Even before Erin Wanek started working toward her accounting degree at Syracuse University, she knew that KPMG in Providence was the only company she wanted to work for. So when a recruiter from the company visited Syracuse, she made her ambition known. That was more than four years ago, and Wanek said she never has looked back.
“I seriously doubt I’ll ever leave here. I can see myself working here until the day I retire. This is where I wanted to be, and I’m really happy,” Wanek said.
The senior associate at the firm said her resounding endorsement is not rare and that most people who work at KPMG feel pretty much the same way.
“Long before I came to work here, I was well aware of this company and how great [it is to] employees,” she said.
In times when many companies are scaling back and downsizing, KPMG offers an employee benefits package and working environment that is difficult to beat, starting with many of the standards – health, dental, 401(k) – but also including flex time and a summer hours program called Jump Start. The company does not feel the need to micromanage its employees. But there is more.
“We have a softball team, and we play every week in spring. … The company is also very accommodating to new mothers. If they have a good employee they don’t want to lose him/her,” Wanek said.
She added that it is not uncommon for staff members to host bridal and baby showers at the office in Providence. And all birthdays are celebrated with cake, and birthday wishes on the whiteboard of the cafeteria. “It sounds funny, but it really feels like being part of a family,” Wanek said.
Because it tends to hire employees right out of college, there are a lot of young employees, and Wanek said each is happily mentored by fellow employees. “The company offers a CPA reimbursement program which is great, because the test can be very expensive. But it isn’t just the money; everyone at work is rooting for you and that feels good,” said Wanek, who recently passed her CPA examination.
KPMG is the largest accounting firm in Rhode Island, but Pat Canning, managing partner of the Providence office, and other high-ranking officials at the company know everyone by name, maintain an open-door policy and encourage employees to communicate with them directly.
“KPMG is a great place to work and a great place to build a career, with unlimited career opportunities. The company recently launched an international training initiative, including conducting training for a select group of U.S. interns and new hires to be held in Greece with other international KPMG personnel. When fully in place, we expect that our employees will travel internationally every other year for training,” Canning said.
The company was selected as one of the Top 100 best places to work by Forbes magazine. In addition, KPMG has a new Green Team of 15 volunteers focused on ways to improve the environment through recycling, less waste and community outreach. •
