When asked what makes Perspectives Corporation a great place to work, some employees point to the company’s mission.

Perspectives is a nonprofit hat has provided services to Rhode Islanders with developmental disabilities for more than three decades. In recent years the company has expanded to provide services to deaf children as well. The North Kingstown organization employs more than 750 people.

“Helping people with developmental disabilities is really important and rewarding work,” said Mary Nunes, who first worked for the company as a caregiver and is now benefits coordinator.

“That’s a big part of the reason we have so many long-time employees,” added Executive Director David Ruppell. “We’ve been around for 32 years, and at this point our managers are mostly people who’ve made their careers here. Occasionally we’ve hired from the outside, but not too often.

“We’ve even had some people who left for awhile for different careers, who decided to come back to us with their new job skills.”

Flexibility is a big plus for many employees as well, according to Nunes. “Because our offices are near the University of Rhode Island campus, many students come to us looking for work as fill-in staff. They want something flexible, or they want an overnight shift, and we can provide that. We also have a lot of employees who are parents looking for jobs with school hours. Some of them find they really love the work, and we give them the tools to move up.”

Even those employees at the entry level have opportunities to pick up job skills. Because of the type of services the company provides, many employees are required to take courses on such subjects as fire safety or basic first aid. The company offers classes via the Internet that employees can complete at their own pace, with guidance from company managers.

The company relies heavily on computer technology to communicate with employees (everyone has an email address) but workers can also speak with a supervisor about any work issue.

“Working with people every day is rewarding, but it can also be very demanding,” Nunes said. “That’s why we want our people to feel supported and to know that the door is always open.”

Perspectives is also known for job stability. Company funding comes from government agencies, which are now looking for ways to slash costs; all the same, there have been no layoffs to date. “We did some restructuring, so things are done more efficiently and we have less middle management,” said Ruppell.

Benefits have also remained strong. The company pays 80 percent of health care costs, and there’s a dental plan and a 401(k) program as well. Employees get discounts on life insurance, supplemental insurance, and helath club memberships. Everyone gets 12 paid days off each year, plus holidays, and after three years employees get an additional five days off.

“With health care costs constantly rising, it’s not easy to maintain health and pension benefits, but we’ve done it,” Ruppell said proudly.

-Providence Business News-