2010 Choice Employers, 5 to 24 Employees No. 3: Pension Consultants Inc.

Pension Consultants Inc. pays more than half of the health insurance premiums for its 15 employees, who all work full time. There is tuition reimbursement for work-related study, used by more than 70 percent of the staff. The company also invests in 40 to 60 hours of formal training a year for each employee. Among other benefits, all employees have their birthdays as paid days off. There is free coffee, tea and soft drinks for employees. The company also has a monthly catered breakfast at a downtown eatery. Civic involvement stretches beyond corporate monetary donations to staffwide community service opportunities, such as a recent garden workday for nonprofit The Kitchen Inc.

Founder and President Brian D. Allen answers SBJ’s questions:

How would you describe your company’s culture?
There is a deep, genuine desire to humbly pursue excellence in all we do both as individuals and as a team. With the caliber of people we (hire) to serve our customers, the environment is intellectually stimulating. We hold regular discussions about the state of the economy and legislative affairs that have the potential to affect our clients. Family values are a part of our culture. There is never any doubt in our firm who comes first: It is always our family first, the company second.

When employees ask for raises, what factors do you weigh?
In the 16 years our firm has been in business, I cannot recall a single instance of an employee … asking for a raise. Perhaps this is because we have a structured annual performance evaluation process for each employee, which includes a salary review. Performance incentives are a component of nearly every employee’s total compensation package, which provides an opportunity for increasing annual salary based on meeting certain performance objectives. We also have a philosophy of paying above market rates to attract and retain talented individuals.

How do you reward employee accomplishments?
Philosophically, we believe that offering incentives aligns an employee’s interest with our corporate goals, and provides a tangible reward. That’s why nearly all staff members have incentives built into their compensation package. We also have a party planning committee that organizes social and team building events like the fall social, Christmas party and (team-building events).

What makes your company a family-friendly employer?
Our employees are hard-working, accountable and responsible people who have the freedom and flexibility to have a quality work/life balance. We support them in attending their spouses’ and children’s events … during typical work hours.

Just for Fun
If there were no limitations – budget or otherwise – what benefit would you begin offering employees tomorrow?
Wouldn’t it be great to charter a jet to sweep everyone and their families off to an exotic location with luxury hotel accommodations for a week? Perhaps a more practical benefit would be equipping each employee with a Kindle and budget for professional book downloads to provide continuous professional development.[[In-content Ad]]