Pros
Coopervision has experienced tremendous growth in the past decade which admittedly has not come without some growing pains along the way. Throughout this period the Company has reinforced its commitment to balancing the demands of increasing their presence in a highly competitive global marketplace with a constantly improving focus on employee health, wellness, compensation and morale. As would be expected where any large and diverse employee base is concerned, these Company initiatives and efforts are not always as successful or as well received as originally intended. Still, having worked in similar environments for over 20 years I can say without hesitation that in my experience this Company and its management and HR teams put more time, thought and effort into creating and maintaining a pro-employee environment than any other business I’ve been a part of to this point. This includes a focus on employee’s personal health through a Company-wide Wellness program. The program offers the availability of a constantly accessible personal trainer and exercise equipment as well onsite yoga sessions, onsite healthy cooking demonstrations and numerous offsite events throughout the year such as triathlons and volleyball/bowling tournaments. Beyond these “nice to have” types of benefits, Coopervision continues to ensure that it offers a fair compensation package to its employees and regularly benchmarks its hourly wages for each position to maintain a competitive edge in this regard as well. Matching 401K contributions, MVP healthcare benefits, available dental insurance as well as eye care are just a few aspects of the Coopervision compensation package that make it an employer of choice in the area. From an operational perspective Coopervision applies the same commitment to the health of the business as it does to the health of its employees. The Company is constantly reinventing itself through the introduction of the newest hardware and software available and state of the art products and facilities. Slowly but surely the idea of “continuous improvement” has become a part of the culture. Management understands the importance of employee “ownership” of processes and change and has taken steps to ensure that every employee has the opportunity to invest in this objective and offer their own observations and thoughts on opportunities for improving operations. The growth of Company stock over the previous years may be the most tangible proof that the right people are in place and the right decisions are being made regardless of the occasional set back. To be clear, working in one of the Coopervision manufacturing, packaging and distribution facilities is not like working at your family garage sale or corner lemonade stand. This is a business first and foremost and without taking care of that responsiblity the yoga classes and volleyball tournaments as well as the weekly paychecks and insurance benefits will quickly disappear. These are dynamic, focused and goal oriented environments and must continue to be in order grow the brand, compete on the global level and continue to provide their employees with an environment and compensation package conducive to supporting long term employment as well as personal motivation and investment.
Kontras
As with any company that has experienced growth through acquisition as well as the continued aggressive growth on a global level that Coopervision has, communication and a clear company/facility “identity”can be difficult to establish and can be compromised. In my experience the Company continues to work through challenges in this regard and at times decision making and objectives may be affected. Still , this is not a thought lost on facility management and the Company’s leadership and a concerted effort has been made to understand and improve the situation
