Culture Archives - �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý Title Insurance Co.

Creating A Work Culture That Delivers

Adam Mohrbacher — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 02:50:08 +0000

�ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý has scored its eighth straight Great Place to Work® designation!

By Adam Mohrbacher

�ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý was recently certified as a Great Place to Work®—its eighth straight certification. This honor reflects the hard work of many people to build a workplace where employees can bring their whole selves to work and contribute their unique skills, insights and experiences to the betterment of the organization and the agents it serves. Below, you’ll hear about some of the reasons why �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý gained its eighth certification and how this enables the company to deliver more for its independent agents.

Building solidarity and support with EET

Perhaps the most foundational element of �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý’s welcoming, inclusive and high-performing culture is its employee engagement team (EET). The EET was designed to create a working environment where every employee feels engaged, rewarded and personally committed. Kim Bergner, �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý’s Internal Auditor, recently spoke to the effectiveness of those efforts.

Bergner has been a part of the EET for two years. She described how one of its subcommittees, called “Knowledge Bytes,” offers employees a Zoom-based forum to showcase contributions and “explain their challenges and how others in the company can help.” From Bergner’s perspective, these programs are essential for fostering a positive work culture. “They build bridges and relationships between employees in different departments of the company,” she explained, which is deeply important in an era of remote work.

Creating future leaders through the Trailblazer Mentorship Program

The EET is just one of many initiatives that contributes to �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý’s Great Place to Work® status. A new program launched this year is the Trailblazer Mentorship Program. Structured as a seven-month initiative, the Trailblazer Mentorship Program pairs veteran employees with workers who are interested in improving their skills, confidence and careers. The program offers monthly group and one-on-one meetings where mentors and mentees connect to explore topics like goal setting, leadership and career growth—all within a safe and supportive space.

Bergner recently completed the Trailblazer Mentorship Program and has spoken positively about the effort. Another �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý employee who took part is Jace Coffie. As one of �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý’s youngest employees, Coffie represents the next generation of professionals that any underwriter should seek to cultivate and grow into a long-term employee. For Coffie, the program accomplished exactly that, helping him establish a solid foundation for a long and successful career. “This program has had such a huge impact on my first-year journey, and I know it will continue to shape me moving forward,” he said.

Great Place to Work® pays off beyond �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý

Investing in employee wellness, growth and development is about much more than the company itself. It also benefits stakeholders. Bergner notes that programs like EET and Trailblazers “build morale in the organization.” Higher morale, she continues, “can foster satisfaction, which can ultimately lead to longer employee retention.”

Time and time again, longer-tenured employees perform better on behalf of partners and customers. Data from Gartner showed that companies which successfully retain employees achieve 23% higher productivity than those that don’t. Glassdoor discovered a similar correlation between employee happiness and a company’s impact on its stakeholders. Its research showed that each “1-star improvement in an employer’s Glassdoor company rating out of 5 is associated with a statistically significant 1.3-point increase in customer satisfaction.”

Here’s to the next eight

Given this data, there’s no question about the importance of credentials like Great Place to Work®. This honor isn’t just something nice to tuck into a press release or fact sheet. Instead, it is a mission-critical priority for any business desiring to create positive outcomes for its employees, partners, customers and communities. �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý couldn’t be happier to have achieved this goal and its associated benefits for eight years and counting. And it looks forward to raising the bar for many years to come.

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This April, Let’s Confront Stress

Adam Mohrbacher — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:07:46 +0000

We can’t eliminate stress, but we can take steps to manage its impact.

Each April during Stress Awareness Month, we sit down with �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý’s HR Director Stacy Stolen to explore how we can all manage stress more effectively. This is an important conversation because too much stress can negatively impact both individuals and organizations. Having worked for years in HR and compliance, Stolen is no stranger to helping mitigate stress in the workplace. She shares ideas that can help you reduce stress in your agency and build the kind of workplace your team will love.

Confronting the pervasive problem of stress

According to Stolen, stress is a major problem in workplaces today, and available data supports this view. In a recent “McKinsey Health Institute survey of more than 30,000 employees worldwide, only 57% reported good holistic health.”[i] Given the scope of the problem, business leaders have a vested interest in helping employees manage their stress levels. Not only is it the right thing to do, but unchecked stress can have a negative effect on worker performance. Recent survey data, in fact, showed 60% of respondents indicating that high stress harmed their output. [ii] None of this should really be surprising according to Stolen. After all, she said, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

Reframing how we respond to stress

Stress should always be taken seriously—but that doesn’t mean avoiding it. It means learning how to manage it. The fact is stress is often little more than the body’s response to change. And “change—whether in your personal life or at work—can be stressful but also an opportunity for growth,” said Stolen. If stress can’t be avoided, Stolen said, “how you respond makes all the difference.” She then continued by noting that “Small, consistent efforts to care for your mental and physical well-being can help you thrive—even in challenging times.”

Putting wellness at the heart of culture pays off

So how can workplaces help employees rethink and manage stress? There are really too many to count. Mindfulness programs. Fitness incentives. Mental health support groups. Flexible work options. Financial literary workshops. Healthy living perks. These are just a few examples, but there are many more.

The ROI of these programs speaks for itself. Companies often see a return of $4 for every $1 invested in mental health treatment.[iii] Results like this are often attributed primarily to increased productivity and reduced absenteeism. Additionally, mindfulness programs can reduce employee stress by 30% says the �ǿմ�ý Institute of Health,[iv] while another study found workplace flexibility programs can generate over 25% less employee stress.[v]

�ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý is committed to being part of the solution

�ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý has long taken such figures to heart and has put stress awareness and employee wellness at the heart of its working culture. Some of the specific initiatives and programs it uses to advance these goals include:

The �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý Employee Engagement Team (EET), which aims to boost engagement, foster personal commitment and motivation, and support fair compensation.
Mental Health Challenges, which are designed to encourage employees to use their available PTO to rest and recharge.
The �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý Employee Assistance Program, which is multifaceted support program intended to assist employees with navigating issues related to work, money, legal issues, identity theft, physical and emotional wellbeing and more.
All staff wellness challenges.
Mental Health Awareness month activities revolving around work/life balance and sharing mental health resources.
HR-led meetings focusing squarely on mental health support.
Ongoing segments on company calls designed to foster laughter, goodwill, camaraderie, and stress relief.
And more.

In 2025, �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý continued adding to its stress awareness and employee wellbeing efforts. It recently hosted guest speaker Josh Emery, a renowned therapist, consultant and coach, who spoke to the �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý team about the role stress plays in our lives and how we can stay on top of its impacts.

Managing stress is the key to unlocking a brighter future It is impossible to avoid experiencing some level of stress. After all, stress is a part of any change, which, as we all know, is the only constant in life. But if we can’t stop stress, what do we do to reduce its effects? This is a deeply important question, especially for businesses whose productivity and profitability are firmly in the crosshairs whenever employees become overstressed. The answer, however, is a simple one. Workplaces only need to take small, gradual steps to confront stress. Over time, this will build a culture that helps employees mitigate stress’s effects and continue working harmoniously. When done successfully, the results can be transformative and pave the way for lucrative, long-term growth and achievement

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Designing And Building Culture: Reflections On Trust, Purpose, And Performance

anticadmin — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:26:05 +0000

As we approach the holiday season and the close of another year, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the concept of organizational culture—what it means, how it shapes our businesses, and how we can all work to improve it. Culture is more than just a buzzword; it’s the lifeblood of an organization, influencing our interactions, decisions, and outcomes. I’d like to share some insights we’ve gained at �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý and offer practical thoughts. I hope you find them useful as you think about your culture-building efforts.

Understanding Cultural Paradigms

Organizational culture can be viewed through various lenses. Some companies focus on performance, where results and individual achievement drive culture. Others adopt a purpose-driven culture, aligning actions with a higher mission or set of values. At �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý, we’ve found our greatest strength in fostering a culture of trust. But it’s important to note that no single cultural paradigm is inherently better than any other. The key is to identify which approach aligns most closely with your organization’s values and mission.

In the title insurance industry, relationships are at the heart of everything we do, and that’s why we ultimately decided to build our culture on the foundation of trust. Behind every transaction is a person or family entrusting us with their dreams and future. Trust is the cornerstone of these relationships, enabling us to be part of critical moments in people’s lives. Without trust, we’re merely facilitating transactions; with it, we’re partnering in something much more significant—helping people pursue the American Dream of economic prosperity.

The 3Cs: Our Foundation for Trust

To cultivate this trust, we’ve centered our culture around three key principles we call the 3Cs:

Care for Others: Genuine care involves truly listening and understanding the needs of those we serve—our agents, partners, and colleagues. It’s about making meaningful connections and offering assistance that can have a positive impact on someone’s life.
Competency in Our Work: We believe in continuous improvement. By staying informed, honing our skills, and striving for excellence, we ensure that we’re equipped to meet the needs of our clients and each other effectively.
Commitment: This is about reliability and follow-through. Doing what we say we will do, meeting our obligations, and being dependable in every situation reinforces the trust others place in us.

These principles aren’t just corporate ideals. We try to live them as daily practices that guide us through our interactions with our agents and fellow team members.

Intentional Culture Building

Good culture doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, reflection, and a willingness to change. A few years ago, we took an important step by developing a booklet describing our company culture. It’s essentially a collective expression of what makes �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý special on our best days. It includes our Purpose, Mission, Vision, Core Value, and Guiding Principles. Simply stated, the “�ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý Way” is: caring about people by providing uncommonly valuable help that delivers a positive impact. This articulation of our shared beliefs has provided a compass for our actions.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to define what’s most important about your culture, we’ve found that the exercise can be incredibly valuable. For us, it wasn’t about creating something new, but rather about uncovering and articulating what was already true about our organization. We found that the project gave us a rare opportunity to talk to our team, reflect on shared experiences, and capture our unique narrative.

Beyond defining culture, it’s important to take steps to live it more deeply and consistently. To support this, we established an Employee Engagement Team to ensure that culture remains an ongoing focus. This group serves as a conduit for feedback and ideas, helping culture rise from every level of the organization.

Other important initiatives included creating a set of Management Rules of the Road, which outlines what employees can expect from their managers. Additionally, our culture has been strengthened through regular Outward Mindset seminars from the Arbinger Institute. The goal of these sessions is to help team members understand that other people’s needs matter just as much as their own. They encourage collaboration, break down silos, and remind us to work together.

Steps to Building a Great Culture

Every company, regardless of size or industry, stands to benefit from a strong, intentional culture. Based on our experience, here are a few steps that we hope may be helpful in your own cultural journey:

Define Your Core Values: What principles are non-negotiable for your organization? Whether it’s trust, innovation, customer focus, or something else entirely, clarity here sets the foundation. A key aspect in defining your values is also in prioritizing them. It’s easy to say loyalty, honesty, and integrity are the values of the company. What happens when these values are in conflict?
Engage Your Team: Culture is a collective endeavor. Regularly involve team members at all levels in discussions about values and practices. Their insights can be surprising and powerful.
Be Intentional: Develop initiatives, programs, and traditions that reinforce your values. Solicit feedback from employees to ensure alignment and celebrate your cultural successes regularly. Values are most reflected in an organization based on who gets promoted or rewarded.
Measure and Reflect: Utilize tools like surveys, focus groups, or external certifications to assess your cultural health. Benchmarks provide valuable insights into where you’re succeeding and where there’s room to grow. For example, at �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý, we’ve participated in the Great Place to Work certification process for over eight years, and in 2024, we were recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the Best Small Workplaces and one of the Best Places to Work in Real Estate.
Embrace Continuous Improvement: Culture isn’t static. Be open to change and ready to adapt as your organization grows and the environment evolves.

Recognition and Celebration

One great way to promote culture is to share stories of success. At �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý, we’ve found tremendous value in communicating and celebrating our cultural achievements during �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý Live!, our bi-monthly all-hands call. My favorite part of the call is a feature we recently added — the Winner’s Circle. It’s an opportunity for employees to nominate colleagues who exemplify what it means to work the “�ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý Way.” Most importantly, this peer-nominated recognition is to identify someone who demonstrates one of more of the 3Cs. A nomination takes time and effort, so these nominations reflect the genuine appreciation and respect colleagues have for one another’s contributions. These stories and celebrations help our team feel more connected and aligned with the company’s values.

Looking Ahead and Staying Committed

As we approach 2025 and our 20th anniversary, I couldn’t be more excited about the future of �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý. Our imminent partnership with Dream Finders Homes marks an exciting new chapter, creating new opportunities to grow and better serve our agents. Additionally, we are eager to continue innovating with tools like our anti-fraud solution, SecureMyTransaction, which reinforces trust and security in real estate transactions.

As I look ahead, I’m reminded that our success is built on our cultural foundations that enable us to provide value to our agents. While there’s much to be proud of, no culture is ever “finished.” It requires continuous care and attention to ensure alignment with our mission and goals.

Whatever cultural foundation you choose—whether trust, purpose, performance, or a blend—it’s important to invest in it intentionally. At �ǿմ�ý �ǿմ�ý, we’ve found that fostering a culture of trust has brought great benefits to our team, agents, and partners.

Thank you for being a part of our journey. Here’s wishing you a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

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An Extraordinary Garden is Built

anticadmin — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 02:38:00 +0000

The bereaved find unexpected and welcome comfort

Losing a child is a tragedy no parent should ever have to endure. While there are few words and even fewer comforts to be offered to those who have experienced such a loss, the team at The Compassionate Friends is doing its best to be there in the face of the unthinkable.

Cory Trevor Harrison and daughter Kailey Harrison

Sandra Harrison experienced such a loss on her wedding anniversary when her son, 26-year-old Cory Trevor Harrison, was fatally hit by a drunk driver. Though she wasn’t alone in her grief, Sandra realized that facing such a tragedy requires a community. It wasn’t until after the loss of Cory that she found The Compassionate Friends, a foundation that offers a sense of togetherness and self-help options for grieving families in need.

Since discovering the group, Sandra found a partnership and a focused purpose, within her community, all driven by The Compassionate Friends’ cause. While The Compassionate Friends, open to anyone who has lost a child, grandchild or sibling, offers self-help options to everyone near and far, it takes enough interest in one location to build a local chapter.

After three separate families contacted the organization, the Bay County, Florida chapter was founded in January 2015. Since then, the group meets every second Monday of each month. With the current pandemic, the chapter meets on a scheduled Zoom call.

The mother and grandmother will be stepping in as chapter leader of her local group in July. In the meantime, she’s shifted her focus to a memorial garden to honor her son and other children lost. With the help of local government and the other members of her chapter, including the current chapter leader, Carol Ladouceur, Sandra and other chapter members are now building the Children’s Memorial Garden.

“I don’t like going to my son’s grave,” she says. “I want to go where it’s uplifting.”

Sandra wants to help offer her community a comforting and peaceful place to go where they can honor their loved ones without the negative connotations of a graveyard. Rather than feeling surrounded by death, Sandra and her community’s organization wants to offer a place that can be a celebration of life for her lost son and the lost family members of her community.

Their bid for the garden was enthusiastically backed by local city commissioners of Lynn Haven, Florida, and other chapter members. Some families went together on benches for their loved ones, while others opted to sponsor trees, bushes and other greenery to adorn the garden. There will be cenotaph walls that will be covered in bronze plaques – a place where anyone who has lost a child, grandchild or sibling can pay to have them memorialized.

As a non-profit, the Bay County chapter had to be clever about how to go about the creation of their garden. Purchases of plaques and charitable donations go directly to the creation and upkeep of their garden. There will be a fountain for the garden, offering an added level of tranquility for those who come to honor their lost loved ones.

The Children’s Memorial Garden was set to be completed in June 2020 with a dedication. A Walk to Remember was scheduled for May 30, 2020. Anyone can donate directly via Venmo*. Sandra has devoted a large amount of her time to the project, and looks forward to seeing the garden and fountain completed. She noted that the setting – about 1000 feet from North Bay – couldn’t be any better, and hopes that others will find it as peaceful as she does.

After being founded in England over 50 years ago, The Compassionate Friends has since expanded operations in the United States. The group works in chapters, and as of today has over 600 chapters in all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and Guam. The Compassionate Friends’ mission statement states that “when a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated. The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.”

Sandra Harrison and her Bay County chapter are living up to that mission in spades with their current project. No one ever wants to experience loss, particularly that of a child, but the love of a supportive group and community, such as Sandra’s, proves that love can sometimes mitigate grief and shore the bereaved up when the unthinkable happens.

*To donate to the Children’s Memorial Garden, search for “Children’s Memorial Garden” on the Venmo app. Donations can be made there.

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