Meet America’s Best Employers For Women 2022

When Tampa General Hospital (TGH) tried to recruit Qualenta Kivett last year, the timing felt wrong. Kivett had moved back to her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas after a decade away to take on a job as head of human resources at a large health system. Her future mother-in-law had just moved to be closer. Kivett’s answer was “no.”

But when Tampa General called a second time, she took another look and went for the opportunity. What she saw was a health system with a strong track record of promoting women into senior management and providing benefits its female team members desired.

In addition to flexible work options, TGH offers scholarships for continued education. The organization also provides an employee emergency fund for those in crisis, back-to-school supplies grants up to $600 per employee and classes that focus on education and leader development at no charge.

Half of TGH’s C-suite executives are women, as are 70% of its senior vice presidents. That’s almost double the average in other healthcare systems, according to a recent report by McKinsey and Lean In.

TGH’s commitment to advancing women helped it rise 12 spots this year to earn the distinction of being No. 1 on Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Best Employers For Women. Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to identify the companies that are leading the way in supporting women inside and outside their workforces. The list was compiled by surveying 50,000 Americans—30,000 women and 20,000 men—working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. All respondents were asked to rate their organizations on criteria such as working conditions, diversity and how likely they’d be to recommend their employer to others. These responses were reviewed for potential gender gaps. Statista then asked female respondents to rate their employers on factors such as parental leave, discrimination and pay equity and to nominate organizations in industries outside their own. Representation at the executive and board levels were also factored into the final score.

The industries most represented on the list include banking and financial services, education and healthcare. While the automotive industry accounts for only seven of the companies on the list, the industry received on average the highest employee recommendations. New to the list this year is used car retailer Carvana, which placed No. 5 thanks to employee ratings for salary and benefits.

“We’ve worked hard changing the way things are,” says Carvana’s vice president of people operations, Adrienne Sanford, who joined the company nine years ago as an entry-level employee. “We’ve cast a wider net that reaches more people.” That includes external efforts, such as working with the nonprofit organization Women in Trucking to recruit women looking for work driving trucks.

Other industries that were well-represented on the list include insurance, retail and wholesale, and drugs and biotechnology. Despite the drug maker and biotech industry’s high marks from employees, some firms in that sector did not maintain their position in terms of overall ranking. Merck, which climbed more than 200 places to No. 48 last year, fell to No. 93, while AstraZeneca skyrocketed from No. 148 to No. 7.

Rachael Harleman, AstraZeneca’s director of U.S. corporate affairs, respiratory and immunology, points to the company’s newly improved benefits as a key factor. “In just the past year, AstraZeneca has doubled their paid parental leave, expanded their adoption assistance and most recently introduced a new surrogacy assistance benefit which truly recognizes the different needs all employees have as they plan for parenthood,” she says.

Also on this year’s list is L’Oreal USA, which ranked No. 6. The company boasts a longstanding pay equity policy, dating back to 2014 when it became the first U.S. company to be certified by the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality foundation for its pay practices.

“We anticipate continued movement around broader societal demands for equity,” said Angela Guy, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for L’Oréal North America. “For us, it’s simply not sufficient to say, ‘we aspire to have more women.’” More than 65% of the company’s U.S. management committee is comprised of women.

While this year’s list was compiled prior to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade’s protections on abortion rights, many companies have since come out to offer support for women who now need to travel for abortions. Companies in so-called “red states” face greater and more complex hurdles in offering women and others reproductive healthcare support. But even blue state businesses are taking action.

Forbes has reported that Microsoft, ranked No. 46, is extending travel expense assistance to employees seeking abortion and gender-affirming care and who have limited access to these services. Another company based in Washington State, Starbucks at No. 73, announced that regardless of where an employee lives, the company will reimburse employees and their enrolled dependents and partners for any travel expenses incurred while obtaining abortion services or gender-affirming healthcare “not available within 100 miles.” At No. 169 is Salesforce, which is reportedly offering to relocate employees worried about access to abortion.

While the education industry ranked high on the list, there is only one educational institution in the top 10—list newcomer Loyola University Chicago at No. 8. Its closest education competitor was Southern New Hampshire University, which ranked No. 17.

In today’s post-pandemic workforce, employees are demanding flexible work options. “The expectation to work hybrid and work remote has not escaped us. We do have that culture that we’re rolling through and we’re tweaking and modifying,” said Dr. Winifred Williams, the chief human resources officer at Loyola. “In order to remain competitive, we are going to have to be adaptable.”

Palak Shukla, Loyola’s director of school-based marketing and communications, describes her eight years at Loyola as both inclusive and flexible. As the mother of a young child, she says, “I have been appreciative of mindful resources offered to new moms.” That includes lactation rooms, generous maternity leave, flexible work schedules and the ability to work remotely.

One company making moves this year is outdoor enthusiast outfitter REI, an employee co-op, which jumped 22 spots to No. 2. REI’s head of talent is Niki Smith, who said more than 50% of the co-op’s leaders are female. She said her company’s formula for success is being “a force for good” for customers and employees.

“All employees covered by our health plans will continue to have equitable access to reproductive medicine, including abortions and travel to another state for such services if needed,” Smith said. “Earlier this year, we also enhanced the coverage level for gender-affirming medical services. While REI health plans have long covered gender-affirming medical care, we removed the overall dollar limit for services so employees who identify as transgender will continue to be able to seek the medical services they need.”

At No. 3 is newcomer Crocs, which earned high marks from respondents for diversity. More than two-thirds of its global workforce is female, according to Shannon Sisler, executive vice president and chief people officer at Crocs. More than half of its leaders are female. “We see a really strong gender balance in our workplace, which I think really helps everyone to feel like it’s an inclusive place,” she said.

Alex Lau is an area sales manager in Chicago who joined Crocs seven years ago. Her identity as a lesbian is respected and welcomed, she said.

“As a woman and part of the LGBTQ+ community, being confidently comfortable is important to me in all aspects of life—career including,” she says. “Now more than ever, I value working in an organization that prioritizes its people through an equal everywhere mindset. Our ‘come as you are’ mantra is a value that defines our internal culture as much as our external culture.”

For the full list of America’s Best Employers For Women, click here.

Methodology

To compile the list, Statista surveyed 50,000 Americans—30,000 women and 20,000 men—working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. All the surveys were anonymous, allowing participants to openly share their opinions. Respondents were first asked to rate their organizations on criteria such as working conditions, diversity and how likely they’d be to recommend their employer to others. These responses were reviewed for potential gender gaps. Statista then asked female respondents to rate their employers on factors such as parental leave, discrimination and pay equity, and to nominate organizations in industries outside their own. The final list ranks the 400 employers that both received the most recommendations and boast the most gender-diverse boards and executive ranks.