acsys interactive named one of the best places to work in connecticut

Acsys Interactive Named One of the Best Places to Work in Connecticut

01.31.12

Today Acsys Interactive announces that it was recently named as one of the Best Places to Work in Connecticut in a program created by the Hartford Business Journal, Best Companies Group.

In its seventh year, the program identifies and recognizes the top 30 best employers in Connecticut, benefiting the state's economy, workforce and businesses. Acsys is one of 12 companies listed in the small/medium-sized company category (15-199 employees).

Marking its 12^th straight year of continuous revenue growth and adding 25 new full-time employees in 2011, Acsys has grown to nearly 75 people. Stan Valencis, President and CEO says, "We didn't use any outside recruiting firms to do that. It was all through employee referrals." Acsys' culture is known for its proven focus on work-life balance where employees feel supported and respected. "If you want to have a good culture, it needs to be authentic; our senior management really cares about the people," Valencis said. "People can sniff out if something's phony. If there's not a genuineness behind it, people feel it."

A couple of years ago one of Acsys' employees asked management if he could go on a six month sabbatical to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Management agreed to let him go, without pay, assuring him he would have a job upon return. "The day he came back, he came in with all his gear and announced he had just completed hiking 2,176 miles and everyone cheered," said Deb Peterson, Vice President of Human Resources. "It was something we wanted to help him do. We thought it would be an experience of a lifetime, and it built up a lot of teamwork, discussions in the hall."

Health and wellness is also a priority for the company. Acsys offers fitness classes conducted by a company-paid trainer four times a week along with campus flu shots and health and wellness screenings. Other fitness activities include a cycling club, a women's gold group, a kickball league and a tennis tournament. There are bakeoffs, barbecue cooking contests and a beer and wine club, as well as annual outings, parties and picnics. "I tell them company events are optional, but our participation at these events is 99 percent," said Valencis. Art Director Nick Manning, who has worked for Acsys for five years says, "Acsys wants its employees to work hard but also recognizes that they have lives outside of work, too."

The lunch hour at Acsys is just as inviting. "Lunch and Learns" offer employees the opportunity to learn a new skill, either work-related or not, while having lunch with their colleagues. In many cases, employees often teach their colleagues about their own hobbies like photography or cake decorating.

Last but definitely not least, Acsys strongly believes in rewarding employees for their hard work. Every quarter, top performers are recognized with peer-nominated bonuses."That's a big thing to get that peer recognition," Valencis said. "They can't just be at the year-end Christmas party."

Companies from across the state of Connecticut entered the two-part process. The first consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. An employee survey then measured the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Connecticut, analyzed the data and determined the final rankings.

To read the full article on our Best Places To Work 2012 win, visit http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news23221.html

For more information on the Best Places to Work in Connecticut program, visit http://www.bestplacestoworkinct.com.

Acsys Interactive (www.acsysinteractive.com) is an award-winning, full-service interactive agency focused on delivering quantifiable results for clients. Services include strategy, branding, design, digital marketing, software development and hosting. Acsys delivers technology agnostic Web 2.0 solutions via rich media, social media, intranet, ecommerce, portal and mobile delivery. Its 15 years of experience spans across consumer, financial services, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, education and non-profit industries. Clients include ESPN, Amica, Timex, ING, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Sikorsky, New York University, Columbus Regional Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital. Acsys is headquartered in Farmington, CT with offices in New York City and Boston.