In 2018, we set out to make the YMCA of the Pines an “employer of choice” and we believe we succeeded! We’ve listed some reasons why on this page. All of these things were done Pre-COVID. In other words, they’re not a reaction to an employee shortage, they actually represent who we are as an organization.

Autonomy

The organization does not use “command and control” leadership. We’d much rather manage an employee’s success than manage an employee’s actions! Employees are given lots of input in setting their goals and how best to achieve those goals. We’re all adults, and we treat our employees as such. As positions allow, we offer flexible work arrangements. We don’t track hours of our exempt employees. We don’t want you to miss your child’s recital. We don’t believe an employee should have to use their PTO for a doctor’s appointment that lasts only a couple of hours.

Benefits

1. Time Off – We have a generous Paid Time Off (PTO) policy
   • Employees receive 18 PTO days during year one; 28 PTO days by year 6.
   • Time off begins accruing the day you start working.
   • Full-time employment at other YMCAs is counted toward your years of service.
   • Employees recieve 8 Holidays per year with the flexibility to take the day at a different time if you wish.
2. 12% Retirement – The organization pays 12% of your salary to the YMCA retirement. There is no matching required. Employees must complete 1,000 hours of service during each of any two 12-month periods, beginning with their date of hire or anniversary date. The two years do not have to be consecutive. Time at other YMCAs is counted towards meeting eligibility.
3. Free Programs – All of our programs are free for our staff. Having your children in School-Aged Child Care at one of the seven school districts we serve and sending your children to our day or overnight camps can be a $10,000+ benefit per year.
4. YMCA Membership – Employees receive a free YMCA Membership that can be used at any YMCA in the country with the National Reciprocity program.
5. Health Care – For employees electing the YMCA health insurance, the YMCA pays 75% of the cost of the employee’s insurance. We also contribute to the employees’ Health Savings Account (HSA).
6. College, Graduate School, and Trade School Reimbursement – We offer reimbursement for those employees looking to improve themselves! The courses taken do not have to be relevant to your job. Reimbursement is subject to approval; however, no one has been denied to date.
7. Competitive Wages – We work with outside Human Resource experts to appoint our positions on-par or above those of similar organizations. Additionally we have given out pay increases in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Due to COVID we were unable to give a pay increase in 2020. However, we gave a pay increase and a bonus in 2021 to help offset the hardship.

Culture

We want people to want to work here. Not only are content people more productive and more loyal, they’re much more fun to work with. We don’t want to spend our days working with miserable people any more than you do. Here are just some of the things we do to help shape our culture:

1. Fun
   • We have “Drop Everything and Play Days,” which are just what they sound like!
   • We have a Board Gaming Club, a Fantasy Football League, and a Hiking Club. All of which are allowed to be conducted on company time and on company property. There’s nothing better than taking an hour or two out of your day to play the latest board game craze (most recently “Forbidden Desert”).
   • We encourage employees to plan morale boosting events. We’ve gone for ice cream. We’ve done an escape room. We’ve seen a minor league baseball game. And more!
2. Employee Leadership and Communication
   • We conduct yearly retreats where employees play a role in setting our yearly initiatives and our strategic priorities.
   • We have monthly all-staff meetings.
   • Employees are encouraged to speak up if they think something could be better in the organization. Moreover, they’re encouraged to be a part of the solution! Recently an employee saw a need for camaraderie due to all the remote work because of the pandemic and launched “Team Day Tuesday.”
   • Employees serve on most of our Board’s committees, including: Finance, Financial Development, Human Resources, Strategic Planning, and our Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee.

We aim to be better every day; part of that is recruiting and retaining the best employees. If you’re such a person, we hope you’ll consider joining our team!