"I love getting out of bed in the morning and coming to work." How many of us can utter that phrase without collapsing into a fit of sarcastic laughter? Perhaps only a few, but someone did say it -- and her tongue wasn't anywhere near her cheek.
Her name is Kelly Vrtis, and she plans meetings in Dallas. "At my company, teamwork and communication are rampant." That could be why she's stuck around for eight years. Or maybe it's the twice-monthly chair massages. Whatever the reason, it's apparent her boss is doing something right. And it's worth discovering just what it is that makes Vrtis -- and a handful of others at organizations Successful Meetings has found to be planner-friendly-- more than happy to wake up and put in an honest day's work.
Getting these "best practices" implemented at your place of employment could be the key to your workaday happiness. And we say that with a straight face.
Xilinx
The proof is in the people
The company overview reads like this: "Xilinx is an innovation engine and our employees are the keys to our innovation. We know that keeping our employees satisfied leads directly to innovation, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, increased profits." That's not a lot of b.s., says Patty Nation, senior marketing manager for operations and events at this San Jose maker of semiconductors. "Xilinx considers each individual as the value and worth of the organization." Nation herself reflects that principle in the way she rewards her eight-person staff for the completion of a successful customer event or trade show. "I give them a plant and a thank-you note, or take them out to dinner." The company, which is listed as number four in Fortune magazine's annual survey, "The 100 Best Companies to Work For," does one better, recognizing employees with a quarterly awards program. "Winners' names are then put into a pot for a drawing for additional stock options," which each and every employee has to begin with.
Xilinx further looks after employees through its strict adherence to a no-layoff policy, which spared many of them during the tech downturn. And although that meant a 6-percent pay cut, the CEO's salary was also slashed -- by 20 percent. "This proves," says Nation, "that the core values of teamwork and respect are not just talk." It's a belief that's kept her around for nearly six years, along with her faith in the corporate line that goes like this: "Our employees are inspired and know they make a real difference."
Madison Performance Group
Up, up, and away
It took Todd Englander, an executive recruiter to the meetings industry, less than a second to name what is, in his opinion, the best place for a planner to be employed. Although it likely had something to do with the fact that a decade ago he was on the payroll at this New York City-based performance improvement firm, that's not all. "Madison is very entrepreneurial as a company -- they're always trying new things." For instance, it was the leader when it came to online incentive programs, he notes. "As an employee, you're forever challenged." Englander says this can be directly attributed to the founder and owner, who is "never afraid to try new things to grow the business, and is always encouraging his employees to grow along with it."
The very fact that it is a fairly small (70 or so employees), private company, owned by one person, makes it so much like a family, says Michele Gould Stuart, associate director of planning and purchasing. "This is his baby. And the employees are its siblings." After 30 years, the boss is still very accessible and hands on, yet he's not a type-A micromanager. "If new hires prove themselves to be good during training, they're trusted and allowed to dive right in." That's an incredible confidence booster, she adds. So is the fact that the company is big on promoting from within. "I think this keeps turnover low. People are here for a career, not just a job." She's been there 13 years; many others have stuck around six and seven years. And the pay is good, Stuart adds. "Good enough to match the cost of living for New Yorkers."
The Container Store
In the presence of greatness
The planner who admits, "I love getting out of bed in the morning and coming to work," thinks the main reason she can make such a bold claim -- beyond the $10 chair massages and free yoga classes -- stems from her company's core business philosophy. "It's the idea that one great person equals three good people," says Kelly Vrtis, one of 10 people who plan close to 300 meetings and events a year at this Dallas-based seller of storage and organization products. "That's why they make every effort, particularly through a very intense interview process, to only hire great people." With that in mind, "You can't help but feel special and proud, knowing you're surrounded by the best, most talented individuals in the business." Yet it doesn't end there. "Handwritten notes from our founders after a job well done" only serve to reinforce those feelings of distinction and pride, she points out.
The founders of The Container Store -- which holds the number-two spot for the second year in a row on the Fortune list, having ranked as number one for the two years before that -- also believe the more employees know, the better they'll perform and feel about their work. "We're not on a need-to-know basis," says Vrtis. "We are informed about everything going on. Which puts everyone on the same page, and really gives us all a sense of ownership in the company."
Coupled with the teamwork and communication that runs "rampant," it's really no wonder she rarely oversleeps.
Meeting Systems
All in the family
When BethAnn Melad left the corporate world three and a half years ago for the feel of a small company, she sure found it at Meeting Systems. As one of two full-time planners at this mom-and-pop independent planning firm in Boise, ID, Melad loves the fact that she's with the client from start to finish. "With more employees, you only get to handle one aspect of the planning process. That gets boring and monotonous very quickly."
Boring and monotonous are not words Jana Kemp uses when recommending Meeting Systems as a top-notch organization. "I've seen the finesse they have in interacting with attendees," notes the president of Meeting & Management Essentials, a Boise-based training and development company. "And that must have something to do with their culture." It does, says Melad. "The owners treat our clients like family, and they treat us the same way." For them, family comes first, and there is life outside of work. Especially in this business, continues Melad, where it's not always Monday to Friday. "After a weekend conference, we'll take a day off." And it's not uncommon, she adds, for her boss to say something like, "You did a good job. Make sure you get yourself a spa treatment," before leaving the meeting site. Melad most recently indulged in reflexology in St. Lucia.
On that same trip, Melad had her boss in tow, yet he was far from overbearing. "He knows I'm the expert, so he lets me run things." He was there for support, she says, and "he looks over me not like a boss, but like a father."
As a parent in her own right, Melad is hoping to someday work from home. She doesn't expect a problem. "My bosses are open to new ideas, and how they can best serve us."
Edward Jones
A piece of the pie
There are 11 planners in the travel department at this St. Louis-based financial services firm -- most of them have been there for 18 to 25 years; three of them have hung in for more than two decades. It's the oldest department in the company, and its leader, Brad Frick, thinks he knows why. "The people we support are very flexible, and they really let us run the show. They check their egos at the door, and treat us the way they want to be treated." The Golden Rule, continues Frick, is alive and well at Edward Jones, which is number one on the Fortune list for the second straight year, "and this all goes back to our founder, Ted Jones."
It seems when Mr. Jones was presented with the option of going public with his company, he decided to stick with his vision of giving it to the employees. Today, Edward Jones is owned by those who toil within its confines (there's not a single outside stockholder), and 25 percent of them have partnership stakes in the company. That includes seven out of eleven in the planning department, and Frick is among them. "There's a real entrepreneurial spirit here, and people are very committed to their jobs."
Particularly Frick, who chooses to work late on Fridays, after he's given his staff early dismissal. "They help me plan roughly six hundred regional sales meetings annually. That's on top of the more than ninety weeks of incentive trips in thirty-two destinations we've got going this year."
With such a hefty workload, the company realizes that nine to five doesn't work for everyone, particularly those with families, notes Frick. And so, "We have no set hours. And working from home when necessary is always an option." As are Mondays off after a weekend meeting.
Cisco
Sharing the wealthn -- and the stock
In listing San Jose-based Cisco Systems as number 24 in its "best of" survey, Fortune magazine cited the strong people-oriented culture at the Silicon Valley giant. Spot on, says Sheryl Sookman, who finds jobs for planners in her position as principal at The Meeting Connection in Novato, CA. "Even though there were some layoffs, the company never let go of its commitment to its employees. It didn't cut back on any perks or benefits," like contributions to the 401(k) plan. "Although we're working without raises or promotions right now, everyone still gets an annual bonus," points out Michele Snock, who heads up Cisco's 15-member planning department as manager of meetings and events.
What's more, every employee, from the lowest level to the highest, is a stockholder. And everyone gets additional shares every year. "There's an incredible feeling of ownership in the company," says Snock. "And you feel like you're really appreciated."
But profit sharing is just one of the ways the tech company shows its gratitude for a job well done. "The Cisco Appreciation Awards lets managers reward exceptional employees with a $1,000 check." Snock has benefited from the program, and calculates she's handed out $6,000 worth of Cisco's money over the past 12 months.
This is only part of the reason she and five of her staff members have stuck around since the formation of the planning department five years ago. "We also have the most wonderful CEO, John Chambers, who has zero ego." Once a month he sits down for breakfast with employees who are celebrating a birthday. "You get to ask him anything you want," says Snock, chuckling. Those who can't attend may e-mail their questions -- one of the perks of working at a high-tech company. Laptops are another. "I give everyone in my department the option of working from home one day a week," says Snock. As for time off after an intense meeting? "The company policy is: Don't ask, just tell." Crucial, when you're planning about twelve hundred meetings a year.
American Institute of CPAs
Balancing the books of work and life
This is truly an organization that runs the show with the planner in mind. "If you work an extra hour every day, you get a day off every other week," says Samantha Bowerman, senior manager, meetings and conferences, at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in Jersey City, NJ. "What meeting planner -- especially one at an association with 350,000 members and upwards of 200 meetings a year -- doesn't work at least an extra hour every day?" Good point. But it doesn't stop there: Planners who put in more than one additional hour on a daily basis are allowed a day off each and every week. Work a weekend, and have yourself a comp day.
It's all part of AICPA's "flextime plan" and it's one of the reasons Dawn Penfold, who functions, in part, as a meeting planner's headhunter, lauds it as one of the best places to work. "They really want to take care of their employees," says Penfold, who worked at AICPA in the mid-1980s before starting up The Meeting Candidate Network in New York City. They cared then, and they do now, Bowerman concurs. "Three of the fourteen people in my department telecommute. Two because they have kids at home; one because she was moving and I didn't want to lose her."
This stems from the core belief that work/life balance is important, adds Bowerman, as is the chance to network with colleagues in the industry. "The association encourages membership in professional organizations by giving us time off to attend lunches and conferences, and by covering our admission fees."
Needless to say, Bowerman has found it worthwhile to stay with the association for the past seven years, along with four others in the planning department. A few have hung on for more than 15 years. "We were hired with the expectation that we are good at what we do. We're trusted to do our jobs, without anyone breathing down our necks."