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Ergonomic office furniture Herman Miller may not be the backbone of corporate America, but it does support the backbones of corporate America's leaders. Currently locked in a battle with nearby Haworth for the No. 2 spot in the office furniture industry (both companies lag far behind industry leader Steelcase), Herman Miller distinguishes its product line by emphasizing the company's commitment to ergonomic design. It's the design, stupid Herman Miller started in 1923 as a company that produced reproductions of antique residential furniture, but shifted to more modern designs. By the 1950s, Herman Miller, though still a small company, had a worldwide following for its furniture designed by artists like Isamu Noguchi and Charles Eames. The company's next round of innovation came through the design of open offices spaces with ergonomic furniture for all employees - though few secretaries will ever work in Herman Miller's Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman set, priced at $3,350. In recent years, competition with other firms like Haworth has required corporate streamlining, limited employee layoffs, and an increased emphasis on Herman Miller's low-price office furniture subsidiary, Miller SQA. Although there have been some layoffs, that's not say that Herman Miller treats its employees badly. In fact, all employees with more than one year of service own stock in the company. In 2000, Herman Miller announced it was awarding 7,000 employees a stock option of 100 shares in recognition of great work during a tough year. The offer was made to all non-executive, North American-based employees who had been with the company for more than a year. And the Herman Miller Way, which has helped land the company on Industry Week's annual "100 Best-Managed Companies" four years in a row, states that "each individual has the right and the responsibility to contribute his or her own unique gifts and abilities to the corporate community." Not sitting on their success quite yet Despite recording 14 consecutive quarters of record sales and net income (through the end of 1998), Herman Miller still chooses the cautious route. Softening demand at the beginning of 1999 ended the company's impressive streak. Herman Miller laid off 310 workers in January (a small percentage of its 5,500-strong workforce). Furthermore, Herman Miller knows that it needs to keep working on innovative designs to keep its spot near the top of the market. In March 1999, the company announced a new line of furniture: the "Levity collection for 'knowledge athletes.'" This pricey line aims at transforming the workplace into a more mobile, active place. Since then, the company has also introduced the Resolve line for hip, design-conscious buyers. Resolve redefines the cubicle, something Herman Miller's designer Robert Propst originated back in the '70's. In mid-1999 Herman Miller completed its largest acquisition in nearly 10 years. The Geiger Group Inc., parent of Geiger Brickel, produces high-end wood furniture and now, $39 million later, it operates using the same brand name, but under Herman Miller's authority.
Herman Miller's employment web page, located at www.hermanmiller.com/jobs/index, lists job openings and provides applicants with the opportunity to submit resumes online. Applicants can also mail or fax their resumes with a position number listed to the corporate headquarters. Or email resumes to jobs@hermanmiller.com. Miller SQA, a subsidiary of Herman Miller, also provides job listings and the chance to submit a resume at its employment web page, www.millersqa.com/html/employment. Applicants can also direct their resumes to Miller SQA, 10201 Adams Street, Holland, MI 49424-9168.
Everybody loves Herman In 1950 Herman Miller became one of the first companies to offer full-time employees with one year's tenure stock options, a practice that it continues today. As a result, employees say that they "emotionally" as well as "financially" invested in the company. The yearly profit sharing and "the best bonuses in the industry" keep employee morale "consistently high." The company fosters a "fun" and "environmentally-friendly" atmosphere, and its "steady" growth is opening up "consistent new opportunities."
Gene Miyamoto Human Resources
see below
Haworth; International Steelcase More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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