Forget the 9-to-5 workday spent trapped inside a teensy cubicle. At Accutrust Mortgage Inc., a mortgage and financial services agency with offices throughout New England, many employees enjoy a more flexible work environment.
According to Donald Lambert, CEO of Accutrust, about 35 to 40 percent of the company’s employees work remotely under flexible time schedules. If a staff member wants to work from a home office, Accutrust sets up a telephone and Internet line there. Remote and office-based staffers stay connected through Accuchat, an online chat room through which workers can ask each other questions, share stories and seek advice.
In addition to working from home, many Accutrust staffers aren’t limited by the time constraints of the typical workday. Lambert lets many people set a schedule that works best for them.
“Employees are much happier when they can scoot out to see their kid’s soccer game at 3 o’clock and then come back and work at night or earlier in the morning,” Lambert said. “Productivity has really increased.”
In addition to embracing flexibility, Accutrust offers the usual host of benefits. Staffers are entitled to complete medical and dental packages, a 401(k) plan and life insurance.
Employees’ lives outside of the office also matter. The company formed an intramural basketball team and the River Rats Running Team, which regularly competes in 5K and 5-mile races. The staff also supports causes that individual employees are passionate about. Accutrust workers have raised about $35,000 for cancer-research organizations like the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said Lambert.
“It really has a family feel to it,” Lambert said. “There’s a reason that people stay with this company. •
