Home to 430 full-time employees and 29 part-time employees, Drury University offers a comprehensive benefits package including 100 percent company-paid health insurance for all full-time employees with benefits extended to domestic partners. Bonuses are offered to all employees. More than half of Drury’s employees currently take part in a continuing education program and scholarship assistance for employee children is also offered. The university also offers employee mentoring. Other benefits include a college savings plan, free or subsidized parking and childcare, employer paid personal accident insurance when traveling more than 100 miles from home, an employer paid identity theft assistance program and two free tickets to all home athletic events.
What do you find makes your business a desirable place to work?“There are many reasons Drury is a great place to work, but the ones I hear about most frequently from our faculty and staff are the sense of community at Drury, the inspiration they feel working with our students, the beautiful campus itself, the rich, student-centered traditions of the university and the opportunities we have to engage in meaningful work together for the good of our students. I think staff and faculty take pride in knowing they are contributing to ‘noble’ work.”
What tools does the company use to recruit and retain staff?“We do all we can to try to remain competitive with regard to compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plan, tuition remission, on-campus wellness programs and paid time off. We also promote the other, more intrinsic reasons people would be attracted to and stay at Drury. Opportunities for advancement and professional development, leadership opportunities, opportunities to volunteer for and connect with community organizations as part of Drury’s Community Connections program and the opportunities to interact with and help our students achieve their goals are just a few of those.”
What is the most celebrated benefit/perk among your staff?“Our tuition remission program is most often cited by employees as the greatest benefit we offer. Employees have the opportunity to complete their undergraduate and graduate degree at no charge. Tuition remission benefits for undergraduate tuition are also available to dependents of qualified employees. This benefit also supports the mission of the university, to foster a lifelong love of learning. Employees appreciate our generous paid time off programs.”
Work vs. life – how does your company help employees strike a balance between the two?“Most departments are able to offer staff some flexibility with their work schedule when the demands of home, family and life outside the workplace conflict with their normal work schedule. Telecommuting has also been utilized by some departments to accommodate an employee’s need to be away from the workplace. Our generous paid time off plan is also helpful when employees need additional time away from work to attend to family issues.
“We also offer periodic on-campus programming on the topics of work-life balance, family health issues, stress management, etc. Our confidential employee assistance program is utilized by many employees to seek counseling and explore ways to find a balance between the demands of work and life outside work. For employees whose commitment to a community organization may occasionally conflict with their work schedule, we now offer a paid day off to those who request time off to perform community service work.”
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