Page 278 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

Employee Well-Being C265

: BEST-PLACES-TO-WORK PROFILE: CREATING A CULTURE
OF WELL-BEING AT VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS

We believe that new mindsets can lead to new approaches that can
address pressing health-care needs and rising costs. We illustrate this
by telling the story of a winning Best-Places-to-Work company that is
sorting these priorities in such a way that both employees and em-
ployers are winning:
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Cambridge, Massachu-
setts, is a global biotechnology company committed to the discovery
and development of breakthrough small-molecule drugs for serious
diseases. The company’s strategy is to commercialize its products
both independently and in collaboration with major pharmaceutical
companies.
With 1,400 employees, including 200 in San Diego and 100 in the
United Kingdom, Vertex added 300 new employees last year, includ-
ing many top scientists, who are attracted to the company’s mission—
“innovate to redefine health and transform lives with new medicines.”
The company’s recruiting brochure pledges a workplace “where each
day feels more like an experience than a job. . . . Where quality of life
is a way of life, and passion is always tangible.” The company’s high
scores on the Best-Places-to-Work survey are evidence that Vertex has
indeed built a special culture; it received one of the highest scores in
the United States on employee well-being.
The company, which has a self-insured medical plan, chose ben-
efits that provide employees with choice, flexibility, financial protec-
tion against catastrophic loss or hardship, and health and financial
wellness. The basic benefits platform divides offerings into standard,
nonstandard, and voluntary, which are 100 percent employee-paid,
and two more: unique benefits and wellness. Here is the full list:

Standard (designed to protect)

: Medical
: Prescription