Employees brought home the coveted honor for the third consecutive year.
Board of Pensions employees had been working remotely for seven weeks when the Best Places to Work survey dropped into their email boxes April 30, 2020. Results of the annual survey, sponsored by the Philadelphia Business Journal, determine whether an employer earns a coveted spot on the list of Best Places to Work in the Philadelphia region.
“By that point, we had settled into a routine,” said the Reverend Frank Clark Spencer, President of the Board, referring to COVID-19 adjustments. “Everyone was on the Microsoft Teams platform, so we could see and talk with each other virtually in meetings and employee gatherings.” Leaders were in frequent contact with their teams, and the Board was regularly providing virtual opportunities for colleagues to stay connected and support each other.
Employees showed their appreciation by boosting the Board onto the Best Places to Work list for the third consecutive year. COVID-19 prevented the Philadelphia Business Journal’s annual celebration, so it heralded the Board and other honorees online and in a print edition July 31, 2020.
“Every year, businesses of all sizes compete for this honor, successful, well-known organizations,” Rev. Spencer said. “We’re proud to be back on this list, among the best of them.”
The Philadelphia Business Journal partners with Quantum Workplace to gauge employee sentiment on company culture, including compensation and benefits, opportunities for growth, and trust in senior leadership. The Board was honored in the large employer category (100 to 499 employees). Headquartered in Philadelphia, it was up against other employers in the city and nearby Pennsylvania and New Jersey suburbs.
“None of us could have imagined that we would still be working remotely after four months, or that we would be living with such uncertainty while also experiencing a momentous cry for racial justice,” said Susan Reimann, the Board’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Through it all, our employees have upheld our commitment to serving churches, employers, and Benefits Plan members. We are grateful to them and proud that they consider us deserving of the Best Places to Work honor.”
Earlier this summer, the Philadelphia Business Journal also named the Board to its 2020 Healthiest Employers list for the second year in a row. The honor goes to organizations in the region that are committed to creating a healthy workplace. Employers are measured on a series of factors, including leadership commitment, communication, and analytics.
Holistic well-being is the Board’s foundation for everything, including its workplace culture. The benefits and programs it offers — to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and affiliated employers and its own staff — foster spiritual, health, financial, and vocational well-being.
“The enthusiasm our staff has for Call to Health played a big role in the Board being named to the Healthiest Employers list,” said April Kimble, the Board’s Director of Employee Development and Engagement. “Every year, more than 80 percent of our employees participate.”
Call to Health is open to all active members of the Medical Plan — ministers and employees throughout the Church and its affiliated employers. Participants can qualify for reduced medical deductibles for the following plan year by completing activities that support holistic well-being.
“We take great pride in the level of engagement we see in our staff, both in the work they do to support the Board’s mission and in their self-care,” Ms. Reimann said. “Now, more than ever, they are integral as we provide support to those who serve the Church amid the uncertainty that surrounds us.”
