Why Fortune says Haven Life is a Great Place to Work

Wow. We have no words.

… Well, come to think of it, we do have some words. Quite a few of them, actually. The first two are “thank” and “you.” Because, you see, the experts at Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine just named us one of the 2020 Best Workplaces in New York. And this isn’t some arbitrary thing. It’s based on a survey of more than 45,000 employees throughout the region. And it turns out, we ranked #6 on the overall list of best small and medium workplaces, with a whopping 98 percent approval rating from our employees. (At a typical company in the survey, that figure is just 59 percent.)

So yeah, kind of a big deal.

“At Haven Life, we’ve built a culture that prioritizes honesty, respect, kindness and compassion. We see diversity and work-life balance as strategic advantages and not as corporate buzzwords,” said our co-founder and CEO Yaron Ben-Zvi. “I’m proud that we have continued to adhere to these principles that make Haven Life such a special place to work, even as we’ve grown to nearly 300 employees.”

Why do we love working here so much? Let us count the ways…

Working at Haven Life means everyone is treated fairly regardless of their race, gender and/or sexual orientation

If you want to change an industry like life insurance, and help more people financially protect their loved ones, you have to come at it with a fresh perspective and with diverse viewpoints. This means hiring people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and skills, and encouraging that multifaceted group of people to work together as a team. “I get to bring my entire self to work,” says James Welch, from our People & Culture team. “All backgrounds are celebrated at Haven Life — quite literally too. We regularly host events, panels, and celebrations for different cultures and backgrounds.”

We are proud to be doing our part, while continually focusing on ways to be even better. That’s why 99 (!) percent of respondents said people here are treated fairly regardless of their race, regardless of their gender, and regardless of their sexual orientation.

Working at Haven Life means honesty and ethics are core values

“We have a group of leaders who genuinely care about the well being of customers, employees, and the communities where we do business,” says Welch. “Management frequently has to make decisions with competing priorities, and personally, I feel we work at a company where the dollar is not the greatest decision maker.” In other words, our number one mission is to make life insurance less hard, and the results speak for themselves. (Let’s just say it’s not just our employees who are singing our praises.)

Working at Haven Life means your teammates have got your back

We like each other here. Maybe even too much. There’s so little drama that a reality show about Haven Life HQ would be canceled pretty much immediately. Instead, we’ve fostered a culture where we work together, even when we’re physically apart. “We’ve managed to put in place an incentive mechanism that maximizes or practically institutionalizes collaboration,” says Bharat Rao, product manager. “The company is twice the size now than when I joined and I’m amazed at how that culture of collaboration has survived and thrived. The team we have is amazing — the sheer diversity of life and work experiences they bring makes it a joy to go to work.”

That’s why 98 percent of respondents in our survey said “People here are willing to give extra to get the job done.” And when you see that the person in the desk next to yours — or these days, the person in the Google Hangouts window next to yours — is giving 110%, it makes it easier for you to do so as well, and to know that your efforts add value.

At Haven Life, management’s actions match its words

It’s always inspiring to read words like our CEO’s above, speaking to the importance of diversity, work-life balance and more. And as we all know, in work as in life, culture often trickles down from the top. “There is a very high level of transparency from the top down — in communicating goals, challenges and various strategic and operational decisions,” says Rao. “Top management is approachable and responsive. While they set aggressive goals and challenge us to achieve them, I’ve never seen anything but the highest ethical standards and respect for each other at play.”

Working at Haven Life is safe

Let’s face it: Computing actuarial tables and composing prize-worthy blog articles isn’t exactly sailing the high seas (or working the front lines in healthcare) when it comes to workplace danger. Still, a little effort goes a long way. For example, our office shut down quickly after it became clear that the coronavirus was a serious threat to everyone’s health, and we’re remaining remote through the rest of the year for that very reason.

Feeling safe isn’t just about the lack of physical danger. It’s about feeling mentally and emotionally safe — like you can be yourself. We encourage that as much as possible, and the results speak for themselves. “I have felt extremely comfortable bringing ‘my whole self’ to work, wearing shorts, funky clothing, painting my nails, or having a visible tattoo + facial piercing,” says Zack Shinkar, underwriting developer. “Despite warnings from non-coworkers that these decisions about my appearance would make people take me less seriously at work or even invite aggression, I have never felt less than 100% welcome by my coworkers as I navigate through the workday.”

All told, it’s clear that working at Haven Life is a pleasure. And while accolades like this are nice, what truly motivates us is making sure our customers get the best possible service, and the best possible care, while getting the right amount of life insurance for their loved ones and their peace of mind. It’s a privilege that we get to have so much fun, and feel so good about, working hard for our customers.