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MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio Love your current employer, but look across the office and wish you had a different position within it?

At Progressive Insurance, if employees see something else theyd like to try, theyre encouraged to make a move.

Having the chance to experiment with ones career path has worked well at retaining talent: the average Progressive employee has been with the company nine years, while more than 15,000 employees -- or roughly one-third -- have more than a decade of tenure.

Progressive grabbed second-place honors among large Northeast Ohio workplaces for 2021. The publicly traded company has more than 42,000 employees across the country, with more than 12,000 of them stationed at the company headquarters in Mayfield.

The insurance giant has been named as one of Northeast Ohios Top Workplaces for 12 consecutive years. It ranked fourth in 2020.

For the 2021 Top Workplaces list, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer have compiled 175 stand-out Northeast Ohio employers, based on employee surveys. Weve focused on their responses and adaptations during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lori Niederst, chief human resources officer for Progressive says internal promotions have been a fabric of the company for decades, with about 80 percent of promotions made from within the organization.

In fact, Niederst began her career with Progressive 23 years ago as an analyst in the finance department, but has transitioned through the ranks as a process manager, audit director, business leader of compensation & benefits, to her current position in HR.

I was mid-way through a career when I was encouraged to apply for the HR department, she said. This was never a role I saw for myself, but managers and other employees may see something in someone and push them in the direction they may not see in themselves, she said.

So, when hiring from the outside, Niederst now looks for smart, good leaders who have the basic skills, but more importantly for people who can grow a career, are not just looking for a job.

Progressive values personal drive and recognizes translatable skills. Because of that, in 2019 about 5,000 Progressive employees changed positions within the company.

Often, we want someone to try new roles because the more sides of the company you see, the more capable you are for making long-term strides for the company, as a whole. It really rounds someone to be the very best they can be.

Hamilton Bohanan, a claims management associate with 15 years at Progressive, has held various leadership roles at the company, thanks to Progressives open-door networking approach.

Bohanan sees his career path as the same as a professional athlete: the more positions you can play, the more valuable you are to the team.

I have completely taken advantage of the chance to own my career here, he said. I have always been encouraged to spread my wings and keep advancing. The opportunity to grow isnt just empty promises, they provide you with all the tools you need to prepare to make a successful jump.

Progressive provides its employees with an internal database which lists job descriptions; required core competencies and skills; training suggestions -- things to read and do to acquire the skills you need to be competitive when you apply for a new position.

You can approach anyone, who is in the position you desire, and find out what you need to be successful in the new path you wish to pursue, he said. I have never found anyone who is not ready to help you out any way they can.

Neiderst is confident that when she finds a candidate with basic leadership qualities, the team at Progressive can teach the technical skills needed to excel at any position.

Anytime you promote someone you are taking a risk, but when we see the leadership potential in one of our employees, that is much less a risk than taking on someone who doesnt know the company, our systems or the culture. We prefer to give someone the chance who already gets us, she said.

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Ability to experiment with ones career path helps Progressive Insurance retain talent: Top Workplaces 2021 - cleveland.com