How Does VSP Do It?
From February 2005
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Convalescing at his Sacramento home with a fractured pelvis, Valine spent a month as a telecommuter. Once a week or so, he appeared at his VSP office.
Many credit Valine with VSP’s success as a company and as a special place to work, confirmed by its inclusion in Fortune’s annual feature on best workplaces. Last year, VSP also was ranked fifth in Computerworld’s 100 “Best Places to Work.”
It has been a long run from the time Valine joined VSP as its 30th employee in 1973, when the company had 223 clients and revenues of $10 million. Today, VSP has nearly 2,000 on its payroll across the country and more than 21,000 clients (mostly private-practice eye doctors).
With nearly 40 million members nationwide, one in eight people in the United States relies on VSP for eye-care health coverage. As the company neared its 50th anniversary in January, revenues by late December had reached a $2 billion milestone.
Valine is quick to share credit for the company’s success and its highly regarded work environment, especially with Walter Grubbs, VSP vice president of human resources (and a $48,000 winner on TV’s “Jeopardy”).
Employees have a genuine affection for the company. One used Valine’s thinking-office (with airplane seats) for a marriage proposal. Another couple met on the company’s basketball court and later was married there.
“You treat people the way you want to be treated,” Valine says, echoing the Golden Rule message. “Answer their questions straight. You build a level of trust that allows your employees to do their best for the customer. They’re not wasting time gossiping or trying to find a hidden agenda. That improves productivity.”
Noting he’ll retire in January 2008, Valine says the bull-toss incident “is giving folks an opportunity to see what they’re capable of doing when I'm not around as much. It’s a little example of what might be in the future. Everything is working fine.”
For the complete article, see the print edition of Prosper.
Many credit Valine with VSP’s success as a company and as a special place to work, confirmed by its inclusion in Fortune’s annual feature on best workplaces. Last year, VSP also was ranked fifth in Computerworld’s 100 “Best Places to Work.”
It has been a long run from the time Valine joined VSP as its 30th employee in 1973, when the company had 223 clients and revenues of $10 million. Today, VSP has nearly 2,000 on its payroll across the country and more than 21,000 clients (mostly private-practice eye doctors).
With nearly 40 million members nationwide, one in eight people in the United States relies on VSP for eye-care health coverage. As the company neared its 50th anniversary in January, revenues by late December had reached a $2 billion milestone.
Valine is quick to share credit for the company’s success and its highly regarded work environment, especially with Walter Grubbs, VSP vice president of human resources (and a $48,000 winner on TV’s “Jeopardy”).
Employees have a genuine affection for the company. One used Valine’s thinking-office (with airplane seats) for a marriage proposal. Another couple met on the company’s basketball court and later was married there.
“You treat people the way you want to be treated,” Valine says, echoing the Golden Rule message. “Answer their questions straight. You build a level of trust that allows your employees to do their best for the customer. They’re not wasting time gossiping or trying to find a hidden agenda. That improves productivity.”
Noting he’ll retire in January 2008, Valine says the bull-toss incident “is giving folks an opportunity to see what they’re capable of doing when I'm not around as much. It’s a little example of what might be in the future. Everything is working fine.”
For the complete article, see the print edition of Prosper.
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