The Kohler Company is a manufacturing company in Kohler, Wisconsin best known for its plumbing products. Kohler also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and generators.
Kohler was founded in 1873 by Austrian immigrant John Michael Kohler with the purchase of the Sheboygan Union Iron and Steel Foundry. Early products included cast iron and steel farm implements, castings for furniture factories, and ornamental iron pieces including cemetery crosses and settees. A breakthrough came in 1883 when John Michael applied enamel to a cast iron horse trough to create the company's first bathtub. The company has been primarily in the plumbing business ever since, known for plumbing fixtures. In 1888, the then Kohler Water Works developed the original trademarked Bubbler. They became popular, and other companies developed similar products under the generic term "drinking fountain." The colloquial word "bubbler" is still used in several regions of the United States.
In 1934 and 1954, the Kohler Strikes took place.
The Kohler group acquired 2005 Sdmo Industries, a manufacturer of power generators, along with SOREEL (electrical engineering) and BES (maintenance of gensets) from the French Meunier Holding.
Employers will need to think differently
about the continual development of older workers.
They’ll need to provide career development
opportunities by way of such things as rotational
assignments, rather than the traditional route up the
ladder. So employers can put them on teams to make
changes or improve processes. That can help keep the
employees engaged, because they’re not just doing a
routine job anymore.
But there’s also a concern that a lot of intellectual
capital will be lost when the retirement wave — which
is growing taller and taller — eventually crashes with
a mass exodus from the workforce. To ensure that
knowledge is transferred, companies need to get
young workers collaborating with some of the nearretirees
now. When older workers are staying for
financial reasons and aren’t very engaged, employers
can think about how to leverage what those people
have learned and have them mentor younger workers.
It can make the near-retirees feel good about the
knowledge they have and about sharing it with the rest
of the organization.
As for workforce planning — one problem we
see is that many employers are making changes
to retirement plans without fully considering the
implications on exit patterns and the impact on the
workforce profile.
Finding the right people for your company is very important. The entire
process of recruiting, interviewing,hiring and training is time-consuming and
expensive. Losing newcomers before they
ever become productive can be devastating. The best way to assure that once you
find the right people they will perform well
and stick around for the long haul is to get
them thoroughly indoctrinated into your
company’s philosophy and culture. If they
feel an early sense of commitment and
ownership, they are much more likely to
stay with the company.
“Effective onboarding is one of the keys
to employee retention,” says Dr. Michael
Wesson, Department of Management,
Mays Business School, Texas A&M. “The
more quickly employees adapt to your culture and become fully productive, the better chance you have that they will become
long-term employees.”
Our company’s founder, John Michael Kohler, Jr., put a great deal of thought into the care of his workers. His concern for their welfare, and that of their families, led him to provide them with housing, medical care and other assistance long before such things were considered part of an official “employee benefits package.”
This philosophy and tradition of caring for our associates has become a hallmark of our company. Because we are constantly looking for new ways to support our workforce, our benefits program has evolved to become a thorough and thoughtful list of features.
Health and Welfare Plans
Health and Dental Benefits
Vision Benefits
Flexible Spending Accounts (U.S. benefit)
Pay Protection
Life Insurance
Retirement Plans
General Benefit Offerings
Holiday and Vacation Benefits
Relocation Assistance
Kohler Co. Product Discounts (including membership discounts to fitness facilities and golf courses)
Recreational programs
You probably already know us as a worldwide leader in plumbing products. What you might not know is that the Kohler family of businesses extends far beyond the kitchen and bath.
Unparalleled product design and innovation have led the way to a diverse portfolio of respected brand names with operations on six continents. Today, the Kohler family of businesses creates products that set the standard in kitchen and bath, engines and generators, furniture and accessories, cabinetry and tile, as well as resort, recreation and real estate.
Throughout our nearly 132-year history, Kohler Co. has remained true to our founding vision of defining the frontiers of ideas, craftsmanship and technology. Throughout the years we've led the way in product design with a commitment to quality over a broad range of price points.
Establishing new levels of excellence within each industry and market we serve is an ongoing process. Every day we strive to fulfill our mission of improving the level of gracious living for each person who is touched by our products and services. Driving this pursuit is a skilled group of more than 31,000 associates worldwide. Much of Kohler Co.'s success is due to each and every one of these individuals thinking about how we can do what we do even better.
Kohler was founded in 1873 by Austrian immigrant John Michael Kohler with the purchase of the Sheboygan Union Iron and Steel Foundry. Early products included cast iron and steel farm implements, castings for furniture factories, and ornamental iron pieces including cemetery crosses and settees. A breakthrough came in 1883 when John Michael applied enamel to a cast iron horse trough to create the company's first bathtub. The company has been primarily in the plumbing business ever since, known for plumbing fixtures. In 1888, the then Kohler Water Works developed the original trademarked Bubbler. They became popular, and other companies developed similar products under the generic term "drinking fountain." The colloquial word "bubbler" is still used in several regions of the United States.
In 1934 and 1954, the Kohler Strikes took place.
The Kohler group acquired 2005 Sdmo Industries, a manufacturer of power generators, along with SOREEL (electrical engineering) and BES (maintenance of gensets) from the French Meunier Holding.
Employers will need to think differently
about the continual development of older workers.
They’ll need to provide career development
opportunities by way of such things as rotational
assignments, rather than the traditional route up the
ladder. So employers can put them on teams to make
changes or improve processes. That can help keep the
employees engaged, because they’re not just doing a
routine job anymore.
But there’s also a concern that a lot of intellectual
capital will be lost when the retirement wave — which
is growing taller and taller — eventually crashes with
a mass exodus from the workforce. To ensure that
knowledge is transferred, companies need to get
young workers collaborating with some of the nearretirees
now. When older workers are staying for
financial reasons and aren’t very engaged, employers
can think about how to leverage what those people
have learned and have them mentor younger workers.
It can make the near-retirees feel good about the
knowledge they have and about sharing it with the rest
of the organization.
As for workforce planning — one problem we
see is that many employers are making changes
to retirement plans without fully considering the
implications on exit patterns and the impact on the
workforce profile.
Finding the right people for your company is very important. The entire
process of recruiting, interviewing,hiring and training is time-consuming and
expensive. Losing newcomers before they
ever become productive can be devastating. The best way to assure that once you
find the right people they will perform well
and stick around for the long haul is to get
them thoroughly indoctrinated into your
company’s philosophy and culture. If they
feel an early sense of commitment and
ownership, they are much more likely to
stay with the company.
“Effective onboarding is one of the keys
to employee retention,” says Dr. Michael
Wesson, Department of Management,
Mays Business School, Texas A&M. “The
more quickly employees adapt to your culture and become fully productive, the better chance you have that they will become
long-term employees.”
Our company’s founder, John Michael Kohler, Jr., put a great deal of thought into the care of his workers. His concern for their welfare, and that of their families, led him to provide them with housing, medical care and other assistance long before such things were considered part of an official “employee benefits package.”
This philosophy and tradition of caring for our associates has become a hallmark of our company. Because we are constantly looking for new ways to support our workforce, our benefits program has evolved to become a thorough and thoughtful list of features.
Health and Welfare Plans
Health and Dental Benefits
Vision Benefits
Flexible Spending Accounts (U.S. benefit)
Pay Protection
Life Insurance
Retirement Plans
General Benefit Offerings
Holiday and Vacation Benefits
Relocation Assistance
Kohler Co. Product Discounts (including membership discounts to fitness facilities and golf courses)
Recreational programs
You probably already know us as a worldwide leader in plumbing products. What you might not know is that the Kohler family of businesses extends far beyond the kitchen and bath.
Unparalleled product design and innovation have led the way to a diverse portfolio of respected brand names with operations on six continents. Today, the Kohler family of businesses creates products that set the standard in kitchen and bath, engines and generators, furniture and accessories, cabinetry and tile, as well as resort, recreation and real estate.
Throughout our nearly 132-year history, Kohler Co. has remained true to our founding vision of defining the frontiers of ideas, craftsmanship and technology. Throughout the years we've led the way in product design with a commitment to quality over a broad range of price points.
Establishing new levels of excellence within each industry and market we serve is an ongoing process. Every day we strive to fulfill our mission of improving the level of gracious living for each person who is touched by our products and services. Driving this pursuit is a skilled group of more than 31,000 associates worldwide. Much of Kohler Co.'s success is due to each and every one of these individuals thinking about how we can do what we do even better.