Here are the Best Workplaces™ in Chicago, Texas, New York, and the Bay Area, according to 1 million employees
Oakland, CA
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June 15, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
The debate around the best U.S. region to work—the Midwest, South, East or West coast—can be settled. The results are in: All of them.
This year’s analysis of the Best Workplaces in Chicago, Texas, New York, and the Bay Area revealed that it’s not about where you work, but who you work for and what they offer.
“Great companies are great regardless of where they are,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work®. “Stop asking about the ‘where’ and start looking at the ‘what.’ What these winning companies are doing has nothing to do with where they’re located and everything to do with their values and how they support their people. They offer them meaning, purpose, pride and fairness. Zip code isn’t the differentiator, cultures are.”
Great Place to Work determined the Best Regional Workplaces using over 1 million employee survey responses and data from companies that predict the experiences of more than 6.1 million employees. (The Best Workplaces in Chicago™, Best Workplaces in Texas™, Best Workplaces in New York™, and Best Workplaces in the Bay Area™ are part of the Best Regional Workplace list.)
The 330 winning companies of all sizes (small, medium and large) outperform the average U.S. workplace in productivity, retention and recruitment. Employees from winning workplaces are:
- More than twice as likely to give extra to get the job done
- Nearly twice as likely to recommend their workplace to friends and family
- Almost half as likely as their peers to leave their company
What drives such loyalty and dedication, which every CEO craves?
Topping the list: purpose.
“No one should be surprised by this,” Bush says. “‘Purpose’ might be the word of 2022. What do employees want? That. It’s on every leader to make sure every worker, regardless of role and location, understands how what they do affects your organization’s greater purpose. They need to know their work has meaning and matters—that they matter. You better make that crystal clear if you want to earn their trust and keep them on board, and these great workplaces get it and do it.”
Top 5 retention drivers
The top predictors of retention common in all regions include employees who:
- Feel their work is meaningful and not “just a job”
- Are willing to endorse their company to friends and family
- Take pride in their organization
- Feel their company is a great workplace
The fifth retention driver varies between regions. Employers can double the odds that their employees will stay, if their employees
- Feel they make a difference (Bay Area)
- Say it’s a fun place to work (Chicago & New York)
- Are treated like a full member of the organization, regardless of role (Texas)
Regional strengths and improvements
A breakdown of the biggest areas of improvement over the past year by region.
- Texas-based workplaces prioritize fairness at work. Winning companies in Texas prioritized inclusiveness and homed in on fairness and equality. They create a level playing field by avoiding favoritism, promoting the most deserving employees and avoiding politicking and backstabbing.
- Chicago leaders improved in competence. Winning workplaces in Chicago saw the biggest improvement in leadership competence. They improved the most by involving employees in decisions that affect them, managing work well, and ensuring promotions go to those who deserve them.
- New York-based workplaces got more innovative. Celebrating innovation, increasing cooperation, and giving discretionary effort (i.e., giving extra to get the job done) saw gains among winning New York workplaces.
- Bay Area employees got support. Responsibility increased for Bay Area employees, and while it is a compliment to be trusted, employees must also be supported and cared for as their responsibility grows at work. Winning workplaces take care of their people.
Visuals available: Regional winners outperform average U.S. workplace; Regional winners offer more supportive workplaces
About the Best Regional Workplaces
Great Place to Work® selected the Best Workplaces™ in Chicago, Texas, New York, and the Bay Area in 2022 based on feedback collected through America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study of over 1 million employee survey responses and data from Great Place to Work-Certified™ organizations representing more than 6.1 million employees across the United States. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work Trust Index™ survey. Read the full methodology.
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, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Contact Details
Great Place to Work
Kim Peters
+1 415-844-2574
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