Corporate Responsibility

We believe the MEMIC team always has been mindful of its responsibilities toward each other, our policyholders and their employees, as well as all the stakeholders involved in the business of workforce safety and injury management. 

But there always is more to be done so we continually challenge ourselves to improve. Here are some of the ways in which we are fulfilling our sense of corporate responsibility.

Workforce Safety & Injury Management

The success of our business relies on educating and training people to work safely. That sense of purpose is embedded within our entire team. For those who are injured in the course of work, our commitment is to help them regain their health and return to life and work as they knew it. In a broad sense, our work complements the corporate responsibility of all our policyholders to take care of their people.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Centuries of systemic racial and gender inequity demand constant education and genuine changes in attitudes and behaviors in the workplace. More than ensuring that MEMIC complies with the law, we have embraced the work of examining our own biases and behaviors, challenging ourselves to be intentional about diversity, equity and inclusion. We began the journey of awareness by signing the Standing in Solidarity Pledge, a broad coalition of employers that are committed to actions we are taking that will achieve those social ideals. In addition, many of our teammates participated in the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge offered by the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

In the area of governance and management, MEMIC’s current board of directors includes four women and five men. Approximately half of our management group of nearly 100 are women. It is our plan, however, to continue bringing greater diversity into our leadership at all levels through intentional recruiting, succession, and career development.

Philanthropy

MEMIC and our policyholders share the challenge of hiring and retaining a qualified workforce particularly in states where the median age is greater than the nation. That’s why MEMIC directs much of its sponsorship and charitable contributions toward organizations that replenish an aging workforce. Among those beneficiaries are groups that serve new Americans, women, people of color, veterans, LGBTQ+ people and youth. We believe all people should be able to fully participate in the workforce on an equal footing based on their abilities and character, not their characteristics.

In the realm of social responsibility, the MEMIC team also takes an active leadership role in employer associations, non-profit groups such as United Way and institutions of higher education. From the John T. Leonard MEMIC endowed chair for Risk Management & Insurance at the University of Southern Maine to a multi-year contribution to the Maine Blue Collar Scholarship foundation, our financial support also extends to English acquisition and financial literacy for new Americans and job placement for veterans entering the civilian workplace.

To further support building a prepared workforce, MEMIC also established the Harvey Picker Horizon Scholarship, financial awards to support children and spouses of workers who have been injured or killed on the job. Since 2001, we have awarded annual scholarships of up to $10,000 for students attending technical schools, colleges, and universities.

Investing in Our People

MEMIC also invests in our own people through education reimbursement and college internships. Every year, MEMIC helps dozens of team members earn degrees and certifications that advance their knowledge and job performance. We also have a robust paid college internship program that builds career skills of undergraduates as they work on meaningful projects within their area of interest. Several also have become employees following graduation.

While MEMIC has a strategic corporate focus on supporting workforce attraction, training and development, teammates are asked to annually designate $100 to a non-profit organization that “lights them up.” More than 275 organizations each year receive support including family services, children’s programs, medical research, environmental action, and animal welfare.

We also recognize that financial security falls within corporate responsibility. To that end, everyone at MEMIC participates in a generous benefit plan that includes a 401(k) retirement plan featuring a 5 percent company match to individual contributions as well as corporate profit sharing and a discretionary award to help make retirement years enjoyable.