To produce the Best Workplaces for Women, Fortune partnered with the people analytics firm Great Place to Work®. The list is determined using Great Place to Work's For All methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study, and based on nearly 1.2 million employee survey responses and data from companies representing more than 7 million employees, this year alone. Over 640,000 responses were from women.
The survey enables employees to share confidential quantitative and qualitative feedback about their organization’s culture by responding to 60 statements on a 5-point scale and answering two open-ended questions. Collectively, these statements describe a great employee experience, defined by high levels of trust, respect, credibility, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. In addition, companies provide organizational data like size, location, industry, and the number of women in the workforce and management positions.
To determine the Best Workplaces for Women™, Great Place to Work measures the differences in women’s survey responses to those of their peers and assesses the impact of demographics and roles on the quality and consistency of women’s experiences. Statements are weighted according to their relevance in describing the most important aspects of an equitable workplace for women.
Great Place to Work also analyzes the gender balance of each workplace, how it compares to each company’s industry, and patterns in representation as women rise from front-line positions to the board of directors.
Survey data analysis and women’s representation figures are then factored into a combined score to compare and rank the companies that create the most consistently positive experience and opportunities for all women, regardless of their role or demographic background. Many companies survey every employee, even though workplaces with more than 5,000 employees can survey a random sample with a minimum of 5,000 invited.
To be considered for the list, companies must be Great Place to Work-Certified™. Companies must also employ at least 50 women, at least 20% of their non-executive managers must be female, and at least one executive must be female. We require statistically significant survey results, review anomalies in responses, news, and financial performance, and investigate any employee reports of company incompliance with strict surveying rules to validate the integrity of the results and findings. Data is also normalized to compare companies fairly across sizes and industries. Companies with 10 to 999 people are considered for the small and medium category; companies with 1,000 employees or more are considered for the large category.
To find out more about how to become Great Place to Work Certified™ or to apply to this or other Best Workplaces lists, visit greatplacetowork.com.
