Making sure everyone belongs at The Bozzuto Group

Everyone wants a sense of belonging, whether navigating high school social circles, making new friends in college, or finding a workplace where you are surrounded by likeminded colleagues who share your values. The Bozzuto Group recognizes the importance of belonging and aims to create a compassionate workplace based on belonging and care.

Kara Ryan, Managing Director and Head Of Human Resources at Bozzuto, states that employees are more engaged when they feel like they belong, which is why there are eight employee resource groups available to join. These affinity groups include PAC for parents and caregivers; Happy, an Asian American heritage group; and Lift, for LGBTQ employees. Additionally, Bozzuto offers a program called Rise, focused on social impact for employees who care about volunteering.

The employee resource groups allow Bozzuto to keep a pulse on what its people need.

“We have a large population of women, and their needs for family services are growing. We recognized that we needed to expand fertility treatment services, so we partnered with an organization called Progyny that allows us to supplement the benefits we already offered. We also recognize that the needs of our people are always evolving. For example, our infertility services were aimed at a traditional family, and our LGBTQ group came to the HR team and said, ‘I don’t have the same access to the type of benefits if I want to start a family as a traditional family does.’ We expanded our services with Progyny so that we could expand treatment to these individuals.”

Ryan adds that one couple—both of whom work at Bozzuto—was struggling with starting a family, and they were able to start one thanks to the services offered by Progny and Bozzuto.

Ryan shares how two of Buzzuto’s core principles—concern and creativity—were put to use when it realized that people were having trouble accessing services during Covid. “We partnered with a caregiving organization called Cariloop, so when parents were looking for daycare or elder care, Cariloop can provide instant concierge service that connects our employees to caregivers,” she says.

Ryan adds that as Bozzuto expanded into 22 states, it partnered with a telehealth organization to ensure people had access to doctors 24/7.

Where some companies view its wellness programs solely by offering a gym membership, Bozzuto takes it further to include mental and financial health.

“Our employee assistance program has 24/7 support, not only for our employees, but their families. We have financial counseling and legal services that can be accessed anywhere our employees work,” she says.

“Even in our meetings, we embed in the agenda mental health breaks. For instance, at a recent meeting, we had 500 leaders where we gave each of them a gratitude journal, and we spent parts of each meeting writing down what we were grateful for, as we acknowledge that we have to balance being operationally effective while also making sure you feel great about where you work.”

Taking care of employees’ health: MileOne takes it to the next level

Taking care of your employees is a bedrock principle for any successful company. Employees today expect more than paid vacation time, health insurance, and a 401(k) plan from their benefits package. Supporting employees’ well-being and focusing on issues that matter to them is increasingly becoming necessary to attract and retain good talent.

At MileOne Autogroup, the largest automotive sales and service delivery network in the Mid-Atlantic region, its wellness programs include social, physical, emotional and financial health, and Chief Human Resource Officer “G” Mossanen says that employees’ financial health is an important focus.

Beyond offering a 401(k) plan, MileOne invests in employees’ futures and retirement in other ways.

“We launched a high yield savings account, which is another way for them to be able to invest in short-term planning. We also recognize that sometimes they may go through a financial crisis with an unexpected hardship, and we want to support them through those times, so we developed the MileOne Support Fund. Our employees donate to this particular fund, and if any of them go through a financial crisis, they can apply for the Support Fund. Since its inception, we’ve provided $465,000 in support,” Mossanen says.

Companies also realize that supporting employees also extends to their families, which is why MileOne offers the MileOne Scholarship program not only for employees but also their family members. Employees and family members can earn up to $2,500 each year for four years to further their education at an accredited college. Since its inception, MileOne has given over $2 million away in scholarships.

In addition to financial health, MileOne launched an employee assistance program with an organization called Revive and Thrive in order to develop the right emotional health programs and resources. “We also launched other programs such as Hinge Health, a virtual physical therapy app, and Noom, which is a cognitive behavioral way to manage weight loss,” says Mossanen.

Mossanen says that turnover in the car sales business is generally high, but MileOne prides itself on the tenure that it has with its employees and the loyalty that they have provided to the organization.

“We developed a milestone recognition program, and every year we have the milestone luncheon where we bring in our milestone recipients to celebrate them. We have found that 44% of our employees have been with us five years or more, and 25% have been with us 10 years or more,” Mossanen notes.

One of the reasons Mossanen credits for employee retention is the recognition that employees value a company’s philanthropic endeavors. “They want to volunteer and participate by giving back to the community, so we started the employee nominated grant where a nonprofit that matters to them will receive a donation from MileOne on the employees’ behalf. Last year, we gave out about $300,000 to these organizations that matter to our employees. Our goal is to create a work environment where our people can grow, thrive and have a strong sense of belonging.”

Wellness programs boost productivity. How Kelly Benefits supports the entire person.

It’s an understatement to say that Frank Kelly III, CEO of Kelly Benefits, is “all in” on promoting wellness at his company, which is one of the nation’s largest providers of benefits administration and technology, broker and consulting services, and payroll solutions.

“We want a culture that’s healthy, vibrant and alive because we believe that an employee who’s coming from a healthy home life is going to do better work than one who’s not. We are very intentional with some of our wellness initiatives to support the entire family,” Kelly says. “I tell our people, if you’re here past 6 p.m. four nights a week, something’s not right. We want to create a culture where if your kid has a game or play, that’s where you should be.”

Beyond physical wellness

While many companies give incentives to encourage physical wellness, like smoking cessation classes, discounts to gyms, and company-sponsored walking clubs, more and more businesses are recognizing that employees today are drawn to workplaces where wellness initiatives extend beyond physical health.

Kelly explains that his firm offers emotional wellness through an employee assistance program; financial wellness in areas such as budgeting classes; spiritual wellness with two corporate chaplains available for counseling; and physical and nutritional wellness.

“We bring in experts in the areas of nutrition, diet, and exercise, and we have an incredible onsite fitness facility, plus an outside walking trail. Every employee has 24/7/365, access to our gym. I encourage people that if you have a meeting, instead of going to a conference room, have a walk and talk meeting,” he says.

Listening to your employees

Some of the most successful businesses are those that deliberately listen to their employees and encourage feedback. It’s easy when you are a C-suite professional to lose track of what the average employee is looking for at work.

Kelly Benefits does an annual engagement survey to do just that.

“That’s where you learn because no one’s perfect, and sometimes we’re blind. For example, Covid was so hard for everyone. We went from nearly 450 employees here every day to 25 onsite essential employees. People working remotely were lonely and depressed, and that’s what led us to a virtual chaplain,” he recalls. “I think we have to be open to what’s happening in our culture and how we can respond. We don’t get it perfect, but we try to be aware, try to be responsive, try to be proactive.”

Kelly sees a direct correlation between offering wellness programs and productivity.

“These wellness programs, some of them cost money, so it is a financial investment, but we look at it as an investment in our people because if they’re healthy and well, they’re going to be better employees, too. It’s a win, win.

Staying true to their roots Abacus Corporation helps people find fulfilling careers

Trey McGee, executive vice president at Abacus Corporation, a national staffing company based in Baltimore, knows the importance of a corporate culture that is driven foremost by what benefits the employees.

“A happy employee will generally be a more productive and more caring employee. We strive to do what’s best for the employee by learning what they are passionate about and creating an environment where they can succeed,” says McGee. “It’s not just about the work—it’s about camaraderie, connection, and the way you celebrate your people along the way.”

When Abacus, a family-owned business for more than 80 years, looks to expand into a new business sector, they rely on industry experts.

“I want to hire someone that knows that market and industry better than I do who can teach us what we can do better as a company,” McGee says. “That’s what my great-grandfather instilled in my grandfather, what my grandfather instilled in my dad and uncle, and what they’ve instilled in me. If you surround yourself with better people, you’ll be a better leader,” says McGee.

Abacus helps job seekers find work in a variety of industries from health care to accounting, manufacturing, information technology, and administrative support.

“We help them with their interviews, resume, and any other tools that will help them thrive. What makes me happy is when we see someone walking out of the office and fist bumping someone because we provided that person with a great job,” says McGee. He adds that his team takes the time to learn what each job seeker needs and what they are passionate about to find them the right job.

McGee credits hiring great leaders as the main reason why Abacus has grown from a small, Mid-Atlantic company to a national one in over 20 states with 26,000 employees. Abacus also utilizes its vast network to help job seekers find employment wherever opportunities arise.

“We have gone into different parts of the United States to find great employees that want to work, and we have deployed them to different states to find a better workforce and do better for themselves,” he notes. “We went to Puerto Rico after a devastating hurricane, put people on airplanes, and brought them to York, Pennsylvania to work so that they could earn an income to support their families. Wherever there is a displaced workforce, or we see somewhere that needs help, we will go and help them.”

Despite the company’s growth over the years, McGee says that Baltimore will always be home. He notes that shortly after Abacus entered the staffing field, his grandfather went with the Governor of Maryland to Europe on a trades mission to help find companies that wanted to do business in the Port of Baltimore.

“We landed Fila, a big Italian apparel company. They did their nationwide distribution in the United States and Canada from the Port of Baltimore, and we were able to supply them with staffing labor. We love Baltimore. We are born and bred Baltimore. We’ve been here for 80 years, and we’re never leaving.”