand apart from our competitors.
We are team players.
We take care of each other by respecting diversity, practicing transparency, being accountable for our work, and supporting the growth and success of our teammates.
We commit to lifelong learning.
We continuously pursue excellence by taking the initiative to learn and grow in our evolving profession.
We deliver exceptional service.
We have an unwavering commitment to doing what’s best for our clients, each other, and our communities.
We contribute to company success.
We, as employee owners, understand how we bring value to our clients, understand how our business works, safeguard our reputation, and contribute to our growth.
Now that we have our core values established, we’re using them to make the Access Sciences team even stronger. Our corporate services group implemented a people analyzer as a strategic way to ensure a cultural fit with all potential new hires. This way, we can invest in those who will continue to strengthen our company culture.
A TIME OF TRANSFORMATION
Our employees (and the core values they exhibit) are the reason we’re able to move forward and invest in transformation next year. Here are a few of our upcoming changes and initiatives:
New Office Space
The biggest change is coming in January when we’ll make the move into a new main office. As team players, we want an office space that increases communication and collaboration through its design and technology.
We’re maximizing open areas to create more space for community in the kitchen and lounge areas, as well as maximizing natural lighting throughout the office. The new space will also leverage video-conferencing capabilities in our new conference rooms to facilitate today’s hybrid work environment.
Our favorite perk about the new office space is that it’s in the same building – just one floor up, so we will still have a lot of walkable restaurants for lunch with coworkers.
Strengthening Relationships
One of our main goals for next year is to invest in and strengthen our current relationships – with both clients and employees.
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, our CEO Steve Erickson is traveling for in-person meetings. He’s visiting with employees and clients across the U.S., gaining an even deeper understanding of current operations and potential opportunities moving forward. With this information, we can make sure we go above and beyond our client’s expectations.
Our core value, deliver exceptional service, means we are continuously looking at ways to help our clients achieve more with their information, and our team will play a key part in that. At Access Sciences, the best way to contribute to company success is to help clients achieve success with their own goals.
Advancing as a Top Workplace
Another 2022 initiative is to keep our employees satisfied and engaged – hopefully, gaining another Top Workplace recognition.
The Houston Chronicle’s list is compiled annually based on employees’ overall experience, which is gathered through a survey administered by Energage, LLC. Our corporate services team is able to read the anonymous feedback and make improvements to areas that received lower satisfaction.
For example – last year, our employees cited benefits as an area of focus. So, this year, we made moves to add paid sick time in addition to paid time off (PTO). We also changed our health savings accounts plan, so that the balance is frontloaded at the beginning of the year.
Another area of focus is training and education, which aligns with our core value, commit to lifelong learning. To address this, three of our employees received change management training and became Prosci-Certified Change Practitioners. Our corporate services team is also continuing to explore additional training opportunities for employees.
The entire Access Sciences team is honored to be recognized as a 2021 Top Workplace. We’re looking forward to this period of transformation, as well as continuing to improve our company to meet the wants and needs of our employees.
