Best Places to Work 2025 Awards
#1 ENTERPRISE COMPANIES: Collette Travel Services Inc.
Local Employees: 507
CEO Jaclyn Leibl-Cote
EMPLOYEES AND LEADERSHIP at Collette Travel Services Inc. equally pride themselves in being innovators.
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This philosophy is reflected across the Pawtucket-based worldwide travel operator’s offerings to customers looking to turn their vacations and trips into dream-like experiences. The company offers several guided travel experiences, including escorted tours, cruise programs and learning vacations. Collette also focuses on enriching cultural experiences, comfortable accommodations and authentic culinary adventures.
Stability through a changing space speaks to the values that Collette CEO and President Jaclyn Leibl-Cote and her staff embody. Leibl-Cote describes her employees as being resilient, innovative and dedicated. Melissa Snape, the head of corporate citizenship at Collette, also noted that the company’s values guide employees as they navigate the world in and out of the office.
“Collette’s values are ‘be happy, be responsible, be a trailblazer and be the legacy’ ” Snape said. “These guide employees every day, whether in office or out experiencing the beautiful world through the gift of travel.”
Those values form a cohesive work culture at Collette that is consistently reinforced with new employee wellness initiatives, perks, and community building initiatives that make the company attractive to both current employees and potential new ones. Also, Collette’s employee wellness programs include guided meditations and yoga.
Through health focused webinars and the use of the CALM app, fully paid for by Collette, employees are encouraged to prioritize mental health, Leibl-Cote says. The CALM app is a popular platform for sleep, meditation, and relaxation, offering a wide variety of guided meditations, sleep stories, soundscapes and other resources to help users manage stress, improve sleep and enhance overall well-being.
The CALM app also provides access to Daily Calm, a daily 10-minute meditation, and Calm Masterclasses taught by experts. Employee wellness at Collette extends beyond mental health care. Leibl-Cote said the company also provides employees with access to the Peloton App One membership free of charge.
“This can be used in conjunction with the wellness center on site, featuring Peloton bikes and treadmills,” Leibl-Cote said.
To further integrate Collette’s staff into the company culture, holding family-friendly events are key, Snape says. Halloween is a “big deal” at Collette, she says, where employees go all out to celebrate.
“Employees decorate their workspace and invite children throughout the community to trick-or-treat in the office,” Snape said. “It’s an opportunity for creativity as well as a chance to give back in Rhode Island, to those who may not have access to safe trick-or-treating experiences.”
The company also supports its employees by encouraging them to participate in community service. Snape says each Collette employee receives four paid hours of volunteer time each month to be used in the community. These events, she says, are often planned by Collette’s corporate citizenship team that works with Rhode Island-based nonprofits to determine the needs throughout the area.
Colette also within the last 12 months instituted a new employee perk, called “Work From Anywhere,” that offers employees flexibility while encouraging exploration. Leibl-Cote says Work From Anywhere allows employees four weeks to work from any location in the world.
“[It’s] an initiative designed to support employees who may need to work remotely at times for a variety of reasons,” Leibl-Cote said.
The company employs 507 people locally with only a 12% voluntary turnover rate. As Collette looks to grow further, Leibl-Cote said the company takes a balanced approach to hiring and promoting.
“We prefer [that] approach in order to boost morale, retain talent [and] reward employees for their hard work, while also focusing on fresh perspectives, new skills and a diverse experience,” she said.
Diversity, equity and inclusion also play a factor in how the company curates and cultivates workplace culture. Leibl-Cote says Collette’s leadership development programs, mentorship initiatives and inclusive policies ensure that all employees feel valued and supported in their professional growth.
“We create an environment where every individual can contribute their best work and thrive,” Leibl-Cote said.
