2013 Choice Employers, 101 to 300 Employees No. 3: College of the Ozarks

Point Lookout-based College of the Ozarks offers its 265 full-time employees more than 20 paid days off each year and covers 100 percent of health insurance premiums. In addition, the private school offers six weeks of paid maternity or paternity leave. All of the school’s 269 employees and their dependents can take advantage of the school’s clinic for minor illnesses with a $10 co-pay. C of O offers a no-waiting-period 403(b) plan with automatic company contributions of 15 percent of the employee’s annual salary. Currently, 10 to 29 percent of staffers take advantage of the school’s tuition reimbursement for any continuing education. Employees also can eat in the student dining hall for just $1 a day.

Editor’s note: Answers provided by spokeswoman Vicki Wrosch.

What do you find makes your business a desirable place to work?
“The college is a desirable place to work because of the long-time purpose, or vision, of the college itself: To develop citizens of Christ-like character who are well educated, hardworking and patriotic.

This fosters a workplace where Christ, students and employees are honored. As a result, inculcated into the fabric and culture of the college are those values, such as faith, honesty, respect, patriotism and hard work which make the college workplace enjoyable.”

What is the average length of employment among staff, and what fosters such loyalty?
“Many employees have 20, 30 and even 40 years of service. While benefits and salary are certainly factors in such longevity, many employees would say that their loyalty is due to the satisfaction of spending their working careers with an employer which is making a tangible, positive difference.”

What innovative ways have you developed to reward employees?
“A recent innovation which benefits employees is the Bobcat Clinic, an on-campus medical facility where employees and their immediate family members can be seen by college nurses, a physician assistant or doctor. The Bobcat Clinic is a financial, as well as a time-saving, employee benefit for minor health issues and accidents, and has been enthusiastically received by the college community.”

Work vs. life – how does your company help employees strike a balance between the two?
“The lifeblood of Hard Work U, as the college is known, is the steadfast living and teaching of traditional American values, exemplified by the home, church and school. The paramount importance of family is illustrated by the college policy of extending both Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays into a full week of paid holiday time for both, allowing more family time.”

How does your company support employees’ desires to give back to the community?
“Because of the Christian nature of the college, it is expected that its employees will want to give back to the community, and do so in diverse ways. Examples include college participation in Walk for the Cure, and Pitch in for Patriots, a program designed to provide Trackchairs to amputee veterans. The college also operates School of the Ozarks, a college-prep high school featuring a classical, Christian education with no tuition, for deserving students.”[[In-content Ad]]