Forbes: Employees Celebrate the Best Workplaces for Diversity, Where Teams ‘Look Like America’

Posted on December 31, 2019 by oclynchjr Leave a comment

best workplaces

The U.S. is becoming more diverse by the day, and so is its workforce. Along with these shifts come rising expectations that companies’ ranks reflect society at large—and that everyone feels welcome and can thrive at work. For employers, there are not-so-secret benefits to promoting diverse and inclusive workplaces: They’re more likely to drive innovation, increase market reach, and improve productivity—and they’re more enticing to job candidates.

The companies on this year’s 100 Best Workplaces for Diversity list welcome people who identify with different genders, races, sexualities, and backgrounds, as well as people from various age groups and those who live with disabilities. In ranking the list, research and analytics firm Great Place to Work weighed the effectiveness of companies and their leaders, based on employee surveys, and also took the diversity of the company’s workforce and leadership into account.

Stryker, a $13 billion medical technology company whose workforce is made up of 35% women and 26% minorities, tops the list. CEO Kevin Lobo has doubled the number of women on Stryker’s board since his appointment in 2012, and he has emphasized cultivating a workplace that mirrors the diversity of Stryker’s customers and patients.

With 3% of its workforce identifying as LGBTQ, Cisco (No. 2) has been at the forefront of corporate activism for diversity and inclusion, notably by outspokenly opposing “bathroom bills” that restrict the rights of transgender people.

In testimonials, employees explained why they value working for these companies. Among traits they singled out: open celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month, leadership opportunities for the underrepresented, and executives who “look like America.”