Quest Software (Quest Software, Inc.) (NASDAQ: QSFT) is a computer software manufacturer, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California and founded in 1987. Quest develops, sells, and supports network management, database management, Windows management, end-user service monitoring (Foglight products[1]), application management and virtualization management software products. Its products enable users to develop, deploy, and manage packaged and custom software applications, as well as associated software infrastructure components, such as databases, application servers, operating systems and hypervisors. The company also provides consulting, training, and support services. Quest sells its products and services through its direct sales organization as well as through a variety of partners and resellers worldwide. Quest's virtualization business is serviced primarily through its wholly owned subsidiaries Vizioncore and Provision Networks.
Quest's application management products focus in the ERP, Java EE and Microsoft .NET market spaces. Database management tools include support for MySQL, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, and Oracle. In the field of computer systems management, the Big Brother product[2] monitors and reports on activities across multiple nodes. In the Windows infrastructure management arena, products cater to Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, Windows, System Center and directory service migration users.
In August, 2007 Quest Software acquired ScriptLogic, maintaining ScriptLogic as a wholly owned subsidiary to allow continued development and support of its product line. In December, 2009 Quest Software acquired PacketTrap Networks, a provider of network management software.
Benefit Eligibility Description Of Benefit
Medical Coverage*
First of the month following date of employment The Company offers employees the opportunity to elect medical coverage for themselves and their qualified dependents. The type of plan available is dependent upon where the employee resides. Medical coverage is provided through Blue Cross of California. Online information for all plans, including a list of doctors, can be found at www.bluecrossca.com.
Dental Coverage*
First of the month following date of employment
The Company offers a dental plan through Aetna US HealthCare. The plan is available to both employees and their qualified dependents. The plan allows for enrollment in one of the two types of coverage: DMO and DPPO. Information on the dental plans, including providers is available when you create an Aetna Navigator account at www.aetna.com.
Vision Coverage* First of the month following date of employment The Company offers a vision plan through Vision Service Plan (VSP). The plan is available to both employees and their qualified dependents. Information on the vision plan, including a list of providers, can be found at www.vsp.com.
Basic Term Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance First of the month following date of employment The Company offers its employees the ability to buy additional coverage for themselves, spouse and/or children through the provider (CIGNA) at group rates. The premiums are paid via payroll deductions post tax.
Disability Insurance First of the month following date of employment The Short Term Disability benefit provides a level of income replacement in the event of disability, equal to 66.67% of weekly pay (maximum of $2,308/week). Employees totally disabled after 90 days may be eligible for Long Term Disability benefits. This benefit assures the employee receives 60% of monthly salary, to max of $10,000 per month. The Company pays for the premiums for both disability benefits but employees have the option to pay for the Long Term Disability benefit premium which allows them to receive the benefits, under most situations, tax-free.
(Benefit paid under this plan is reduced by any other government provided benefit you may receive, i.e., State Disability, Social Security Disability, or Worker's Compensation.)
Employee Assistance Program First of the month following date of employment This benefit is aimed at helping all covered employees and their immediate family members better balance their work and personal lives. It includes: unlimited 24-hour/365 day telephone access for consultation or crisis intervention from licensed professional staff, up to three face-to-face counseling visits/year, referrals to community resources for local support, and a Healthy Rewards program that gives discounts up to 60% on expanded and alternative care options, products and services. The EAP helps with a wide variety of problems such as parenting, financial and legal issues, marital counseling, domestic violence, etc. To find out more, call 800-538-3543 or visit www.cignabehavioral.com.
Flexible Spending Account First of the month following date of employment Flexible Spending Accounts allow you to set aside, via payroll deduction, part of your salary before Social Security, federal, and state taxes to pay for Health Care Expenses and Dependent Care Expenses using a Flex Card. Limits for the 5/1/09-4/30/10 plan year are $3,000 for Medical and $5,000 for Dependent Care (this limit will be reduced to $2,500 if you are married and filing a separate tax return). Discovery Benefits is the FSA administrator.
Transportation Savings Account First of the month following date of employment Allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars (up to a specified limit) to pay for qualified transportation expenses for travel to and from work. Qualified expenses include: mass transit, commuter highway vehicle, and qualified parking.
Bereavement Leave
First day of employment The Company provides up to three consecutive days of paid bereavement leave if there is a death in the immediate family. Immediate family is defined as your current spouse, child, parent or legal guardian, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sibling, grandparent or grandchild.
Leaves of Absence Based on type of leave Please see Employee Handbook for details.
Jury/Witness Duty Leave First day of employment Regular, full-time employees are provided paid leave of 100% base pay for up to ten (10) days for the purposes of jury duty or when summoned to be a witness.
Referral Program First day of employment The company will provide a referral bonus to eligible employees who refer a candidate that is hired by Quest. The referral award will be up to $1,500 (taxable) with the amount determined based on the position being hired.
The new hire referred must complete six (6) months of employment before a referral award can be paid.
Tuition Reimbursement After one (1) year of continuous service The Company will reimburse up to $2,000 per calendar year for management approved completed courses (and related books and fees) that meet the requirements and in which the employee receives a passing grade of A or B or C. There will be no reimbursement for a D, F or incomplete grade.
Service Awards Anniversary Date The Company recognizes the contributions of its long-term employees with 5, 10, 15, and 20-year anniversary awards. Awards are presented at the end of each quarter to employees reaching their milestone service date with the Company during that quarter. Employees joining Quest through an acquisition are credited with the date they joined the original company.
401(k) Plan Immediately after first pay day The Company offers both a traditional 401(k) plan and a Roth 401(k) plan. Through automatic payroll deduction, employees can contribute eligible pay on a pretax and Roth 401(k) basis to build for their retirement income. Employees are eligible upon hire and may enroll after the first pay period following date of employment. New hires not enrolled within 30 days from receiving a notification letter from Fidelity will be auto-enrolled in the Plan. Employees can opt-out or make changes to their account at any time.
The Company provides a discretionary match each year based upon Company results. Employee contributions and earnings are 100% vested. The Company's discretionary match and earnings will be vested according to the following schedule: less than 2 years, 0%; 2 years, 50%; 3 years, 100%. For more information go to www.401k.com
Vacation First day of employment Annual vacation is granted to eligible employees based on length of service as follows:
Year 1 - 3: 80 hours per year (accrued @ 6.67 hours per month)*
Year 4 - 9: 120 hours per year (accrued @ 10 hours per month)
Year 10+: 160 hours per year (accrued @ 13.33 hours per month)
* Accrual prorated during a new hire's first month
Vacation accrual can be carried from year to year until it reaches the maximum # of accrual allowed, after which accrual will stop. Vacation may be used as soon as it is accrued.
Holidays First day of employment Nine paid holidays per year: New Year's Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and one employee-designated floating holiday. New hires commencing employment prior to Oct 1 will receive one floating holiday upon date of hire. If hired between Oct 1 and Dec 31, one floating holiday is received in January. Floating holiday must be scheduled, used and paid in the calendar year in which it is provided.
Sick Days First day of employment Employees who are on payroll as of Jan 1 will be credited with 8 hrs sick leave in the first payroll of the year. Thereafter, it will accrue at the rate of 2.91 hours/month for a maximum of 5 days/year with accrual ending in the last payroll in November. Sick leave may not be used until it has actually accrued. Up to 24 hrs of sick leave may be credited from year to year, not to exceed 64 hrs.
The recruitment and retention of employees is an expensive, time-consuming task.
While attracting good staff is not easy, their retention can be even more difficult.
The substantial costs associated with employee turnover is often ignored. New
employees require training and guidance, and lack the experience of existing staff.
Much of the knowledge gained by existing employees may be undocumented, and
is therefore lost when they leave the company.
One of the best ways to reduce employment costs and increase productivity is to
motivate and retain your existing staff. So how can this be achieved? Any attempt
to improve staff retention should start with an Employee Satisfaction Survey
(sometimes called an “Employee Climate Survey”). A professionally developed
satisfaction survey can be invaluable in determining what your staff do and don’t
like about their job, their work environment and the company itself.
Once you understand the problems faced and the opportunities that exist in
improving your employees’ satisfaction, you are in a much better position to
improve productivity and retain your staff. While this sounds great, there are some
practical problems to contend with. You must get a large number of people to
complete the survey, collect their responses, collate their answers and analyse the
results. This is a lot of work if you try and do it manually. While the questionnaire
can be created in a word processor, and the results could be tallied on a
spreadsheet, this is still a daunting task, requiring a lot of data entry, creation of
formulas and development of reports.
Quest's application management products focus in the ERP, Java EE and Microsoft .NET market spaces. Database management tools include support for MySQL, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, and Oracle. In the field of computer systems management, the Big Brother product[2] monitors and reports on activities across multiple nodes. In the Windows infrastructure management arena, products cater to Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, Windows, System Center and directory service migration users.
In August, 2007 Quest Software acquired ScriptLogic, maintaining ScriptLogic as a wholly owned subsidiary to allow continued development and support of its product line. In December, 2009 Quest Software acquired PacketTrap Networks, a provider of network management software.
Benefit Eligibility Description Of Benefit
Medical Coverage*
First of the month following date of employment The Company offers employees the opportunity to elect medical coverage for themselves and their qualified dependents. The type of plan available is dependent upon where the employee resides. Medical coverage is provided through Blue Cross of California. Online information for all plans, including a list of doctors, can be found at www.bluecrossca.com.
Dental Coverage*
First of the month following date of employment
The Company offers a dental plan through Aetna US HealthCare. The plan is available to both employees and their qualified dependents. The plan allows for enrollment in one of the two types of coverage: DMO and DPPO. Information on the dental plans, including providers is available when you create an Aetna Navigator account at www.aetna.com.
Vision Coverage* First of the month following date of employment The Company offers a vision plan through Vision Service Plan (VSP). The plan is available to both employees and their qualified dependents. Information on the vision plan, including a list of providers, can be found at www.vsp.com.
Basic Term Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance First of the month following date of employment The Company offers its employees the ability to buy additional coverage for themselves, spouse and/or children through the provider (CIGNA) at group rates. The premiums are paid via payroll deductions post tax.
Disability Insurance First of the month following date of employment The Short Term Disability benefit provides a level of income replacement in the event of disability, equal to 66.67% of weekly pay (maximum of $2,308/week). Employees totally disabled after 90 days may be eligible for Long Term Disability benefits. This benefit assures the employee receives 60% of monthly salary, to max of $10,000 per month. The Company pays for the premiums for both disability benefits but employees have the option to pay for the Long Term Disability benefit premium which allows them to receive the benefits, under most situations, tax-free.
(Benefit paid under this plan is reduced by any other government provided benefit you may receive, i.e., State Disability, Social Security Disability, or Worker's Compensation.)
Employee Assistance Program First of the month following date of employment This benefit is aimed at helping all covered employees and their immediate family members better balance their work and personal lives. It includes: unlimited 24-hour/365 day telephone access for consultation or crisis intervention from licensed professional staff, up to three face-to-face counseling visits/year, referrals to community resources for local support, and a Healthy Rewards program that gives discounts up to 60% on expanded and alternative care options, products and services. The EAP helps with a wide variety of problems such as parenting, financial and legal issues, marital counseling, domestic violence, etc. To find out more, call 800-538-3543 or visit www.cignabehavioral.com.
Flexible Spending Account First of the month following date of employment Flexible Spending Accounts allow you to set aside, via payroll deduction, part of your salary before Social Security, federal, and state taxes to pay for Health Care Expenses and Dependent Care Expenses using a Flex Card. Limits for the 5/1/09-4/30/10 plan year are $3,000 for Medical and $5,000 for Dependent Care (this limit will be reduced to $2,500 if you are married and filing a separate tax return). Discovery Benefits is the FSA administrator.
Transportation Savings Account First of the month following date of employment Allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars (up to a specified limit) to pay for qualified transportation expenses for travel to and from work. Qualified expenses include: mass transit, commuter highway vehicle, and qualified parking.
Bereavement Leave
First day of employment The Company provides up to three consecutive days of paid bereavement leave if there is a death in the immediate family. Immediate family is defined as your current spouse, child, parent or legal guardian, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sibling, grandparent or grandchild.
Leaves of Absence Based on type of leave Please see Employee Handbook for details.
Jury/Witness Duty Leave First day of employment Regular, full-time employees are provided paid leave of 100% base pay for up to ten (10) days for the purposes of jury duty or when summoned to be a witness.
Referral Program First day of employment The company will provide a referral bonus to eligible employees who refer a candidate that is hired by Quest. The referral award will be up to $1,500 (taxable) with the amount determined based on the position being hired.
The new hire referred must complete six (6) months of employment before a referral award can be paid.
Tuition Reimbursement After one (1) year of continuous service The Company will reimburse up to $2,000 per calendar year for management approved completed courses (and related books and fees) that meet the requirements and in which the employee receives a passing grade of A or B or C. There will be no reimbursement for a D, F or incomplete grade.
Service Awards Anniversary Date The Company recognizes the contributions of its long-term employees with 5, 10, 15, and 20-year anniversary awards. Awards are presented at the end of each quarter to employees reaching their milestone service date with the Company during that quarter. Employees joining Quest through an acquisition are credited with the date they joined the original company.
401(k) Plan Immediately after first pay day The Company offers both a traditional 401(k) plan and a Roth 401(k) plan. Through automatic payroll deduction, employees can contribute eligible pay on a pretax and Roth 401(k) basis to build for their retirement income. Employees are eligible upon hire and may enroll after the first pay period following date of employment. New hires not enrolled within 30 days from receiving a notification letter from Fidelity will be auto-enrolled in the Plan. Employees can opt-out or make changes to their account at any time.
The Company provides a discretionary match each year based upon Company results. Employee contributions and earnings are 100% vested. The Company's discretionary match and earnings will be vested according to the following schedule: less than 2 years, 0%; 2 years, 50%; 3 years, 100%. For more information go to www.401k.com
Vacation First day of employment Annual vacation is granted to eligible employees based on length of service as follows:
Year 1 - 3: 80 hours per year (accrued @ 6.67 hours per month)*
Year 4 - 9: 120 hours per year (accrued @ 10 hours per month)
Year 10+: 160 hours per year (accrued @ 13.33 hours per month)
* Accrual prorated during a new hire's first month
Vacation accrual can be carried from year to year until it reaches the maximum # of accrual allowed, after which accrual will stop. Vacation may be used as soon as it is accrued.
Holidays First day of employment Nine paid holidays per year: New Year's Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and one employee-designated floating holiday. New hires commencing employment prior to Oct 1 will receive one floating holiday upon date of hire. If hired between Oct 1 and Dec 31, one floating holiday is received in January. Floating holiday must be scheduled, used and paid in the calendar year in which it is provided.
Sick Days First day of employment Employees who are on payroll as of Jan 1 will be credited with 8 hrs sick leave in the first payroll of the year. Thereafter, it will accrue at the rate of 2.91 hours/month for a maximum of 5 days/year with accrual ending in the last payroll in November. Sick leave may not be used until it has actually accrued. Up to 24 hrs of sick leave may be credited from year to year, not to exceed 64 hrs.
The recruitment and retention of employees is an expensive, time-consuming task.
While attracting good staff is not easy, their retention can be even more difficult.
The substantial costs associated with employee turnover is often ignored. New
employees require training and guidance, and lack the experience of existing staff.
Much of the knowledge gained by existing employees may be undocumented, and
is therefore lost when they leave the company.
One of the best ways to reduce employment costs and increase productivity is to
motivate and retain your existing staff. So how can this be achieved? Any attempt
to improve staff retention should start with an Employee Satisfaction Survey
(sometimes called an “Employee Climate Survey”). A professionally developed
satisfaction survey can be invaluable in determining what your staff do and don’t
like about their job, their work environment and the company itself.
Once you understand the problems faced and the opportunities that exist in
improving your employees’ satisfaction, you are in a much better position to
improve productivity and retain your staff. While this sounds great, there are some
practical problems to contend with. You must get a large number of people to
complete the survey, collect their responses, collate their answers and analyse the
results. This is a lot of work if you try and do it manually. While the questionnaire
can be created in a word processor, and the results could be tallied on a
spreadsheet, this is still a daunting task, requiring a lot of data entry, creation of
formulas and development of reports.