Great Places to Work: New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company

“You have to have the ‘service gene’ to work here,” says spokesperson Pat Breslin. NJMIC, the state’s largest personal auto insurer, creates an atmosphere of service by first taking care of its employees’ needs.

Posted August 11, 2009 by Jessica Remo

New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company   
Location: West Trenton
NJ employees: 2,400
Chief executive: Bernard M. Flynn
Who they are: Auto, property, and casualty insurance company.
What we love: High retention rate generous 401(m) plus pension plan, and pleasant work environment

“You have to have the ‘service gene’ to work here,” says spokesperson Pat Breslin. NJMIC, the state’s largest personal auto insurer, creates an atmosphere of service by first taking care of its employees’ needs. There are big-deal perks like the unusually generous 401(m), which matches employee contributions dollar for dollar up to a certain percentage.

On top of that, employees enter a fully funded pension plan after five years of service. Most female employees are eligible to receive at least ten weeks of paid maternity leave. New hires don’t need experience in the insurance biz and can earn their licenses in the office. And, because NJMIC promotes from within, most of their executives started in entry-level positions.

Smaller, symbolic gestures are meaningful, too: In the lunchroom, there is always free soup, crackers, and peanut butter and jelly, a tradition that started during the Depression. (The company dates to 1913.) An inclement-weather program lets parents bring kids to the office when schools close, instead of using a vacation day. And in the parking lot, executives don’t have special spaces. “If I come in early, I get a better spot than the president!” laughs Breslin.

Speaking of the president, when Bernie Flynn started with the company in 1993, he introduced himself by shaking as many employees’ hands as possible.

It all adds up to an impressive retention record. Nearly half of NJMIC’s employees have been with the company for more than ten years; the 25-year club boasts 251 active employees and 203 retirees. Current opportunities range from entry-level clerks to senior technical and professional positions.

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