David Cook, team leader, Jennifer Walsh, human resources site lead, and Michael Replogle, vice president of local operations, are among the team members at Chase Card Services who have access to benefits that include child-care and adoption assistance.
Leaders at Chase Card Services in Springfield firmly believe that the single most significant factor in the company's success is its associates.
"When you think about what it takes to make a site successful, and what determines its future success, it's always the employees," says Michael Replogle, local vice president of operations.
The emphasis on employees means managers approach their roles with a servant mentality, he notes.
"We're here to serve the advisers - to support them, coach them, develop them, nurture them and ensure that they're successful. And we know that by being employee-centric, first and foremost above anything, we will be a customer-centric organization," Replogle says.
Established in Springfield in 1998, Chase Card Services has approximately 1,600 employees. Of that number, about 1,350 support card member services and 250 support retail. Card advisers field more than 1.3 million customer calls each month.
In addition to medical, dental, vision and prescription plans, Chase provides company-paid life insurance and short-term disability coverage for employees, says Jennifer Walsh, human resources site lead.
Employees have the option of purchasing long-term disability and group legal benefits.
"One of our least talked about but best benefits is ... our employee assistance program," Walsh says. The EAP provides five free counseling sessions per employee, per family member and per topic - including emotional, legal and financial concerns.
Chase also offers child-care assistance, aligning with local providers who offer discounts for Chase employees. The company also offers adoption assistance. For example, an employee who adopted a child from China received a $10,000 reimbursement from Chase, Replogle says.
But perhaps one of the most attractive programs Chase offers for its staff is its Back Up Care Advantage, or BUCA, program, which was piloted in Springfield.
Chase works with Bright Horizons, a company that certifies various in-home and facilities-based child-care providers.
When an employee has an unexpected child-care need - a child who can't attend regular day care because of a low-grade fever or a child with nowhere to go when a snow day closes schools - the employee can access Bright Horizons-certified child care under BUCA at no cost, Replogle says. Chase will pay for up to 10 visits a year per child, with a small copay - $10 - for each of the next 10 visits.
The program also is available for elder care. Because Bright Horizons is national, Springfield workers can even arrange for short-term care of elderly parents in another state under BUCA, Replogle says.
While the program directly benefits the employees, it also pays off for Chase in reduced absenteeism. In a one-year pilot program in Springfield, Delaware and Orlando, the program saved 358 employee days.
If all goes as planned, Chase will soon be offering its benefits to more employees. Replogle says hiring in Springfield is ongoing, and the company expects to fill 120 positions in the fourth quarter.
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