Kassidy Koenemann had held a number of jobs through the years, but none of them felt quite right. She had no idea what she really wanted to do. "I was kind of distraught," she says.
That changed three years ago when she landed a job at T-Mobile USA Inc.
"When I got this job, I knew it was where I wanted to be," says Koenemann, a senior customer care representative at the in-bound call center.
"I absolutely love my job," she adds, ticking off a range of perks from insurance for herself and her fiancé to free lunch for the entire call center on cold winter days "just to thank us for coming to work."
Perhaps her greatest perk: Koenemann won a trip to Hawaii two years ago for outstaning performance.
Dee Ann Thompson,
T-Mobile's human resources manager, says those perks are part of the company's "best place to work, best place to perform" philosophy.
"We make sure (employees) feel good about their work environment," Thompson says.
In terms of more tangible benefits, the company pays about 90 percent of its employees' health insurance premiums. Family coverage is offered but paid for by employees.
Wellness plans are available through the company's insurance provider, and T-Mobile has an on-site fitness facility that's free for employees.
Full- and part-time T-Mobile employees can contribute to the company's 401(k) plan after their first 30 days of employment, and all employees are fully vested from the day of their first contribution.
After six months, the company matches employee contributions 100 percent for the first 3 percent and 50 percent for the next 3 percent put into the plan.
Because front-line employees are crucial to customer satisfaction, Thompson says their job satisfaction is of paramount importance to managers.
"Everyone that's in a support or management role doesn't have a job without our customer service reps," she says.
Keeping those employees happy includes making sure they have plenty of opportunity to advance professionally at T-Mobile.
T-Mobile has a career-planning program that includes résumé workshops, interviewing techniques and how to handle rejection and apply feedback, Thompson says.
There's also a career center where employees can use company computers to work on their résumés, which are required any time an employee applies for advancement.
"We have a company-wide goal nationally that 80 percent of our jobs are going to be filled internally," Thompson says.
Advancement options include positions such as senior representative, like Koenemann, team manager, associate director and even general manager.
"We have people at very high levels of this company that literally don't have a college degree" because they have climbed their way up on their own, Thompson says.
T-Mobile uses a quarterly and annual performance review process that stresses ongoing discussions between managers and employees about business goals, performance and career development. Coaching is a key element.
Then, of course, there's also the money. Annual raises average 2 percent to 3 percent, based on performance, and employees are eligible for quarterly bonuses.
That's another perk for Koenemann: "I love the amazing pay."Total Score: 108
Scores by Category
Incentives: 54
Family Friendly: 10
People Development: 14
Corporate Culture: 30
301+ Employees No. 2: St. John's Health System
2009 Choice Employers Honorees
