No. 2, 301+ employees: Commerce Bank

Commerce is the most family-friendly company in southwest Missouri, according to Springfield Business Journal Inc’s Best Places to Work survey. The Kansas City-based bank also ranked No. 2 among companies with more than 300 employees.

That family-friendly atmosphere, according to bank Chairman John Himmel, is a result of a concerted effort by company leaders to be sensitive to the needs of their employees.

“The vast majority of our employees are part of a bigger household,” Himmel said, “and we expect them to think of and work on behalf of their family’s best interest first and Commerce Bank second.”

The attention to the importance of family is reflected in the company’s policies and benefits.

Starting employees are offered more than two weeks of paid vacation in addition to more than six weeks of paid maternity leave. Employees with children can take advantage of flex time and telecommuting options, as well as tuition reimbursement for continuing education. The company also offers long-term care insurance to help employees care for aging parents.

Himmel said he thinks the institution’s strong benefit offerings help improve employee retention, as well as attracting new qualified people into the bank’s work force.

“Everybody’s salaries are competitive – they have to be,” he said. “So you look for things over and above just a competitive salary – a 401(k) plan, educational assistance for college students, strong promotional opportunities. That’s combined with incentive or bonus income potential based on performance and sales success.”

Himmel also pointed to the ability for employees to advance in the company, both through promotion – more than 90 percent of the company’s current managers were promoted from within the company – and through the sheer number of available positions – the bank has nearly 360 branches and loan production offices in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois.

Employees also needn’t worry about job stability or security – Commerce has been around for 140 years, and by 1890, under the name National Bank of Commerce, it was the largest bank west of Chicago. The bank has been publicly traded since it became affiliated with Commerce Bancshares, its current holding company, in 1967.

Mobility, flexibility and stability are features of Commerce Bank’s work environment that keep employees happy, an aspect that Himmel says is incredibly important to the institution’s continued success.

“We’ve found that when we take good care of our employees, our employees are happy, their performance is good, they take good care of our customers, and our customers take care of our company,” Himmel said. “When we have happy employees, we have happy customers.”