Guild Mortgage Named Top Workplace by the San Diego Union-Tribune for Ninth Straight Year

Leading Independent Mortgage Lender Recognized with Special Award for Work/Life Flexibility, a Tribute to its Values-Based Culture and Supportive Work Environment

Guild Mortgage, a rapidly growing mortgage lending company that has originated and serviced residential loans since 1960, is being recognized with a 2021 Top Workplaces Award from The San Diego Union-Tribune, earning the distinction for the ninth year in a row. The company is also being honored with 2021 Top Workplaces Spotlight Award for providing the flexibility team members need to balance work and personal life.

“To see words like ‘collaborative,’ ‘inclusive’ and ‘integrity’ as the most used terms by our employees speaks directly to the values Guild has spent the last 60 years nurturing.”

The Top Workplaces Program honors San Diego companies that have outstanding workplace culture and business environments. The rankings and special awards are based on the results of a third-party employee survey administered anonymously by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC.

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The anonymous online survey measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution and connection. Employees are asked to rank levels of satisfaction with their jobs, feelings of appreciation, confidence in the future prospects of the company and manager effectiveness.

“With so much focus over the past year on the importance of work-life balance and the critical role it plays in our overall well-being, it is rewarding to be recognized by our employees for offering the flexibility and support they need,” said Mary Ann McGarry, CEO of Guild Mortgage. “During the pandemic, Guild challenged convention and adopted new work practices to help our employees through difficult times. We will continue to prioritize workplace flexibility as one of our values and find new ways to help our employees succeed, wherever they are in the organization.”

The Top Workplace survey was sent via email to employers and staff of public, private, nonprofit and governmental organizations in the San Diego area with 50 or more employees. The rankings require a minimum 35% response rate to qualify. Companies who score the highest receive the top rankings in one of three categories based on the size of the organization:

  • Large: 500 or more employees
  • Midsize: 100 to 499 employees
  • Small: 50 to 99 employees

Guild Mortgage, which employs 958 people in the San Diego area, was ranked No. 6 in the Large company category. The survey was sent out in August 2021, with 61.8% of Guild employees responding. Guild is the only Large company winner to have been named a Top Workplace all nine years of the program.

When Guild employees were asked to provide words that best describe the culture at Guild Mortgage top survey responses included (in order of prominence): collaborative, inclusive, integrity, flexible, respect, customer-service, and welcoming.

“The Top Workplace program gives Guild employees the opportunity to provide us with honest feedback,” said McGarry. “To see words like ‘collaborative,’ ‘inclusive’ and ‘integrity’ as the most used terms by our employees speaks directly to the values Guild has spent the last 60 years nurturing.”

More than 3,000 San Diego companies and organizations were invited to participate in the survey in 2021. Combined, the companies surveyed employ over 26,000 people in the San Diego area, with 16,135 people responding to the survey. The San Diego Union-Tribune recognized 100 employers as Top Workplaces.

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