Seventy-six firms — a record number — earned a spot on the 2019 Best Places to Work in Money Management special report produced by Pensions & Investments and its research partner.
In its eighth annual program, P&I worked with Best Companies Group, Harrisburg, Pa., to collect and analyze survey data to identify companies that stood out for their efforts to create a culture that supports employees and brings out their best.
In their own words: “Some of the key things that make Blackstone a best place to work are our flat structure, the entrepreneurial spirit our employees share and the hyper-meritocracy, which gives considerable room and ability to grow. A lot of responsibility is given here — employees are expected to have a view and to speak up regardless of tenure. As a result people here are truly collaborative and in it together.”
In their own words: “Our singular purpose remains the same today as it was in 1939: to deliver compelling long-term investment results for our clients. What makes us a Best Place to Work? Our people. It is our people who define and live our culture – a culture that focuses on empowering, connecting and caring.”
In their own words: “How we work is defined by shared values that include absolute integrity, respect and collaboration. But it’s more than that. It’s smart and highly driven people united in purpose to serve our investors and one another. We recognize that it is the collective efforts of Capital Group associates that sets our organization apart and we’re committed to an environment where they can bring their true, best selves to work.”
In their own words: “We strive to maintain an inclusive culture in which associates feel engaged and connected, bringing their whole selves to work every day. We found that 84% of associates feel engaged, compared with 33% of U.S. employees nationwide according to Gallup’s employee engagement report. Additionally, 86% of associates feel accepted for who they are. We care equally about the results of our work and how they were achieved. This helps us foster a high-performing workplace.”
In their own words: “We provide employees with a modern work environment, time to think, benefits, and the flexibility to manage their work and home lives so they can effectively manage their responsibilities. We’re committed to helping employees bring their best selves to work, develop professionally, and provide meaningful support to the communities where we have a presence.”
In their own words: “From a collaborative culture, to numerous events for staff, to a commitment to training, the firm is able to deliver its best to clients largely because of the culture it delivers to employees. TCW also has a strong commitment to the community which helps encourage team building through initiatives such as building a reading room at an underserved school or helping plant community gardens.”
In their own words: “We have diversity initiatives that are designed to attract the best and brightest talent to the firm, create a true sense of belonging and give all of our employees the opportunity to excel in their careers.”
In their own words: “Employees like that they can make a tangible difference in how the company is run and how we serve our clients. In our surveys, employees use words like ‘empowered,’ 'appreciated’ and ‘teamwork’ to describe our firm. Employees also like the fact that Voya truly believes in a healthy work-life balance. Senior management understands that staff have a life outside of Voya and ‘life happens.’”
In their own words: “Every team member is approachable and willing to roll up their sleeves to support each other and our clients as well as the communities in which each office is located. ... We provide resources that take a holistic view of employees’ lives — not focused exclusively on physical fitness, but also on mental, emotional and financial health.”
In their own words: “When we ask employees what makes it a ‘best’ place to work they commonly say it is the culture and the people. This is a culture of trust, respect, teamwork, transparency, caring for the quality of work provided to our clients, work/life balance, and career advancement through promoting from within the organization.”
In their own words: “We believe that supporting and respectfully challenging one another helps us generate positive investment results for our clients and, consequently, feeds directly into our firm’s success. Our culture is defined by ‘ever better’ — in our experience, when we resolve issues together, we enjoy our work more and deliver enhanced solutions to our clients.”
In their own words: “We strive to provide an environment that fosters a strong balance between work and home, allowing our employees the opportunity for peak performance.”
In their own words: “Our low 2018 annual turnover rate of 2% is a testament to our employees’ appreciation of Causeway’s unique culture. Causeway’s employees embrace an environment that limits hierarchy and encourages conversations between management and employees at every level.”
In their own words: “Charles Schwab Investment Management consistently has one of highest-ranking engagement scores across Schwab’s dozen departments. The secret ingredients to its strong culture are trust, humanity, humor and humility. Leadership’s motto sets the tone: ‘Asset management is a team sport and everyone’s role within CSIM is valued and appreciated.’”
In their own words: “We are family-oriented and values-centric. ... We are responsible for the long-term financial futures of real people and that is something that we take to heart every single day. We show up because we care deeply about that mission.’’
In their own words: “Artemis believes that top talent, collaborating frequently, can be a powerful competitive advantage when they represent diverse perspectives. Organizations that succeed in building diversity are less prone to groupthink and better positioned to capitalize on opportunity – and, they’re better places to work. More than 50% of the Artemis staff are women and minorities.”
In their own words: “Our culture is driven by our core purpose of protecting and growing our clients’ investments over the long term. We believe that we have been entrusted with the assets of some of the most important people in the world: police officers, firefighters, teachers, doctors, general employees, and our own families and employees. We take this responsibility very seriously as our actions impact their financial futures. This is why we do what we do every day.”
In their own words: “We support employees in their professional and personal growth with continuing education allowances, paid volunteer time and informative in-house employee seminars covering a wide range of topics—from enhancing public speaking skills to formal etiquette training and even CPR and self-defense training. We recognize the importance of workplace camaraderie and foster those relationships with companywide events.”
In their own words: “We provide resources and opportunities for continuous improvement, including tuition reimbursement, mentoring programs, associate resource groups and leadership development opportunities. We also actively encourage associates to maintain a healthy balance between work, home and the community, and support them in their efforts to do so.”
Additional winners (listed in alphabetical order):
In their own words: “Employees understand we’re not competing with each other for success, but rather working together to ensure company and client success. ... Dana’s progressive flexibility around working remote and flexible hours to provide a better life/family/work balance is something that employees truly value and cements our culture of caring and valuing our employees.”
In their own words: “SRP is comprised of multiple advisory groups where the team members are encouraged to exchange ideas in an open environment. It doesn’t matter if you are an intern or the CEO, your voice is equally heard.”
In their own words: “We consider it a privilege to act as stewards of our investors’ capital, and we also consider it our responsibility to be stewards of our team members’ careers and their wellbeing. After all, our team members devote their time, energy, and talent to the work we do together; in return, we strive to ensure they work in a caring, supportive and positive environment, and that they feel as special and valued as they are.”
In their own words: “Bridgeway strives to put investors’ interests first by emphasizing its core business values of integrity, performance, efficiency, and service. Bridgeway takes pride in being a mission- and values-driven organization with a culture grounded in stewardship, commitment to people and community.”
In their own words: "We are big believers in employees enjoying their lives, which is why, in the past 23 years of existence, we’ve only had five employees leave, with nine employees having a tenure of over 10 years and six employees with a tenure of over four years.”
Additional winners (listed in alphabetical order):