No. 6 Large Company: MidWestOne Bank

Wellness programs, volunteering and having a voice are a few of the things that make MidWestOne one of the Corridor’s Coolest Places to Work.

The bank, with 25 locations across Eastern Iowa, is on the list again, after coming in at No. 1 last year, the inaugural year for the competition.

Many of the bank’s locations have break rooms with healthy food choices for employees, as well as walking programs to stay fit.

“Although we do not have a fitness facility, we have a fairly robust wellness program that we call ‘OneFit,’ which incentivizes all employees to exercise regularly and practice healthy living habits,” Sondra Harney, senior vice president and human resources director at MidWestOne, stated in an email. “We are also in the midst of working on our certification to be a Blue Zones-certified worksite, which we expect to accomplish by the end of 2014.”

It’s not all calorie counting at MidWestOne, however. Every Friday during the summer months, the bank provides free ice cream from Dane’s Dairy to customers and employees. There are also popcorn machines in branch lobbies every Friday throughout the year.

The company has a strong volunteerism culture, where employees are encouraged to give back in ways that fit them best and are paid for their time when representing MidWestOne. Also, bank officers are expected to serve on at least one nonprofit board.

When it comes to recruiting, the bank is known for its workplace culture, especially its respect for its workers, Ms. Harney stated.

“Employees do have a voice, and most feel that they have a stake in our financial success by the suggestions they offer for improvements to our service, internal processes, productivity improvement ideas, etc.,” she stated. “Our human resources department has rebranded its outreach to prospective employees so that the new employee experience begins before ever being offered a job.”

Moving forward, the company continues to add to its OneFit program, including adding stand-up desk options as it remodels its headquarters in Iowa City.

-Gigi Wood