Health insurance, 401(k), vacation time. Employees at Amica Insurance, of course, are entitled to these standard benefits. But Jill Andy, director of human resources, wants the company to be the standard.
Andy started with the insurance company in the claims department 21 years ago, and so brings the perspective of an employee to the job. She uses it to help create an impressive roster of programs.
One of the initiatives she is most proud of is the fitness program. Any employee can join a gym, and Amica will reimburse 80 percent of the cost – up to $400 for an individual and up to $800 for a family.
“When we benchmarked ourselves against other companies,” she said, “no one else is reimbursing the family.”
The care Amica takes in providing its employees with top-notch benefits and programs is one reason that the company has earned a spot on Providence Business News’ 2009 Best Places to Work in Rhode Island list.
Administrative assistant Karen Graves has been with the company long enough to see insurance claims move from paper note cards to the computer. She started with Amica 46 years ago, when she was 18.
She did not expect to spend her entire career there.
“When I started, and looked at people who had been there for that many years, I thought ‘Oh my God, not me,’ ” she said. “But I was fortunate enough to always have a position that I love doing.”
As the years went by, Graves was able to move up through the company, earning promotions, pay raises and more responsibility.
“Everyone is just proud of the company,” she said. It “makes you feel that you’re a very important part of the company.”
One of the ways that gratitude shows is through a quarterly news e-mail from Robert A. DiMuccio, Amica’s chairman, president and CEO.
“He’s always speaking with us, just like we’re part of the senior staff,” Graves said. “He always makes a point of thanking everyone because Amica wouldn’t be where we were if it weren’t for the employees.”
Just as the company has grown and evolved over the years, so too do the benefits it offers to employees. For instance, Andy said the company has been offering personal health risk assessments and is using the information to tailor new programs to better suit the needs of employees.
Amica also started a new employee -appreciation program. No more five-year anniversary paperweights. The company now works with a vendor that helps managers create personalized letters every five years, and lets employees choose the gifts they want at each milestone – from electronics to sports equipment and jewelry.
Graves will benefit from this new program – after 46 years, she is retiring this year. She wants to continue to do volunteer work, something the company encourages with matching donation programs.
She’s looking forward to retirement, but will remember her time at Amica fondly.
“I’m a proud Amica employee, soon to be a proud Amica retiree.” •
