About Employee Benefits
The City of Somerville provides a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to ensure that its employees are happy, healthy, and prepared for life changes and challenges. Explore the information below to learn more about each piece of the City's benefits package.
The City works with a number of vendors and outside organizations to offer benefits such as:
- Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC)
- Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
- Vision care through the Vision Service Plan (VSP)
- Long term disability through Sun Life
- Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
- Flexible spending plans through Benefit Strategies
- Deferred compensation through a choice of three vendors
- Employee assistance through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
In addition, the City of Somerville's benefits package includes other discounts and perks with vendors such as Working Advantage, Hubway, Zipcar, and multiple mobile providers.
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Health Benefits
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Employee Assistance Program
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Life, Voluntary Supplemental & Disability
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Retirement & Deferred Compensation
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Perks & More
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Learning Organization Statement
Health Benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Employee Assistance Program of New Directions
One of the benefits of working for the City of Somerville is that you have access to the services provided by the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This company recognizes that personal and professional stress can affect one's health and well-being. The EAP helps to reduce this stress by providing the following services:
Short-term Counseling: Whether it's a personal or professional issue, the EAP can help you find the resources to effectively solve the issue. If the issue requires longer-term assistance, the EAP will refer you to appropriate resources within your health insurance. Some of the issues resolved by the EAP include:
- Marital and Family Issues, including balancing work and family, parenting, coping with aging relatives, illness, divorce, and death of a loved ones.
- Emotional Stress, including anxiety, depression, life transitions, phobias.
- Substance Abuse, including alcohol, drugs, gambling and other addictions.
- Work Issues, including job stress and burnout, career transitions, co-worker issues.
- Legal and financial issues, including lawyer referral and debt issues.
All EMPLOYEES and their HOUSEHOLD members can use the services of the EAP!
Services are FREE!
Services are CONFIDENTIAL! The EAP maintains the privacy of all of its clients. No one from your company will ever know that you are using the services, unless you give the EAP written permission to release information. Also, no EAP information ever goes into your personnel or medical file.
Counseling services are provided by professionally trained, licensed counselors.
Marital and Family Issues, including balancing work and family, parenting, coping with aging relatives, illness, divorce, and death of a loved ones.
For additional services and information regarding the EAP, please contact New Directions Health at 800-624-5544.
Life, Voluntary Supplemental & Disability
Group Life Insurance
Benefit-eligible employees may elect to enroll in Group Life Insurance with Boston Mutual. This is a voluntary benefit with a 50% contribution by the employee and the City.
- Boston Mutual - Enrollment/Refusal Form
- Boston Mutual - Certificate Change Form
- Boston Mutual - Evidence of Insurability Form
- Boston Mutual - HIPPAA Fillable Form
- Life & Dental Insurance Rates
- Monthly Voluntary Term Life Rates
Voluntary Term Life Insurance
Benefit-eligible employees may elect to enroll in Voluntary Term Life Insurance with Boston Mutual. In order to opt into Voluntary Term Life Insurance, you must be enrolled in Group Life Insurance. See the documents below for more information.
For more information, call 1-800-669-2668 or visit www.bostonmutual.com.
Short Term Disability
Short Term Disability is offered through Colonial Life. If you are interested in enrollment, please contact Garth Brown directly at 617-293-7108 or by email at garth.brown@coloniallife.com
Learn about voluntary life insurance provided by Colonial Life Insurance Company.
Long Term Disability
Permanent Whole Life Insurance
Retirement & Deferred Compensation
Retirement Plans
Deferred Compensation
Deferred Compensation is offerend through Empower, Equitable and Nationwide. If you're interested in enrolling, you will need to contact the applicable vendor directly.
457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan Providers |
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255 Bear Hill Road Contact: Daryl Wells |
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40 William Street , Suite 200 Phone: 781-237-8232 Email: timothy.weaton@equitable.com Contact: Brandon Eigenberg |
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Nationwide Retirement Solutions Contact: Judith A. Santosuosso, CRC |
Perks & More
Blue Bikes (formerly Hubway)
Did you know that you are eligible for a FREE Bluebikes membership through The City of Somerville?
Set up is easy:
- Visit member.bluebikes.com/group/somerville
- Enter the program code: BIKESOMERVILLE1842
Flowers from Bostonian Florist and Wagner Floral Designs
These two Somerville florists offer a 10% discount to City of Somerville employees:
New England College of Business (NECB)
City of Somerville has partnered with New England College of Business to offer a 25% tuition savings to employees and their immediate families.
Educational Benefits:
- For more information: https://partner.necb.edu/cityofsomerville/
- 25% tuition savings toward undergraduate, graduate, certificate programs and the Power of One single course options.
- No-cost course options: Quality Customer Service, Fundamentals of Banking or Principles of Management
- (12 months or less of employment or leadership)
- Accelerated 100% online: 8-week undergraduate and 5-week graduate courses
- Evaluations of previous college credit, prior military, and prior learning
Founded in 1909, New England College of Business (NECB) is the oldest college dedicated to educating working adult professionals. NECB offers accredited, 100% online undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates in business administration, ethics and compliance, finance, digital marketing, accounting, international business, human resource management and healthcare administration. Graduate certificates are available in finance management and global finance trading.
T-Mobile Perks
City of Somerville employees are eligible to receive a FREE iPhone 12 or Samsung Galaxy S21. Find out how:
Verizon Wireless Phone Service Discount
City of Somerville employees are eligible to receive a 15% employee discount for eligible wireless phone service through Verizon. (Excludes Unlimited plans)
WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined)
City of Somerville, sponsored by Somerville Employee Wellness, has partnered with WW (Weight Watchers® Reimagined) to help you reach your wellness goals. City employees are offered a cost share resulting in a 50% exclusive discount off the retail price. Join now for as low as $9.00 per month with both Digital and Digital Plus with meetings (currently virtual) memberships available.
To sign up or learn more, visit: ww.com/wellness or click here for the brochure.
Working Advantage
The City of Somerville has a valuable membership with Working Advantage and our employees now have access to exclusive discounts for movie theaters, movie rentals, theme parks, ski tickets, Broadway theatre, special family events, online shopping and much more.
Registering is easy. Simply go to the Working Advantage website at: http//www.workingadvantage.com and click on "Register". A Member ID # is needed so you can complete your one-time registration and create your own personal account with a password of your choice. You can obtain the Member ID # by calling the Human Resources Department at 617-625-6600 x3300 or vist the City's intranet site at:
http://somernet/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=200&mode=view.
We hope you will take advantage of their discount offers so you can save up to 40% on popular attractions such as Universal Studios, Sea World, Regal Cinemas, AMC Theatres, sporting events and some of the hottest shows on Broadway! If you have any questions about discounts, please call Working Advantage directly at 1-800-565-3712.
Zipcar
The City of Somerville Helps Provide "Wheels When You Want Them."
Zipcar makes it easy to live and work at the City of Somerville without having to put a car on the road. The City is pleased to sponsor Zipcar membership for its employees.
You may apply for Zipcar online. Parking, insurance, and gas are included in the hourly and daily rates. Zipcars can be used by the hour or the day. Reserve online any time, pick up the car and drive.
Learning Organization Statement
The City of Somerville prides itself on being a learning organization. We believe that innovation and growth stem from learning and trying new things. Our goal is to encourage employees to be creative and learn new skills by providing easy access to opportunities for professional growth and development in a variety of ways.
Access to Training and Professional Development Opportunities
The City provides routine training on employment-related policies and best practices.
Department Heads are encouraged to work with staff to assess and plan for a variety of job-related programs to support continued learning, growth, and professional engagement of employees.
The Human Resources Department further supports learning opportunities and access when departmental budgetary constraints may arise. Additionally, the Human Resources Department administers the Non-Union Education Reimbursement Program.
Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement may be provided opportunities and/or incentives for advancing education and professional growth as outlined in the appropriate agreement.
Resources
Questions
For more information about professional development opportunities, programs, and access please feel free to contact the Human Resources Department at (617) 625-6600 x3300.