Employer Profile

IT employees at all levels play an influential role at this financial services firm in St. Petersburg, Fla. Input from employee surveys and focus groups is used to help set goals and determine the strategic projects undertaken by the IT department. An employee network is dedicated to reducing bureaucracy and increasing productivity and efficiency by streamlining processes in various areas of IT. IT leaders maintain an open-door policy; they encourage employees to share suggestions for process improvements, cost-cutting measures and more, and they address every suggestion. Additionally, a communications response team made up of staffers and managers helps increase the overall effectiveness and timeliness of IT communications. Financial perks galore: A special employee trading desk assists employees, their spouses and their children under 18 years of age with general and account-specific questions and requests. The company also has a retirement plan through which it allocates a portion of its profits to a general pool of money that is used to make deposits into the accounts of eligible employees each year. The amounts deposited are calculated based on the individual's compensation and length of service. Vested funds are disbursed to employees when they reach a predetermined retirement age. The company also distributes shares of stock to eligible employees, who can cash in the vested portion of their portfolios when they retire.