What would make an employee stay at a job for 40 years?
According to Jean Tasillo, who recently celebrated her 40th anniversary with Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, it’s good benefits, smaller “personal perks” like monthly office parties, and other tokens of appreciation.
“I think it’s a very good company. They are good with their employees, and I’ve enjoyed working with nice people,” said Tasillo, who works as a secretary. “When I started, there were women that had been here for 30 years, and I said I would never stay in one place so long.”
Megan McCormack, the firm’s director of administration and human resources, said keeping employees like Tasillo happy is one of the firm’s primary concerns.
“The underlying message is that we value each and every employee, whether they work in the mailroom or are a lawyer practicing law,” McCormack said. “I think that comes through in everything we do and everything we offer.”
Laurie MacDonald, the firm’s director of marketing, agreed.
“We are in a service business,” MacDonald said. “In order to keep that service at the quality we expect and our clients expect, it’s imperative to keep everyone happy.”
The firm, which is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, was founded in Providence and now has offices in Boston and Concord, N.H. But over the years, said McCormack, happy employees have always been a top priority.
McCormack cited the firm’s rich benefits package and “competitive” pay scale as evidence of its commitment to employee happiness.
The highlight of the benefits package is the firm’s 401(k) plan. After two years of continuous employment, each employee’s account receives an annual deposit from the firm (usually 7.5 percent of that employee’s annual income) whether the employee contributes or not. Extensive in-house training is also provided to help employees grow as the company grows.
Both McCormack and MacDonald said the firm also tries to “foster a healthy work/life balance.”
“It can be a very high stress environment, so balance is something we stress with our employees and recruits,” MacDonald said.
Although flexible work schedules are rare at the firm because of the demands of the business, Hinckley, Allen & Snyder offers its employees ample vacation time.
“Employees in their first year get three weeks’ vacation out of the box in addition to five paid sick days and two personal days,” McCormack said. “For the new employee, that’s a great benefit.”
The firm also shows its commitment to employee happiness in less official ways. In addition to an annual picnic and holiday parties, the firm hosts monthly “wind-down parties” and an annual appreciation day breakfast, employees also receive numerous discounts, including vending machine soda for only 25 cents, legal fees, and bus passes.
Tasillo said those “personal perks” mean a lot. “I know they are small things,” Tasillo said. “But they all add up to a good place to work.”
McCormack said she believes the firm has been successful in maintaining high morale, noting that, unlike many law firms, it’s not unusual for employees at Hinckley, Allen & Snyder to stay throughout their careers.
“The overwhelming feedback is evident in amazing tenure,” she said. “They really feel we value them.”
Although she hasn’t been with the firm as long as Tasillo, MacDonald said she understands why people stay.
“I’ve been here for 20 years and it’s not because I love the legal business,” she said. “It’s the people.”
