Michigan Top Workplaces: Plante Moran named No. 1 large company for 4th consecutive year
Scott TalleyFor Plante Moran, the No. 1 large company in the Michigan Top Workplaces competition for the fourth consecutive year, the difference between two business approaches has made all the difference.
“One of our main principles is to optimize versus maximize, meaning we put people and a long-term view before profits,” explained Jim Proppe, managing partner of the Southfield-headquartered audit, tax, consulting and wealth management firm. “This allows us to make decisions to invest in our people and future because we don’t have to maximize profitability in any one year.
“I don’t know if leaders in other organizations have that type of flexibility. We make investments every day that we recognize could take years to produce results, but our goal is to leave the firm better than how we found it, and sometimes that requires time and patience.”
2023 Michigan Top Workplaces winners:See the complete list
In addition to the firm’s general benefits package, Plante Moran’s investment in its people includes the “Balance Fund,” an expanded wellness benefit that employees can use to help fund virtually anything that enhances their quality of life including child care, vacations, home office equipment, student loan repayment and much more depending on the employee’s desires.
But beyond any one specific benefit, perhaps the greatest gift to employees that Proppe described is a company culture where guidelines and trust are relied on as opposed to rules.
“I’m a big believer that people don’t like being told what to do,” stated Proppe, who pointed out that maintaining Plante Moran’s culture is a “collaborative” effort that is discussed often. “People want to be able to understand the vision and see where you’re going. And then they want a little bit of leeway and flexibility to determine how they can make their greatest contribution to the organization. That is what we believe in here, and it has allowed us to do the best we can in terms of serving our clients, while also taking care of each other.”
Plante Moran
Industry: Professional services
Top leadership: Jim Proppe, managing partner
Home: Southfield
Michigan Employees: 1,882
Website: plantemoran.com