Employees at many architectural firms have to work long hours to rise to the top of their field, but GHN Architects/Engineers has found a way to create a healthy work-life balance without sacrificing career or family.
"Architects are notorious for being very dedicated to their profession," says Charles Hill, president of GHN Architects/Engineers.
"Something I've subscribed to over the past 15 to 16 years is that we work to take care of our families."
GHN provides architectural and planning services, engineering and interior design, with an emphasis on health care, higher education, municipalities, religion and public schools. In business since 1930, the firm recently worked on City Hall and the Police departments in West Plains and Lebanon, as well as the roughly $4.8 million addition and renovations at Springfield's Glendale High School.
Although these projects can take a lot of time and energy, Hill encourages his employees to work as closely as possible to a traditional 8 a.m.-5 p.m. schedule.
"I used to have the attitude you couldn't spend enough hours working," Hill says. "You can end up some day realizing that all you've done is worked and never took care of your life away from work. So, we try to create an environment where that doesn't happen."
That attitude is appreciated by staff members.
"I like that they care about their employees," says Hope Faller, marketing administrator.
GHN's benefits package is another way the company shows it cares.
The company pays the full premium for employees' health insurance and 50 percent of their dependents' coverage.
"One thing we do is charge the employee according to their actual premium," says Business Manager Jean Stoops.
"We don't group them all together, so each one carries their own burden, and a single intern doesn't have to pay for someone with kids."
The company matches employees' 401(k) contributions dollar-for-dollar up to 3 percent of each employee's salary, with a 50 percent match rate for up to an additional 2 percent.
Enrollment in the company's 401(k) plan is available semiannually, and after 30 days of employment, staff members can enter the plan at the first window of opportunity.
Plan participants are fully vested immediately.
Employees can take two weeks of sick leave and two weeks of vacation with no waiting period. Salary reviews are typically given annually, and raises are based on merit, not longevity, Stoops says.
Tuition reimbursement for work-related courses, which include required continuing education and licensure fees, is another way GHN invests in its employees. The licensure exam for architects comprises nine parts with fees ranging from $220 to $1,190, and professional registration and certification fees can run between $60 and $700.
Employees say they feel like a valued part of the team.
"(Firm leaders) are open with us about business practices and if you have an idea, they listen," Faller says.
2009 Choice Employers, 5 to 24 Employees No. 2: Sapp Design PC
2009 Choice Employers, 5 to 24 Employees No. 4: Jack Ball Architects
2009 Choice Employees Honorees
