Despite the downturn, another local company is gearing up to hire.
Workplace Options, which provides human-resource benefits to other businesses, plans to double the size of its Raleigh headquarters. The company has signed a lease for a 30,000 square-foot building near its existing 25,000 square-foot office, near U.S. 440 and Capital Boulevard.
Founded in 1982, the company now has 175 employees locally and plans to hire 50 more by the end of the year. Workplace Options is led by Dean Debnam, who in 1993 became CEO of the company founded by his wife Stephanie Fanjul, a former Raleigh city council member.
The privately owned company offers services that address employees’ need for a balance between work and their personal life. They include workplace wellness programs, emergency backup care for children and elderly parents, and legal and financial counseling. The company provides some services directly and provides referrals for others.
Debnam said the recession is pushing businesses to shop around for lower-priced providers. At the same time, they are cutting back on their human resources staffs and are therefore interested in dealing with fewer providers.
Both trends play to Workplace Options’ strengths, since it offers a broader range of services than many competitors and its bundling of services enables it to keep prices down.
“We are winning more than our fair share of the new business that is becoming available,” he said.
Workplace Options joins other Triangle employers that have announced hiring plans recently, including Salix Pharmaceuticals, Time Warner Cable and ChannelAdvisor.
Assistant Business Editor Alan M. Wolf joined the N&O in 1999 covering the business of health care. He became an editor in 2001, and helps oversee the paper's daily business coverage and Sunday Work&Money section. He lives in Clayton with his wife and two children. Reach him at 919-829-4572 or 
