As we approach Labor Day this year, our nation finds itself in a moment of (likely soon-to-be fleeting) economic expansion and a tight labor market, yet facing greater uncertainty around the quality of American jobs. Structures of work continue to change, inequality continues to rise, and the social contract between companies and their workers continues to weaken. Whether a retirement plan, healthcare benefits, or a living wage, many workers can no longer count on their employers to deliver the economic security they need. But workers have not given up on this basic tenet.
Worker pay and well-being continue to be core priorities when it comes to what Americans want from corporate America today, based on our annual survey on just business behavior that has engaged nearly 100,000 Americans over the past five years. And across demographics – even political affiliation – Americans agree that companies should prioritize fair pay, benefits, a living wage, safety, equal opportunity, skills training, work-life balance, and more.
A resounding 80% of Americans feel that companies do not currently share enough of their success, believing they favor shareholders above all other stakeholders. There is a tremendous opportunity – especially in light of the Business Roundtable’s renewed Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation – for the private sector to play a defining role in improving people’s lives and restoring faith in the American Dream.
We know from years of research that the companies that invest in workers, customers, and communities, outperform their peers. And that people want to work for, buy from, and invest in just companies – so there are clear competitive advantages to win the race for talent, purpose-driven consumers, as well as ESG-focused investors.
The good news is that there are companies – in every sector – leading the way in serving their employees through the wages and benefits they provide, along with the programs and initiatives they offer to keep their employees safe, healthy, and prepared for the future of work.
Here are some of the concrete actions these companies – the Top 33 Companies for Workers by industry, in order of their overall JUST Capital rank – are taking:
#1 Microsoft, Software
In 2018, Microsoft was called an “old-school tech company [with] a decidedly new-school approach to employee benefits” by Fatherly Magazine, thanks to its adoption benefits, daycare services, and assistance to parents with special needs children.
#5 International Business Machines, Computer Services
IBM’s Global Work/Life Fund – a multi-year, $50 million effort to address work-life balance challenges worldwide – increases the availability of dependent care services in communities where IBM employees live and work.
#6 NVIDIA, Semiconductors & Equipment
NVIDIA has grown its Women in Technology programs beyond its headquarters, and in 2019, expanded the initiative – helping female employees to broaden their technical knowledge and skills – to India.
#8 Procter & Gamble, Personal Products
P&G has prioritized equal pay and gender equality, along with its efforts to commit to achieving 50/50 representation of women and men at all levels of the organization.
#10 Cisco Systems, Technology Hardware
Cisco offers up to $10,000 in tuition reimbursement to employees, and partners with learning platform Degreed to provide extensive training and career development opportunities to employees.
#11 Humana, Health Care Providers
Last year, Humana achieved its Bold Goal for employees, improving the health of those who work for the company by 20 percent, through programs and services that help employees focus on their mental and physical health and well-being.
#12 Accenture, Commercial Support Services
Accenture has committed to hiring 5,000 U.S. veterans and military spouses by 2020, and provides training to military service members interested in careers in software engineering.
#14 General Motors, Automobiles & Parts
This year, GM was recognized by Equileap for its commitment to gender equality – from achieving pay equity across all salary bands in 2018 to prioritizing gender representation in the C-Suite and Board to combatting sexual violence in the workplace.
#15 General Mills, Food, Beverage, & Tobacco
Workplace safety is a top priority for General Mills, which has committed to creating an incident-free environment for employees – mitigating workplace hazards and reducing environmental impacts at all locations.
#18 ResMed, Health Care Equipment & Services
ResMed offers strong work-life balance and prioritizes employee health and well-being through its on-site fitness centers, subsidized quit-smoking programs, and mental health counseling.
#26 3M Co, Industrial Goods
In addition to its strong parental leave program – which 805 men and 354 women participated in in 2018 – 3M offers adoption assistance, parenting resources, and scholarships for dependents of employees.
#31 Exelon Corp, Utilities
Exelon celebrates its team through its Safety Achievement Awards – awarding employees that go above and beyond their jobs to improve public safety with prize money to donate to the safety-related charity of their choice.
#35 Facebook, Internet
Facebook’s impressive employee perks include wellness reimbursements, financial assistance to new parents, dry cleaning and laundry services, and a 30-day break every five years.
#36 Owens Corning, Building Materials & Packaging
In 2017, Owens Corning employees tackled an average of 17 hours of training, taking advantage of the company’s mentoring programs and leadership training, as well as tuition support and graduate-level assistance.
#40 Nielsen Holdings, Media
Nielsen’s myTime program provides unlimited vacation days to associates, providing them with flexibility and autonomy to manage their work and vacation time.
#44 Verizon Communications, Telecommunications
Verizon aims to invest in the advancement of women and people of color on its team – through its Pay Equity Commitment, leadership training and networking for employees of color, and unconscious bias workshops for leadership.
#54 Principal Financial Group, Insurance
Principal Financial provides on-site child development centers for new parents, as well as mothers’ rooms to support moms when they return to work.
#58 Eli Lilly & Co, Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Eli Lilly has conducted pay equity studies in the U.S. for 20 years, and in 2018, announced it would expand its efforts by increasing the number of companies covered by its assessments.
#67 DowDuPont, Chemicals
This year, DowDuPont split into three companies – DuPont de Nemours, Dow, and Corteva – all of which offer flexible working hours and strong work-life balance.
#68 eBay, Retail
eBay provides exceptional paid parental leave to new parents – with 24 weeks offered to new mothers and 12 to fathers and secondary caregivers.
#69 Zillow Group, Real Estate
In its first-ever CSR Report – released last week – Zillow shared that women earned $1.01 for every dollar a man with similar skills made in a comparable role.
#82 ExxonMobil, Oil & Gas
ExxonMobil has seven employee-led resource groups that offer developmental programs, community service opportunities, and mentoring to support its team.
#86 Southwest Airlines, Transportation
Southwest Airlines provides extensive skills development opportunities through its own training facility, rotational development program, and tuition reimbursement (up to $5,000 annually).
#107 Deere & Co, Commercial Vehicles & Machinery
Deere employees have access to extensive volunteering and charitable giving opportunities – including the company’s FIRST mentorship and global Citizenship programs.
#113 Baker Hughes GE, Energy Equipment & Services
Baker Hughes GE is contributing to Balance the Equation – parent company GE’s goal to have 20,000 women fill STEM roles by 2020, an effort to close the gender gap in technical fields.
#131 Citigroup, Banks
Citi provides a range of programs for work-life balance management – including on-site medical clinics, health advocacy programs, and Save Well plans to help employees build personal financial sustainability.
#132 Mastercard, Consumer & Diversified Finance
As part of its award-winning Girls4Tech program, more than 3,500 Mastercard employees mentored more than 400,000 girls in 25 countries – an opportunity to contribute to the global advancement of women in STEM.
#138 Raytheon, Aerospace & Defense
In 2018, Raytheon expanded its commitment to diversity & inclusion by broadening representation of women and people of color in leadership positions.
#145 Expedia Group, Restaurants & Leisure
In addition to more traditional time off benefits like sick days and paid vacation time, Expedia offers travel discounts and leisure travel reimbursements to its employees.
#164 Goldman Sachs, Capital Markets
As part of its efforts to drive progress on diversity & inclusion, Goldman Sachs launched its “Identity Matters” workshop, a classroom curriculum for its team to address inclusion barriers, focusing on race and ethnicity.
#171 Electronic Arts, Household Goods & Apparel
In keeping with its goal to “inspire the world to play,” EA strives to create a fun working environment – providing onsite fitness centers and free games to employees.
#197 Newmont Mining, Basic Resources
Newmont Mining has collective bargaining and enterprise agreements across the globe, with union agreements in place in five countries – including Australia, Ghana, Peru, the U.S., and as of 2018, Suriname.
#325 McKesson Corp, Food & Drug Retailers
McKesson’s “Taking Care of Our Own” fund offers emergency financial assistance to employees working 20 or more hours per week, who face difficulty following personal hardships or natural disasters, and assisted 281 employees in 2018.
