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VEGAS INC C OV E R STO RY Bet your company doesn't offer perks like these LEILA NAVIDI 'WE CARE': Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada employees wear matching shirts while they participate in events, such as the Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure. less than the rest of the company. He also said that several employees have received some nice promotions. "Our hopes are that they will be the mentors down the line," he said. The company also has instituted the Bally Technical Training Academy as well as the Bally eLearning Program for its employees. Workers have access to an online library for coursework that that helps employkapral ees enhance their experience level. It also saves the company from hiring outside consultants to teach that kind of training. By moving it in house, it saves money and makes the process more proficient, Kapral said. Bally provides $5,000 annually for tuition reimbursement, as well, allowing some employees to pursue a master's degree at little to no out-of-pocket cost. "We really support that program," Kapral said. "We get decent participation in it, but we'd love to have even more employees participate in it." For new moms, Bally offers a lactation room at its headquarters. "It has gotten popular in recent years, and we have one in most of our major facilities across the world," Kapral said. "Mothers book the room, which is basi- 20 20130527_VI01_F.indd 20 cally a converted lounge. It locks from the inside for privacy. It also has a refrigerator for milk storage. The company enters the local Corporate Challenge and also provides subsidies for local gym memberships. Kapral said the company is also installing a walking/jogging path on campus. Kapral also said that Bally has always had a reasonably deep bonus program. The company – which boasts 1,000 employees in Las Vegas and about 3,400 worldwide – never stopped it, but it did take a bit of a hit during the economic downturn, he said. Kapral also said Bally has a popular employee stock purchase program. Nathan Adelson Hospice The hospice care facility was recognized as a Top 100 Best Places to Work by Modern Health Care magazine in 2010 and 2011. McNulty believes that's because the company listens to its employees. "We do a lot of internal employee surveys," she said. "We truly want to know and care what the employees are thinking." Some of its perks include on-site car washes for employees, an option for pet insurance, dry cleaning pick up and drop off twice per week, an employee purchasing program, discounts on work shoes and free flu shots, plus occasional seminars on financial planning and nutrition. McNulty said the purchasing program has been a big hit. Employees can purchase things online from a website such as household furniture, computers, washers and dryers, and then pay for them interest-free through payroll deduction. The company pays 100 percent of coverage for medical, pharmaceutical and dental premiums, plus it subsidizes 25 percent of dependent and domestic partner care. It also provides life insurance and long-term disability coverage at no cost to the employee. The company pays for all certification classes and renewals that employees need. "Anything that is required for them to do their job, we pay for," McNulty said. Weight Watchers classes also are offered, and employees who lose 5 percent of their body weight and maintain it are reimbursed, McNulty said. Another area where Nathan Adelson Hospice is particularly diligent is counseling for its employees. "Our staff deals with a lot of emotions on an everyday basis," McNulty said. "We have a compassion fatigue support group and counselors are always available. We also have a program where an employee can go off site to talk to someone, as well. "Our employees can get attached to their patients," she said. "Some even attend funerals sometimes of the patients they cared for." On a national scale, some of the top companies to work for offer some truly out-of-the-box perks and benefits. Here is a look at 10 of them: • Google: Long recognized for its great – and odd – perks, the company allows employees to help themselves to anything in the overflowing food pantries or cafeterias that are on site. It also has bowling alleys, bocce courts and a gym on its 26-acre campus. And if that's not enough, it offers free haircuts without leaving work. • Campbell Soup Company: It offers a full kindergarten program and day care for children of employees, as well as a "School's Out" program that helps workers with children ages 6-12 to cover days when schools are closed for teacher conferences or snow days. It also runs a "Summer Fun" program during the months that school is out. • Cisco Systems: It provides an on-site fitness center as well as physical therapy and acupuncture. • Johnson & Johnson: The company provides access to a concierge service to its 12,000 employees. Services can range from returning library books to picking up dry cleaning. • Mattel: It has a policy that offers 16 hours of paid time off for schoolrelated absences such as parentteacher conference or even field trips. • General Mills: As part of the Flexible User Shared Environment program, employees are allowed to sit and work wherever they want at the corporate headquarters. • Chesapeake Energy: It offers free SCUBA certification to all employees. • Southwest Airlines: Employees receive free flights on the airline as well as discounts with partners. Friends and family also receive guest passes. • Visa: It rewards employees who either bike, car pool or use public transportation to get to work, lauding them for their green efforts. • Microsoft Corp.: It gives new parents at the company generous maternity and paternity leave. But here's the kicker — the leave is paid. — Rob Langrell | 2 7 M AY 2 0 1 3 | 5/23/13 2:22:58 PM