Medical Mutual is 3rd place winner, Mega category: Top Workplaces 2023

Name: Medical Mutual

President & CEO: Steve Glass

Address of local operation: 100 American Road, Cleveland, OH 44144

What the company does: Medical Mutual is a health insurance company that serves its customers with high-quality group and individual health insurance plans, and third-party administrative services to self-insured group customers. As a mutual company, we operate for the benefit of our members without needing to meet the demands of stockholders or Wall Street analysts. Instead, we focus on developing products and services that allow us to better serve our customers and the communities around us and help our members achieve their best possible health and quality of life.

Years in business: Founded in 1934

Why they won: When asked what makes Medical Mutual a top workplace, Tom Dewey, Executive Vice President and Health Plan Operations and Chief People Officer, said: “Valuing our diverse backgrounds and strengths is at the core of our culture. We’re also committed to the personal and professional growth of our team members, with development opportunities as part of our annual goal-setting. We make open communication a priority through discussion opportunities across all levels of the organization — 90% of employees regularly engaging in surveys and other feedback sessions. We support our neighbors in the communities we serve through a variety of efforts: Team members have opportunities to volunteer, raise funds and donate time and resources to many organizations.”

Medical Mutual refers to their employees as “team members” who contribute to the caring culture. A strong culture, employee satisfaction and engagement are what’s key to keeping high levels of retention over the years. By offering as much flexibility as they can, they are able to address team members’ need for flexibility and work-life balance.

Even though some employees are remote, they are included in events such as companywide picnics, town halls, and wellness fairs. “We’re continuing to evolve as we incorporate new ways to bring remote and in-office workers together seamlessly. We’ve also adapted our companywide events for team members so that there are remote elements that include all workers,” says Dewey

Through surveys and polls, the company is able to get feedback from its team members to determine what’s important to them and make changes accordingly. This can include benefit changes as well as education and training programs. A wellness program and Mutual appreciation program are some of the perks offered.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of the Medical Mutual culture,” says Dewey. “We value the unique experiences and perspectives that each member of our diverse workforce brings. While our company is more racially diverse than the population of Ohio, there’s always room to improve. We’re committed to interviewing at least one racially diverse candidate and one female candidate when recruiting for leadership positions. We engage our team members with inclusion training and support several employee-led business resource groups.”

This past year, Medical Mutual saw a change in leadership with the hiring of new President and CEO Steven Glass. The transition was a smooth and successful one. The focus continues to be providing the best access to healthcare for all members.

Said one employee: “I’m able to use my expertise to make a positive impact on others. My team is very supportive and I’m able to balance my work and family life extremely well. Medical Mutual supports working remotely and they care about me as a person.”

For the 2023 Top Workplaces list, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer have compiled 214 stand-out Northeast Ohio employers based on employee surveys. Find the full list and stories on the top three winners in each of four categories at cleveland.com/top-workplaces.