USAA’s 1,700 employees in Colorado have to admit their boss understands what it’s like in the trenches.
Kent Fortune started his USAA career in the Colorado Springs call center, talking to customers about auto insurance. He worked his way through the organization and became the general manager of the Colorado Springs campus in 2011.
It lends credibility when he talks to new hires about their potential career paths.
“A number of our senior managers have the same story I have,” he says. “We’re able to tell our frontline employees that we are the art of the possible.”
USAA offers insurance, banking, investments and other financial services to military personnel, veterans and their families. What they call the “noble mission” — serving those who have served our country — gives extra meaning to their work, employees say.
“I am given the tools and opportunities to enhance our members’ lives,” one wrote. “It feels good.”
USAA earned a Special Award in this year’s Top Workplaces survey for encouraging innovation through a program called ICE, in which employees submit ideas via the company intranet. They appear on a social media platform and are voted up or down by other staff members.
More than 90 percent of the workforce participates in ICE, Fortune says.
Suggestions range from small fixes to audacious ideas such as launching drones to assess damage in disaster areas.
That feeling of empowerment pervades the company. “I’ve never worked for a company before that makes me feel so appreciated just for doing my job,” one said.
The appreciation ranges from major benefits — including a generous health and wellness plan and an 8 percent 401(k) match — to small human touches.
Colorado Springs site director Jim Hannon, a retired Air Force colonel, walks around every Friday handing out Werther’s candies and thanking people, a ritual he calls “Werther’s for the Worthy.”
“The employees love it,” Fortune says. “It’s a lot of those little things that add up to big things.”
Military families may take advantage of on-site deployment advisers, support groups and military leave for training, deployments, active duty service and emergencies. The company sets a goal of 30 percent hiring among veterans and military spouses.
“The military has taught us that if you take care of your troops, they’ll take care of the mission,” Fortune says. “If we take care of our employees, they’ll take care of members.”
Rounding out the top five large workplaces in 2015 are:
No. 2: Edward Jones
Edward Jones’ Colorado employees praise their company’s flexible options such as a compressed workweek, telecommuting and job sharing. “I can run my own business and set my own hours, and help clients to meet their financial goals,” one said.
Edward Jones’ 675 Colorado employees work in more than 365 branch offices all over the state. Many associates are also limited partners in the firm, based in St. Louis.
The firm receives top marks from employees for its commitment to volunteerism and service. Benefits include profit sharing, $5,000 per year in tuition reimbursement, wellness care and premium discounts if employees take measures to improve their health, including quitting smoking or lowering cholesterol.
“This firm is amazing. I am helping take care of people, and the firm takes care of me,” an employee wrote.
No. 3: Alliance Data Retail Services
If you carry a credit card from J. Crew, HSN, Eddie Bauer or dozens of other consumer brands, you have a relationship with Alliance Data Retail Services, which runs branded credit programs to help businesses increase sales and customer loyalty.
Alliance Data’s Westminster customer-care center has boosted its hiring in recent years, bringing its head count to about 600 people.
It launched a work-at-home program in 2013, and many cited flexible hours as the reason they love their jobs. “I can balance life, school and family,” one wrote. Another cited “a fabulous culture and values that are lived day in and day out.”
“I get to make my own decisions on how I help my customers,” another said.
Other benefits include paid time off, an employee stock purchase plan, 401(k) with match and profit-sharing, and family support benefits such as backup care and a “Healthy Pregnancies & Babies” program.
No. 4: Rose Medical Center
If you’re a Denver native, Rose Medical Center may have been the first workplace you ever experienced. Since 1949, the hospital has welcomed thousands of babies, while building a national reputation for obstetrics and many other specialties.
Rose employs more than 1,200 people, who describe their work as meaningful, their environment as positive and their leadership as appreciative. “I feel supported and encouraged to provide insanely great care,” one wrote.
In its first year of participation in the Top Workplaces program, Rose earned a Special Award for clued-in management. One staff member cited the tenure of senior managers: “They know this hospital, the history and the quality better than anyone.”
No. 5: Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
About 1,500 Anadarko employees work in four Colorado locations, including 950 in downtown Denver and hundreds more in the oil and natural gas fields of northeastern Colorado.
But its Colorado employees describe a family atmosphere. “The people I work with are outstanding. Core values are always at the forefront,” one said. Another wrote: “Employees and managers have full buy-in and live the values. APC culture can’t be beaten.”
Employee feedback earned Anadarko a Special Award for formal training, citing regular environment, safety and health briefings, software training and a program called Anadarko Ambassadors that encourages staffers to talk about their company and industry.
Team members can choose from a regular 40-hour workweek or a 9/80 schedule that reallocates hours to enable an extra day off every two weeks. Workers describe compensation and benefits as stellar.
“I get paid very well to solve very fun problems,” one said.
