Where People Are Celebrated

Commitment to employees ensures success for all

To be a company that’s known as a “best place to work” is not something that happens by accident. It’s something that takes commitment — a commitment to your employees, clients, partners and anyone else that comes into contact with your company.

It’s a deliberate choice, one that founder and President Chris Allaire knew he wanted to make when Averity was formed in 2014. “One of the core foundations of the company was to create a place where people would love to work,” says Matt Stabile, who serves as COO.

John Birchall, director of data science and data engineering, understands that in order to be a best place to work, you have to have genuine leadership. “To be known as one of the best places to work is a testament to how we treat each other as human beings first and foremost,” he says. “I do genuinely believe that the reason we’re on this list is because we hire genuinely good human beings that care about people, who are selfless and who put people first.”

On top of that aspect of its culture, Averity also hires strategically and makes sure that employees are in the right roles. When looking for candidates or interviewing people, they not only are looking for someone who’s going to fit in with the team that they already have and thinking of what the company needs, but they also consider where this person might thrive and what type of manager they would succeed under instead of just fitting them in an open position. And once they come on board, Averity ensures employees have the greatest chance at success.

Jennifer Magley, talent advocate on the data engineering team, started at Averity in late 2021. With a background in recruiting and as an entrepreneur, Magley was drawn to Averity after seeing the organization’s ads on LinkedIn, and she is happy to have joined the team. One of the things that stands out to her is Averity’s training program and how it sets their recruiters up for success. “I think they have an exceptional training and onboarding process, and that is one of the biggest reasons you’re able to succeed so quickly as a recruiter here.”

Prioritizing Balance

Another draw is Averity’s commitment to work-life balance. While not a new concern in the workforce — it is often touted by employers as a perk to get an employee in the door but not necessarily delivered — work-life balance is a benefit increasingly expected by employees. Averity has always believed strongly in a work-life balance for its employees and backs that up with an unlimited PTO policy. “We want this to be a place where people can live their life without making hard choices about their family and other life events. I’d rather someone take time off when needed and be happy and more productive rather than overworked and stressed,” Stabile says.

Magley feels that work-life balance is not just something Averity says they offer, it’s something they encourage. “It’s one thing to have an unlimited PTO policy,” she says. “It’s another to encourage your team to take it.” Recently, she conducted a poll on LinkedIn asking whether individuals would rather have a four-day work week or unlimited PTO, if they had to choose one. “The consensus that came back was that unlimited PTO is only as good as your manager,” she says.

Keeping Connected

As with every other company around the world, the pandemic changed the way Averity functioned, moving it from an office location to a 100% remote company. Of course, change isn’t always easy, but Averity succeeded in keeping employee engagement up through the transition by utilizing video chats, instant messaging and daily team meetings, as well as more fun events such as virtual poker nights and happy hours. They’ve also made sure that every team member has the technology needed to be successful working from home.

The daily team meetings are something that Magley feels contribute to employee engagement and teamwork. “My team meets every morning on video … I love it because it’s just a really encouraging environment. We have full company meetings twice a week, and they’re always asking, ‘what was the win last week?’ So, it really is the genuine place where people are celebrated for all the things.”

Fostering Development

Averity doesn’t just say they put their employees first — they truly mean it. In the last year, they’ve promoted three people into director positions and three people into manager positions from within the company. “My proudest memories with the company are always when we promote from within. I love seeing their reaction when they’re promoted, and then I love seeing what they do when they enter that position and what they bring to the table,” Stabile shares.

For Birchall, his proudest moment as a director has been watching his team not only meet their goals, but exceed them. And to employees like Magley, that translates to meaningful support. “I really feel that he’s my coach as opposed to my boss. And so I do feel that it’s a company that is working for my best interests.”

And what do Birchall and Stabile consider the perfect employee? Both agree that the perfect employee is someone who has the right mindset to overcome challenges and can be a team player. “We’re much more focused on aptitude and ability than past relevant experience,” Stabile says. “If you’re motivated to succeed, we’re going to provide you the training and tools to do so.”

Averity plans to continue growing over the next few years, and while Stabile doesn’t necessarily know exactly what that looks like, he knows that staying stagnant is not an option. Even in growth, though, continuing to be a best place to work is still a core part of the foundation. “Our goal has stayed the same from day one to now: It’s to create a great work environment for people to look forward to coming to work every day, and along with that, we’re making our clients and candidates extremely satisfied and happy.”