PBN BEST PLACES TO WORK 2022
Large Company 1. Embrace Home Loans Inc.
Employees in R.I. 450
CEO: Dennis Hardiman
Full-service, nationwide mortgage lender Embrace Home Loans Inc., which is headquartered in Middletown, has been serving borrowers, referral partners and financial institutions for nearly 40 years.
Founded by CEO Dennis Hardiman in 1983 and licensed to originate loans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Embrace has always made it a top priority to put its customers first.
The same devotion Embrace shows its customers carries over to its employees and their families. To that end, the company is proud to foster a supportive, family-like work culture and encourages all its employees to pursue charitable endeavors.
“Embrace offers competitive compensation and benefits and a balanced work-life focus where employees are given every resource to succeed,” said Denise Cunha, vice president and director of benefits and payroll. “The company motivates and rewards employees with a generous benefits package, including an annual 401(k) profit share contribution. In addition, the company offers medical insurance with prescriptions, a health savings account option, dental and vision coverage, whole life insurance, company-paid short- and long-term disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, and for full-time employees, paid time off, paid holidays and paid sick leave.”
Every year on the company’s anniversary, employees spend a week volunteering at nonprofit organizations in a tradition known as “Orange Week.” Some of the charitable organizations and activities Embrace has supported include Newport Blooms, Norman Bird Sanctuary, West Place Animal Sanctuary, Save The Bay Inc., Miantonomi Park cleanup, food drive for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, Bramans Cemetery gravestone cleaning, Boots on the Ground, Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, Second Beach cleanup, and The Chase Home.
Embrace matches team members’ charitable donations to school parent-teacher organizations, churches, Boy Scouts, neighbors in need, and many more for up to $2,500 per employee per year. Additionally, employees can volunteer at an organization of their choice for up to 100 hours. The time is paid and the cause receives a monetary gift.
As it has for so many, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the company and Cunha says mental, emotional and spiritual well-being has been low. Embrace is taking steps to support its employees by reviewing wellness policies and benefits to maximize their impact. New benefit approaches, improved communications and training will be created through this process.
“Too many people, including teammates, are suffering and struggling, and few have the needed support and skills to thrive in the face of daily challenges and life’s hardships,” Cunha said. “With spring symbolizing renewal, there is no better time to begin to tackle these issues. We believe all employees will benefit from developing wellness skills. When our teammates are in a state of well-being at work, they’re able to achieve their professional goals, work productively, reach their creative potential and find personal fulfillment.”
During this first phase of rededicating itself to wellness in the workplace, Embrace has been reviewing everything from organizational values and competencies and organizational reporting structure to onboarding policies and learning and development philosophy.
Early changes include the expansion of maternity leave to four paid months, implementation of an adoption leave policy providing six weeks of paid leave, creation of an adoption assistance program that reimburses qualified expenses up to $10,000, and decreasing the time new hires must wait to contribute to their 401(k) from six months to two. In addition, the company recently launched a new rewards and recognition initiative called Bucketlist, offering a personalized approach to employee rewards and recognition.
“If there is one takeaway we have learned from the pandemic, it is never rest on your laurels,” Hardiman said. “Take nothing for granted. You must constantly seek out your employees’ thoughts on what it means to them to be a rewarding place to work and adapt to their needs. If they feel appreciated, they will make your customers feel appreciated and everyone succeeds.”
