America’s Best Employers And How To Find Them

Sandra O’Connell | THIS COLUMN WAS CREATED BY JOBBIO
·4 min read

Employment rose by 187,000 in August and while unemployment rose too, to 3.8%, that’s still pretty much full employment.

In a tight labor market, employees hold the balance of power, able to ditch bad workplaces and seek out employers of choice.

But how to find these storied employers?

Narrow it down

First of all, you’ve got to know what you want.

A survey from Great Place to Work, suggests employees’ number one desire right now is purpose, with some regional differences. Those in the Bay Area also want to ‘make a difference”, while those in Chicago and New York want to “have fun at work”. Those in Texas simply want to be ‘treated fairly’.

One way to track down employers who pass muster is to check out the annual Best Workplaces list, which is broken down by sector.

Among its top scorers are Cisco, NVIDIA and Salesforce.

Checking out Glassdoor reviews or sites such as Comparably and Fairygodboss, which focuses on jobs for women, are good ways to sneak a peek at what it’s like to work somewhere.

If you’re looking for an employer that values workplace wellbeing, recruitment site Indeed recently launched its Better Work Awards. It is based on reviews and insights provided by millions of employees and tracks key indices such as happiness, purpose, satisfaction and stress.

According to the company’s research, “90% of working adults indicate that how they feel at work matters”, which seems worryingly low.

In the inaugural awards the top spot went to Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, a chain of travel stop and truck service locations.

Values matter

How a company conducts itself as a corporate citizen is for many a key determinant of what makes a great employer.

Research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shows that environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance is of particular importance to Millennials and Gen Zs.

Figuring out an employer’s ESG rating takes a little spadework but can be done. One way to do it is to take a look at the company’s annual sustainability report, albeit with your greenwash radar turned to max.

You can also track sustainability awards such as Business Intelligence Group’s program, or the SEAL awards, to winkle out those with a strong track record in this area. Previous winners of the latter include Oracle, Salesforce and Disneyland.

Of course a sustainable employer is one that’s going to stick around. It’s also one that focuses on ensuring their employees gain and maintain the kind of skills that will keep them employable.

Go for growth

In a fast-changing world, one way to future-proof your career is to seek out a company that invests in research, development and innovation.

According to Statista’s rankings of the top 20 companies with the highest spend on R&D, Amazon tops the charts by a long way, followed by Meta, Alphabet and Apple.

But perhaps the best definition of a good employer is one that will invest in you, and not just in terms of remuneration.

According to Mercer’s Global Talent Trends report, “The significant supply and demand gap in both skills and workers has highlighted the role that organizations play not just in ensuring their own sustainability but also in safeguarding the future employability of their people.”

According to Top Workplaces, companies with top formal training and development programs include law firm Duane Morris in Philadelphia and CommuniCare Health Centers in Texas.

And don’t forget job security, something public service jobs can deliver on, often with decent pay and conditions too.

Last year’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government top spot went to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, followed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

If you’re looking for a great employer, you’ll find thousands on our The Hill Job Board including the three below.

Government Affairs Analyst, North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), Washington DC

NASAA, a prominent Washington DC association devoted to supporting the work of US state and territorial securities regulators, is seeking a Government Affairs Analyst to join its Policy and Government Affairs Department, reporting to NASAA’s Director of Policy and Government

Associate Director for Policy and Partnerships, Food and Drug Administration (remote)

This Associate Director position is located in the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) which is responsible for carrying out the Tobacco Control Act, which gives the Center broad authority to regulate the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products.

General Manager in Training – Retail, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Ohio

An opportunity to become a General Manager in Upper Sandusky city with benefits including medical, dental, vision and life insurance plans, on the job training, competitive pay, quarterly bonus programme, parental leave, adoption assistance and pet insurance.

Find out more about these and other great employers via The Hill Job Board 

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