Intouch Solutions

It’s hard enough just building a top-notch workplace from scratch. The real trick, though, is sustaining it at that level throughout years of furious growth. Welcome to Faruk Capan’s world. Fifteen years after he envisioned a digital marketing company that would specialize in meeting the needs of pharmaceutical and health-care companies, his Intouch Solutions staff grew by nearly a third in 2012 alone, and now stands at 470 employees working in three locations.

By bringing on those new folks, and retaining talented ones, the company has grown big enough to warrant new digs—a 90,000-square-foot headquarters that will be ready for occupancy this summer. From the looks of it, they’ll need every inch of that space: the company expects to add 350 more jobs in the area over the next five years.

At Intouch, the keys to mission success are found in the skills and knowledge of that staff. Accordingly, it has launched its own in-house university—Intouch Continuing Education—with instruction in various business sectors, such as the School of Pharma, offering an overview and immersion into the dynamics of pharmaceuticals.

An 80 percent company share of family health-insurance costs (matching the level for individuals) is a nice touch, as is the 401(k) plan with a company match and no vesting schedule. Paid holidays are a given, but Intouch goes above and beyond on the time-off front with three weeks of vacation starting in Year One. It also offers an annual bonus plan, fitness reimbursement, and associate referral bonuses, all meant to keep employees not just healthy, but happy.

Monthly employee celebrations and summer hours are part of a Work Hard/Play Hard culture, but as a true differentiator, check this out: an annual beer-pong competition.

Having covered the foundational tiers of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the company addresses employees’ higher aspirations to by making community engagement a foundational value. That includes support for Harvesters–The Food Network, Toys for Tots, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and others—all told, 20 charities and non-profit organizations benefit from the financial contributions and pro bono work of Intouch and its employees.

 

Olsson & Associates

Half a workday. Think about how much more productive or fulfilling your own life would be, how much more in balance your work/life dynamic would be, with that kind of time for the “life” factor built into each work week. That’s exactly the kind of benefit employees at the engineering firm Olsson & Associates enjoy, on average, with the normal 4½-day week.

Within that structure, factor in an environment that fosters collaboration and communication, a relaxed dress code, and a team-centered approach with a keen appreciation for entrepreneurship. All of that, the company’s leadership says, allows Olsson to provide the client-service levels you find in a small company, as well as the professional resources of a large company.

Olsson stresses open communication and encourages just that in each of its 24 offices nationwide by providing firm-wide and team-specific financials. Intranet blogs and team meetings dispense important information, and all employees are encouraged to take initiative, anticipate change, and demonstrate leadership. Open-door policies? Please: this place has a no-door policy, given the open layouts of the offices—again, a tool that facilitates collaboration.

An in-house training program helps staff members grow into their roles and develop both technical and soft skills. A four-member Organization and Development Training team supports strategies and business objectives, and both technical and non-technical employees regularly receive instruction in various topics. Many live training sessions, in fact, are recorded for replay, and training is also available on-line.

Compensation starts with a competitive salary structure in a market where competition for qualified engineers is heated. Performance-based bonuses sweeten the pot, as do flex time options, 401(k) retirement accounts with a company match that vest immediately; employee-ownership through a stock bonus program and ESOP, and a wellness program. And, naturally, comprehensive benefits for employees and their dependents, including health, dental, life, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance.

What does all of that get you as a firm? How about a 23 percent pop in year-over-year billings for January 2014 alone, with a rosy outlook for the rest of 2014. Financial stability allowed the firm to open offices in Oklahoma City and Minneapolis last year.

 

Edward Jones

One would expect a company with nearly 31,000 full-time employees to have resources sufficient to take good care of the staff—financial, managerial and instructional. And if the company in question were Edward Jones, one would be correct. The financial advisory firm simply oozes workplace stability: Jim Weddle is just the fifth managing partner in the company’s 92-year history, and all were promoted from within. Fully 60 percent of the company’s leaders came up through the adviser ranks, and they communicate with the work force via e-mail, town-hall meetings, trimester updates and a digital suggestion box that teemed with 15,000 suggestions last year. A 14-time honoree on Training magazine’s Top 125 list, Edward Jones has training built into every stage of an associate’s career, with veterans mentoring new advisers and office administrators.

By structuring a system in which associates are eligible to become partners, the compensation matrix encourages performance and allows for sharing of profits. And atop a competitive and innovative salary structure, you’ll find health and dental coverage, a 401(k) plan with immediate vesting for associates, flexible spending accounts, access to fitness programs and discount programs, flex hours and more. The company demonstrates its concern for employee well-being with free wellness care, discounted premiums for those who quit smoking or lower their blood pressure, glucose or cholesterol levels, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement. And with its medical plan self-funded, the company can override provider decisions, order coverage or pay for expensive treatments.

Adding to workplace satisfaction are compressed workweeks, telecommuting, job sharing and voluntary unpaid leave, and sick leave that can be used to care for ill family. Perhaps most attractive to the entrepreneurially inclined, financial advisers run their own businesses, working in partnership with branch office administrators to achieve shared goals. And how’s this for a perk: Simply for ensuring diversification in clients’ portfolios, financial advisors earn extravagant diversification trips to exotic destinations across the globe. Families are invited and there’s no limit to the number of trips awarded.