BY GLORIA STRAVELLI
Staff Writer

Karen Brodeur used a concierge service, provided as a benefit to Meridian Health employees, to purchase tickets to a Bon Jovi concert. The avid Bon Jovi fan holds the group’s latest CD. Chances were slim that Karen Brodeur would be able to get tickets to an upcoming Bon Jovi concert.Tickets were going on sale at 10 a.m. on a Saturday, and to snare a pair of the elusive tickets she would have to be on the phone at exactly that time and hope to be one of the lucky fans to score within the few frenzied minutes before tickets sold out.

But Brodeur’s shift at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she is a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit, began at 8 a.m.

“I really wanted to get Bon Jovi tickets, but we are very busy at work and there’s no way I could ever have called,” she said. “Do you know how hard it is? You can’t get through.”

So Brodeur opted for a new benefit provided by her employer, Meridian Health, and called on a concierge service to get the tickets for her.

A few minutes into her shift, the avowed Bon Jovi fan had tickets to the rock star’s Dec. 2 concert in Philadelphia.

“I called them at 8 a.m. before the shift started and gave them all my information,” she said. “Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. and they called me back four minutes after 10 and had tickets, very good tickets, right on the floor, and they were so nice.

“Tickets were going on sale, and if you don’t call within the first five minutes you’re out of luck,” said Janet Kraus, co-founder and CEO of Circles, a leading concierge and personal assistance service.

“The sale was starting after her shift began, and she was upset because she didn’t know how she was going to get tickets. Four minutes later, we got her tickets in the second row.”

Services provided by Boston-based Circles have been added to the employee benefits Meridian Health provides to its more than 7,500 employees who work at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and Ocean Medical Center in Brick, and affiliated companies. The unique employee benefit is part of Meridian Health’s award-winning Partnership Total Rewards Program.

“We rolled it out Sept. 6, and in two days we had approximately 200 requests,” said Wendy Edelson, Meridian’s director of employee and labor relations. “We did a tremendous amount of communication in our publications, posters, fliers, and there was so much excitement surrounding it.”

Circles caught Edelson’s attention at a conference, and she immediately made the connection.

“Meridian is very focused on helping employees balance work and home life, and I thought, wouldn’t this be great if we could give this type of benefit to all employees? she said. “It wouldn’t only help save time, but would reduce their stress, especially because in health care we’re 24/7. They are trying to be at work, focus on what they have to do, and they have families at home and other responsibilities. If we could take just a little bit of that stress away, it’s totally worth it.”

Meridian Health, Wall, is the largest employer in Monmouth and Ocean counties with 7,500 employees, affiliations with more than 1,400 physicians, and system revenues of $725 million. The system’s family of health care organizations includes home care agencies, long-term and assisted living communities, ambulatory care, ambulance services and occupational health.

Through Circles, employees of Meridian Health have around-the-clock access to expert, time-saving services to complete any personal task on their list — at no cost to them. Employees can access the service by calling a solutions center or via the Web site.

Using a vast network of resources and a comprehensive database, Circles can, for example, help plan and arrange for a weekend getaway, find a handyman for home repairs, locate and purchase tickets to shows and sporting events, and offer birthday, anniversary and wedding gift suggestions.

Founded by Kraus and Kathy Sherbrooke, president, in 1997, Circles operates a “solutions center” at its Boston headquarters and another in Ontario, Canada.

“We service the world from those two locations,” Kraus said, adding that 25 percent of the request mix involves services outside the U.S.

“Companies like Meridian invest in programs like these because they see the benefits of programs that help employees with work/life balance,” Kraus said.

“They’re always looking for a program that will make their company the best to work for. Productivity is an issue because when nurses and doctors are at work, there is no time to do anything else at all, whatsoever. This is a service that can help them do the things they need to in their personal lives while staying focused.”

Launched with two employees and two clients in 1997, Circles currently has more than 500 employees and provides services to more than 50 companies.

“We are handling close to a million requests for services per year,” Kraus said.

“We have already done over 300 requests for Meridian. People are just loving it and we’re getting great feedback.”

Companies like Meridian absorb the cost of the concierge service benefit.

According to Kraus, companies pay a per-head fee for all employees covered based on projected use. Annual contracts run from about $100,000 to several million dollars and results are measurable, she said.

“We ask in our monthly survey of employees at all the companies that use the service how much time did this save you; the average answer is three hours. That can be directly factored into cost savings to a business in terms of productivity,” she said.

“When we ask, ‘To what degree does this service make you feel loyal to your employer on a scale of 1-5, they always indicate a range of 4-5.’ ”

According to Edelson, the cost per employee negotiated with Circles is “less than a lot of other benefits” and the results are potentially long-term.

“Hopefully, they’ll stay with us much longer,” she said. “Basically, we are going to attract good employees. From my perspective, by helping reduce employees’ stress and save time, you go a long way to helping them be happy on the job,” she continued. “If they’re happy on the job, that promotes great patient care.”

Plus, her research shows that alternative benefits tend to help retain employees.

“These are benefits not given all over. We want to be, and believe we are, the workplace of choice.”

After her success with Bon Jovi concert tickets, Brodeur has since used the concierge service for tickets to a Giants/Eagles football game and for restaurant reservations, and is a booster of the new employee benefit.

“I’ve told everyone that I have used the service,” she said, “and told them, ‘You need to call.’ ”