As companies moved to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, many struggled to balance employee satisfaction and cohesion while keeping productivity high. It can be a challenge to create a welcoming and inclusive work culture when some meetings take place over Microsoft Teams, with associates who are scattered across the United States, and others happen in a physical office for employees located on-site.  

These are challenges that SafeRide Health and its leaders have successfully overcome ever since the company’s founding in 2016. SafeRide, based in San Antonio, Texas, has a workforce that is 85% remote.  

This month, SafeRide Health was recognized for its company culture with three prestigious corporate awards: It has been named a Top Workplace for Remote Work, sponsored by Monster, and received Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Awards for Employee Well-Being and Professional Development. The awards are based on anonymous employee surveys conducted in 2024.  

These awards affirm SafeRide’s focus on fostering a positive, inclusive, and innovative work environment, demonstrating compassion not just toward health plan members but also to employees, and ensuring they are supported and given opportunities to advance.  

“Growth and development are really important to us at SafeRide Health,” said Hillary Reynolds, SafeRide Health Vice President of People Operations. “We're passionate about bringing the right people to the table and then making sure we keep them here. And ensuring we do that in a way that's beneficial for us as an organization, but also for you as an employee.”

Fostering a Mission-First Culture

Since the start, SafeRide Health has been driven by its mission: Ensuring people can access the care they need, when they need it, by building a cutting-edge non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) network and platform. That mission is regularly communicated across teams, from the top down.  

“Everybody is dedicated to that same mission, making sure we get these members where they need to go safely,” said Shantel Liverman, a call center manager based in San Antonio. “It's definitely executed in every department—every department I work with and every department I've worked in. Everybody has that same drive.”   

Research has shown that employees want to feel they are making a difference: In a survey of 1,000+ U.S. employees by McKinsey & Co., 70% of employees said that their sense of purpose was defined by their work—and 62% said they want to get more purpose from their work. Those who felt a greater sense of purpose at work also reported better outcomes at work and in life.  

For SafeRide, the focus on empowering and serving health plan members also extends to its workforce, ensuring employees have the resources and support they need to be successful and thrive. These efforts have earned the company its Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Awards for Employee Well-Being and Professional Development.  

“There are not a lot of organizations that really care about doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do,” Reynolds said.  “I like to think of it as our secret sauce for how we're able to bring members to care and get them the care that they deserve. And what's really neat is when we start thinking about our values and the mission and how we bring those into the workforce.”  

Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

SafeRide thrives on a foundation that prioritizes diversity and inclusivity, recognizing that a varied workforce enhances creativity and innovation. This also fosters an environment where every voice is heard and valued, supporting the well-being of its employees and cultivating a sense of belonging.  

Today, more than half of all current SafeRide employees represent minority and underrepresented groups and more than 60% are women. In SafeRide’s San Antonio headquarters, more than 60% of employees are bilingual Spanish speakers to better serve the diverse member population.  

“The overall culture at SafeRide Health is very diverse. We all come from different ethnicities, different cultures, different places in the world,” said Keith Franklin, a senior network vendor manager.  “It's so diverse and it makes us so successful, because we're able to take different approaches with different aspects of the business. That’s not what you see at other [NEMT] brokers—I've worked with other brokers where you don't see as much diversity in their business approach. And I think that's where a lot of people lose touch.” 

Building a Culture that Supports Individual and Company Growth

Companies that encourage growth from within not only reward their employees, but they also benefit from a deep and wide well of institutional knowledge. SafeRide understands that investing in its employees is crucial for long-term success, Reynolds said, and this commitment is being recognized with the Workplace Culture Excellence Award for Professional Development. The award honors organizations that prioritize continuous learning and career growth.  

Reynolds said that SafeRide’s commitment to internal mobility is one of its greatest assets as it scales, with leaders continually asking: “How do we build the strength that we have currently into what we need in the future? And how do we set folks up for success along the way? That’s been one of the coolest and most exciting things to watch and be a part of.”

SafeRide offers a variety of training programs, mentorship opportunities, and resources to help employees advance their skills and knowledge. By equipping its workforce with the tools necessary for success, SafeRide strengthens its internal culture and improves productivity and service.  

That’s true for in-person and remote workers. The Top Workplace for Remote Work award acknowledges SafeRide’s efforts to create an environment that adapts to the needs of its employees, promoting a culture of trust and autonomy.  

For both remote and on-site employees, the company’s leaders recognize the value of in-person events. In addition to team-specific quarterly gatherings, the company hosts an annual “Round-Up” near its San Antonio home base to promote cross-team collaboration and bonding. This September, for example, SafeRide employees came together over two days of meetings and presentations that culminated at a social gathering with food, beverages, games, and the annual company tradition of a Champagne sabrage to celebrate the year’s big wins and milestones.  

“It's the one time a year where we bring everyone together: It's not a specific group that's coming and building their team relationships. It's not a special layer within the company that has a project to work on,” Reynolds said. “It's every employee who’s a part of SafeRide and is pushing the mission forward.”

While there was plenty to celebrate this year, SafeRide’s latest workplace awards were right up there with contracts won and milestones achieved. The awards underscore the company’s success in ensuring access to care for health plan members while maintaining a supportive and innovative work culture for employees.  

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Reach out!

‍If you’re interested in exploring a career at SafeRide Health, head to the Careers Page to find out more about our values, perks, benefits, and current openings.

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