Find another way to help
Tony Thomas feels bad when he can’t give a pay raise to his employees at Welcome House Inc. But he believes he can and should do more than just provide them with a shoulder to cry on about it.
So that’s what he did. Welcome House, a provider of programs and services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, partnered with its bank on a program to help employees save more money.
“We started an employee benefit program called Auto Save,” Thomas says. “It helps people save $5 to $10 per paycheck. We helped them set up special savings accounts through the bank so they could build it up and have a rainy day fund for those emergencies that happen to all people.”
Welcome House and its 255 employees worked with their bank, PNC, and with the treasurer’s office to develop the program.
“If those folks save $5 to $10 a week for the entire year, the state treasurer’s office will match it with an additional 3.25 percent interest,” Thomas says. “We look for ways to help employees stay positive and keep morale up even when we can’t provide additional salary in a traditional instance.”
How to reach: Welcome House Inc., (440) 356-2330 or www.welcomehouseinc.org
