A coworker saddled herself on an inflatable stability exercise ball and cozied up beside Elaine Zelmanov’s desk the other day at the Vivisimo office in Squirrel Hill.
Across the room at the online search company, two paddles sat on a ping-pong table, waiting for the techies’ 5 p.m. duels.
Behind Zelmanov, an open-air staircase led to a near-finished rooftop terrace, where Vivisimo’s computer experts will soon work wirelessly while basking in the sun.
And did we mention Vivisimo pays 100 percent of its employees’ health benefits?
Yeah, you could say the company is employee-friendly.
While many businesses offer paid vacations and 401(k) plans, others go beyond the norm, providing unique perks for their employees and presenting an attractive package for recruiting.
It’s almost like some companies — easy, now — actually care about their employees.
When Ken Knapp, Mellon Financial’s vice president of corporate operations, began looking for advice in handling his son’s college search, he turned not to an outside agency that charges thousands of dollars but rather to Mellon’s own College Coach Program.
Mellon contracts with a consultant to offer free group and individual seminars for employees who are decades removed from the application, financial aid, room-and-board process.
"From a parent’s perspective, there’s so much information," said Knapp, 46, of Pine, whose son, Casey, since has been accepted to Penn State University’s main campus. "There are websites. What do you do to get a good SAT score? What does he have to do to be qualified? It’s pretty intimidating."
While larger companies might be more financially capable of offering such perks, smaller businesses also find a way.
John Wolowiec, vice president of business development for Zoltun Design on the South Side, worked for Westinghouse but enjoys the intimate atmosphere at Zoltun, which includes profit sharing, occasional telecommuting and monthly team excursions.
Perking up
Some companies go above and beyond in providing benefits to their employees. Below is a look at a few local companies and their perks:
Heinz: Discounted gym memberships; contracts with masseuse, whom employees can pay for massages; Weight Watchers meetings.
Mellon: College Coach Program that provides assistance in the college application and selection process; option to purchase an additional week of vacation; contracts with child-care centers to provide 15 days of free, emergency back-up child care; onsite yoga, tai chi and Pilates classes that employees can pay for.
Zoltun Design: Monthly outings such as half-day bowling days or movie excursions; free lunch during staff meetings; exercise equipment on site; occasional telecommuting; profit sharing.
Vivisimo: Fully paid health-care coverage; stock options if company goes public; profit sharing; ping-pong table and dart board; free lunch Fridays; soon-to-be-completed roof terrace with wireless access; casual dress.
