Larry Bernard has been working at Amgen for almost seven years. But like many of the biotech innovator’s employees, the senior manager of communications continues to be wowed by the company’s generous benefits package. “The list of perks available here to employees is a long one, and we offer many things that most companies don’t,” Bernard said.
The company offers the standard – medical, dental and vision insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, a company-matched retirement plan, maternity and paternity leave, child care benefits, a sick-child-assistance care program, and employee- assistance programs.
For a 25-year-old company with 13,000 employees in 36 countries, these perks would seem to be the norm. But at the company’s West Greenwich location, there is a full-service cafeteria, and a fitness center with a staff that includes a nutritionist and trainers. In addition, employee wellness programs are regularly held.
Employees participate in athletics by joining golf, ice hockey, skiing and bowling teams. During the summer, teams are formed that compete against each other in an annual chowder cook-off. The company also offers discounted tickets to local events and attractions.
Clubs on parenting, singing, home brewing and photography have been developed to encourage socialization and learning. And in many cases, flexibility exists in the form of telecommuting and job-sharing.
Amgen’s 1,000 Rhode Island employees represent a diverse collection of functions, from biologists and chemists to project managers and salespeople. There are quality managers, supply chain staff, administrators and human resources personnel at the facility, and the extras help the company knit its staff together.
“By doing things like this you really get to know everyone in the company instead of just a few people in your department. And that helps people to work better together,” said Bernard. “Because of our belief that people need time for work and time to have a life, our staff is engaged in achieving both career and personal fulfillment, making them well-rounded.”
Another innovation developed by Amgen is a four-part work/life balance program with teams of 20 to 50 people that comprise committees for site satisfaction (company amenities), people development (career growth), the “mood” squad (positive reinforcement programs) and a trust and candor team that helps employees feel enveloped in a company-wide feeling of trust.
“It’s quite a nice campus to be a part of,” Bernard said, and one that is a key component of the company’s strategy to combat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and kidney disease, among other afflictions. In addition to manufacturing medications that help the human body fight for health, the company has contributed $110 million regionally and nationally to nonprofits that advance science education, just another way to reinforce the company’s mission with its staff.
“The company motto,” said Bernard, “which was started here in Rhode Island is ‘Every patient, every time.’ ” •
