Eric Oppegaard
Originally Published via Business NH Magazine
Business NH Magazine established the Hall of Fame to honor companies that have consistently proven to be employers of choice. To be inducted, companies must be named to the Best Companies to Work For list four out of five consecutive years. Companies are inducted into the Hall of Fame for two years and assist in the judging before being again eligible for the regular competition. Since the Hall of Fame was established in 2003, 16 companies have been inducted. Two companies are being inducted this Year: Bellwether Community Credit Union in Manchester and the International Association of Privacy Professionals in Portsmouth. Amadeus, formerly Newmarket International, in Portsmouth was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year and is in its second year.
CEO: Lee Horgan
Years in Business: 31
Full-Time Employees: 600
Product/Service: Delivers IT business services for the hospitality industry.
While management and top salespeople often are rewarded with bonuses for achieving goals, many companies ignore the support staff who helped them get there. Not so at Amadeus, which gives all employees a bonus as a percent of salary if the company meets its annual financial targets. An all-employee meeting early in the year sets the target, and leaders frequently update employees on where the company stands. Prizes for good work include a three-day resort vacation.
Teamwork, communication, transparency—it’s how life works at Amadeus, formerly Newmarket International. Everyone receives the same benefits, including flexible scheduling, tuition reimbursement up to $4,000 annually, and free admission to area venues and events, like the Boston Museum of Science. The facility includes a family room in case employees need to bring their children to work.
Wellness is another important aspect of life at Amadeus, with an onsite exercise room and showers, and snowshoes for employees to use in winter. To promote green living, the company participates in the CommuteSMARTseacoast program, which encourages employees to use alternatives to cars to get to work. Employees can be reimbursed up to $90 if they suddenly need to take a taxi or rent a car on a day they chose to walk or bike.
It’s also a fun place to work. A Joy Gang organizes monthly social events, like a chili cook-off, company-wide potluck lunches, and a Red Sox barbecue to celebrate the opening day of baseball.
Every employee has two paid days a year to spend on volunteer projects, and an employee committee decides how Amadeus spends its charitable giving budget
© Business NH Magazine, September 2016. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
