Staffers at Top Workplaces winner Fannie Mae are driven by company’s mission and values

NO. 2 LARGE COMPANY

6-TIME WINNER

Financial services firm based in Washington, D.C., with 1,400 D-FW workers at its Plano office.

At financial services firm Fannie Mae, employees are attracted to the company (and tend to stick around once they’re hired) because they value the work they are doing. “We focus on our mission, which is around creating equitable and sustainable housing, or access to housing — a basic element that people need,” said Jake Williamson, the company’s Plano site leader and senior vice president of collateral risk. “Whether it’s a borrower or a renter, what we do day in and day out is very impactful and very tangible.”

Fannie Mae earned the special award for best values by scoring highest of all our Top Workplaces on this statement: This company operates by strong values. “Ethical behavior and decision making are paramount, from the associate level to the board of directors,” one employee said. According to another, “When upper management brags about results, they talk about getting more marginalized folks into homes and combating bias. I have barely ever heard them talk about profit.”

Williamson said the firm “operates with a focus on our code of conduct, which at its core is really about doing the right thing — for others and for the industry.” One way the company encourages helping others is through its SERVE (Serving, Engaged and Ready to Volunteer Employees) program, which provides workers with 10 hours each month to pursue volunteer opportunities. D-FW employees have helped out nonprofits Community Partners of Dallas and the North Texas Food Bank, among others.

Beyond its values and sense of mission, Fannie Mae — our second-place winner among large companies for the third straight year — sweetens the pot for its workers in a variety of other ways, too. The company boasts Flexible Fridays (knocking off official business at 1 p.m. that day, year-round) and allows employees to work either at home or at its local office in Plano. If they choose the office, they have access to amenities including a gym, shower facilities, on-site car washes and a $10 daily credit for cafeteria dining.

Employees are also offered a $500 healthy-living benefit to pay for the likes of education or even massages, as well as matching-contribution programs for charitable giving and their 401(k).

Yet another enticement for employees is the company’s commitment to innovation and technology, Williamson said — pointing out that the national firm’s HomePath online portal, which offers Fannie Mae-owned homes and other properties for sale, was developed in the Plano office.