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B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K 2 0 2 0 37 LARGE EMPLOYER CATEGORY (250 OR MORE U.S. EMPLOYEES) Dechra Employee empowerment, treadmill desks D echra believes in empowering its employees. They frequently receive invitations to join senior leaders in meetings to provide input, and they further build relationships and break down barriers on a social level and through community service. As a rapidly growing international veterinary pharmaceuticals busi- ness, Dechra's success is built on a collaborative work environment. Em- ployees often describe the culture as "work hard, play hard"—they love what they do and they have fun doing it. The culture is built on trust; employees here receive the flexibility and autonomy that gives them the power to forge accomplishments. What do employees say about De- chra? That it's upbeat—a feeling they get both on the job and at events such as community service, the annual Hal- loween costume contest and holiday dance party, office ping-pong, and pot- luck picnics—with pets welcome. Wellness is central to this scenario. Employees get to have treadmill desks. There's free cof- fee, tea, fruit and snacks available every day in the company's commu- nity kitchen. Em- ployees can receive annual grants to give to the nonprof- it organization of their choice. They receive paid Red Cross CPR train- ing, onsite flu clin- ics and more. Employees can even buy up to an additional five days of vacation each calendar year! Frequent gatherings are held to celebrate anniversaries, holidays and milestone achievements, and there's the occasional spontaneous gathering for no reason other than to let employees know they're valued. The benefits are generous. Dechra offers a 200% employer match on up to 4% of employee contribution, and offers a 10% discount at the start of the sav- ings period for the company's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Employees can receive an employer-paid life insurance policy at 1.5x salary up to a maximum of $400,000. Benefits also include a suite of voluntary benefits that include life insurance for self and dependents, identity theft insurance, legal assistance, home and auto in- surance, and even pet insurance. Dechra holds its year-end sales meetings at resorts in appreciation of the prior year's p e r f o r m a n c e , c o m p l e t e w i t h recognition din- ners, plaques and monetary awards. In addition to flex hours and workshops on topics like time management, personal development and financial education, Dechra coordinates or offers time-savings concierge service for personal tasks such as dry cleaning, meal catering, childcare arrangements and automobile services. Dechra One Monument St., Portland, ME 04101 www.dechra.com Top local executives: Dr. Anthony Lucas, Group Product Development Director, Portland, Maine Year established: 1997 Number of Maine employees: 61 # 3 The annual Halloween Office Party features costume contest, pumpkin painting contest, fall food and drink. www.dahlchase.com E V E N I N G C R E W e employees of Dahl-Chase sincerely thank the pathologists for making Dahl-Chase one of the Best Places to Work in Maine.