Humility, kindness, generosity of spirit — these are some of the underlying values of Halbert Hargrove’s work culture, said JC Abusaid, president and CEO of the firm, which is headquartered in Long Beach, California.

Influenced by its founder, who set the tone as “do the right thing,” the firm prides itself on its sensitivity to employee needs.

“What’s different is our story — it’s not about greed but being the best and doing the right thing for associates,” Abusaid said. “We’re constantly asking them, ‘What can we do better?’”

Examples of the firm’s responsiveness include:

• Innovating or changing associates’ roles according to their strengths.
• Providing mentors to employees.
• Combating Covid-related stress by encouraging employees to take a day off once a month, and increasing the childcare reimbursement benefit to reflect the reality of the moment.
• Centralizing back-office headquarters with management oversight of all locations: “We take care of running the office, hiring, compensation and reviews,” Abusaid said. “We take the burden off client-facing satellite employees and allow them to focus on their businesses.”