NORTHFIELD, Ill.—For the fifth year, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has been named to Center for Companies That Care’s Honor Roll, a national list recognizing employers for outstanding workplace practices and active community involvement.
The Honor Roll celebrates US-based organizations of all sizes in diverse industries. The 2020 Honor Roll includes for-profit and not-for-profit employers from multiple industries and states.
In a year in which many employers faced significant challenges, Companies That Care focused on one characteristic. “We asked applicants to describe their pandemic response to employee and other stakeholders’ needs,” said Marci Koblenz, co-founder and president of Companies That Care.
The CAP is the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs. The CAP has been deemed an “essential” business during COVID-19.
“In mid-March, like nearly all other organizations, we sent our employees home from our offices in the Chicago area and Washington DC with little preparation,” said Stephen Myers, chief executive officer of the CAP. “But our more than 650 employees didn’t miss a day of work, supporting our members and customers.”
Like the other organizations on the Honor Roll, the CAP is “deeply committed to their employees, customers, and other stakeholders,” said Koblenz. “That commitment, shown in a variety of ways, has sustained them during these uncertain times.”
“We understood that the situation could take a toll on employees and members,” Myers said. The CAP quickly made decisions based on an intuitive set of guiding principles:
- Keep employees safe and healthy. Doing so is of the utmost importance.
- Encourage as many employees as possible to work from home, and provide managerial, Human Resources, and technological support.
- Allow employees flexibility to manage their day-to-day work assignments while also managing childcare or elder care.
- Keep employees, members, and customers fully informed and fully engaged.
- As an essential organization, provide support to members and CAP-accredited laboratories to ensure maximum performance under the circumstances.
- Follow applicable governmental guidelines.
Already equipped with laptop computers, access to the CAP’s virtual private network, and a robust Help Desk, employees were able to work offsite without a hitch.
Companies That Care Honor Roll employers are selected by an independent review panel of business professionals. Reviewers noted some consistent behaviors among these “companies that care” including being proactive in keeping employees healthy and safe; providing resources to promote work/life balance and to facilitate new work arrangements; and maintaining connections with stakeholders, according to Koblenz.
About the College of American Pathologists
As the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. As a 501(c)(6) membership organization, the CAP is the only entity representing pathologists with unrestricted advocacy capability and a political action committee, PathPAC. For more information, visit yourpathologist.org to watch pathologists at work and see the stories of the patients who trust them with their care. Read the CAP Annual Report.
About the Center for Companies That Care
Center for Companies That Care is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to social sustainability by engaging employers in increasing the college graduation rate of underserved students and improving the lives of employees, families, and communities. For more about Companies That Care, the Honor Roll, or its Communication Action Programs, visit www.companies-that-care.org or call 312.661.1010.