Smithfield-based Computer Associates Inc., a software development and systems integration company, is a place where its employees have felt at home – many so much so that some have been with the 28-year-old company nearly since the beginning. It is this and other attributes that resulted in Computer Associates being recognized as one of Rhode Island’s Best Places to Work for 2006.
“Being in the service industry – we sell a product but our main focus is selling a service – we have found that it’s extremely important to train people in ways that they can respond to clients,” said Kent Tunnicliffe, treasurer and one of the company’s three founders. “In an industry that is known for high turnover, we have employees who have been with us for 20 years or more. We feel it’s important for the continuity of the product.”
In creating an environment that fosters high productivity, Tunnicliffe and his partners pay attention to the needs of CAI’s work force. “Once you get past the necessities of life – a competitive salary and good benefits – it comes down to the environment you set in the workplace,” Tunnicliffe said. “We have a relaxed atmosphere, and we value the input of our employees, and we encourage them.”
Tunnicliffe, along with the other founder, President and CEO James McCooey (the third founder, John Winters, retired in 2003), emphasizes flexibility, creativity and collaboration at CAI. The company also offers a unique in-house training and mentorship program. At Customer Service University, as it has been dubbed, newly hired technicians or consultants can get on-the-job training and learn about the software products while dealing with end-users, said Tunnicliffe. New hires typically stay in this “university” for six months to one year, he said. The company also regularly conducts applications training programs and classes with the help of an in-house expert.
Jeffrey Ferreira has been with CAI since 1997 and is now a senior consultant with the company. “I do not think I would be exaggerating if I said I learned more in that first year than I did in any other years during my career,” he said.
Another program unique to Computer Associates is its “buddy system,” where a senior member of the company is paired with a new employee who has just graduated from “CSU.”
“We have found that we’re unable to take people right out of college and move them into a consultant position,” Tannicliffe said. “This way, the senior person can pass along to the junior person their tips and provide guidance along the way. … It helps to ease that person into the workplace.”
Camaraderie and mentorship are common themes threaded throughout the workplace at CAI, according to Tunnicliffe. Pizza and ice cream days are common, as well as company cookouts, he said.
Because there is usually heavy travel associated with the industry, he said travel is dispersed evenly among the consultants to minimize their time away from their families. Consultants also get a few extra holidays each year; the days before Christmas and New Year’s are considered holidays at Computer Associates.
“The atmosphere is laid-back,” said Ferreira, “but with a focus on productivity. … Everyone has a great attitude and work ethic, which makes coming to work more enjoyable.”
While Tunnicliffe attributes some of these elements to the company’s relatively small size, he added: “I think it’s the tone that management sets that dictates what type of company you have. … These are our friends and they are treated as such.”
According to Tunnicliffe, that positive, creative environment has contributed to the overall environment and CAI’s consultant longevity.
“We’ve all worked in environments where we didn’t want to go to work each day, so we wanted to make sure we set a different tone – to earn, grow and learn.”
