Equity of Opportunity at Fortune’s Best Workplaces Fuels Business Success

Regardless of industry, workplaces where employees have equal opportunities for growth, recognition, and time with leaders experience higher levels of productivity, agility, and retention.


Oakland, Calif., Sept. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New research from Great Place To Work® reveals that workplaces where employees have equal opportunities for growth, recognition, and time with leaders experience higher levels of productivity, agility, and retention across 10 industries.

With employee engagement at near-record lows and many workers considering leaving their jobs or disengaging, executives can’t afford not to create equitable workplaces, which are more innovative, agile, and productive.

The 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces™ by industry lists, produced in partnership with Great Place To Work, stand out.

Key findings:

  • Over 90% of employees at these workplaces feel like full team members
  • 80% believe promotions are fair, special recognition is equitable, and they’re offered training and development opportunities equally

 That leads to significant business benefits:

  • 90% of employees are willing to give extra effort — a 53% increase over typical workplaces
  • Nearly 90% believe their workplace adapts well to change — a 42% increase
  • 88% want to stay at their company long-term — a 44% increase

“Those returns are what every executive wants, but that can’t happen without trust,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. “If your people don’t believe your processes for promotions, development, or recognition are fair, you won’t create the type of workplace you need to compete in business today. That trust is earned.”

Great Place To Work determined the Best Workplaces lists by analyzing data from 1 million employees from qualifying companies. The analysis revealed that companies that prioritize equity of opportunity outperformed across all culture and business metrics no matter the industry.

For example, the Fortune Best Workplaces in Construction™ offer more opportunities for career growth than typical workplaces in any industry. Nearly 90% of employees feel they have professional development opportunities – among the highest at the Best Workplaces in any industry.

And, 97% more employees at the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail™ feel managers avoid playing favorites compared to typical retail companies. 

The winning workplaces:

 Business outcomes of equitable workplaces

Industries don’t determine our work experience; companies do. More specifically, leaders at companies do. According to Great Place To Work research, the business outcomes of that leadership include:

  • Employees are 1.8 times more likely to stay with their company if they feel they’re treated as full team members, and 1.5 times more likely if employees feel management cares about them.
  • When employees feel managers involve them in decisions that impact their work, their workplace is 1.3 times more likely to be agile.
  • Employees are 1.6 times more likely to give extra at work if they feel their workplace offers equitable opportunities for special recognition, and 1.3 times more likely when they feel they’re paid fairly 

Learn how the Best Workplaces are proving equity of opportunity.

Visuals available: Best Workplaces by industry

About the 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces by industry

Great Place To Work selected the Best Workplaces for each of the industries in 2024 based on feedback collected from more than 1 million employees at qualifying Great Place To Work Certified™ organizations in the United States. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work Trust Index™ Survey.

To get on this list next year, start here.   

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, it has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Its employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything it does is driven by its mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all. 

Learn more at GreatPlaceToWork.com and on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram

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Best Workplaces lead the way in employee growth opportunities

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