At Top 100 winner Fannie Mae, fostering flexibility breeds worker loyalty

NO. 2 LARGE COMPANY

5-TIME WINNER

SPECIAL AWARD: Best at Making Work Meaningful

Financial services firm based in Washington, D.C., with 1,360 D-FW workers at its Plano office

Fannie Mae, our second-place winner for the second consecutive year, knows exactly why it’s in business.

“Our mission is to facilitate equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality affordable rental housing across America,” said Jeffery Hayward, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Fannie Mae’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. “We try to knock down barriers to housing access.”

Fannie Mae toppled one of those barriers last year with an innovative program that helps renters use their rental payment history as part of their mortgage credit qualifications.

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“It was the kind of project that brought together all the strengths of our company and our people,” he said.

The company has also embraced flextime and flexible workplaces.

Employees get to choose whether they come into Fannie Mae’s offices at Granite Park VII in Plano or work elsewhere. “We are learning as we go along,” Hayward said. “We expanded our benefits to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to keeping Fannie Mae an employer of choice, including expanding family sick leave and absorbing premium increases for company-sponsored employee medical and dental plans for the 2022 plan year.”

“Flexible Fridays,” with the company’s official business week ending at 1 p.m., are a year-round benefit. “Employees may use the time however they wish, whether it’s for focusing on wrapping up work or just taking the afternoon to themselves,” Hayward said. “This extra time is one way of saying thank you, listening to our employees and of continuing to make Fannie Mae an even more flexible, better place to work.”

Hayward hopes his employees would describe him as open and empathetic. “But I know they would all say I’m focused above all on our affordable housing mission,” he said.

Workers earned Fannie Mae the special award for Best at Making Work Meaningful by scoring highest in the Top 100 field on this survey statement: My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful.

According to their responses, they appreciate the flexibility and love the mission.

“I am challenged each day to drive toward our mission to help low-income and minority borrowers and underserved markets,” one worker said.

“Fannie Mae understands that making your employees happy makes them want to work harder for you,” another said.

“I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and opinions in meetings, even with the leadership team and above.”

“I have been at Fannie Mae for 22 years and have enjoyed every minute I have worked here. I have been able to continue to learn and grow while being able to balance family. I actually look forward to going to work.”

“I’m in charge of my own schedule and am given the freedom of work/life balance that is huge with having high risk family members. They are so understanding of allowing me to take care of my family and trusting that I will still give them great results at my job.”

Read all about the 2022 Top 100 Places to Work here.