Great Place to Work® and Fortune Announce The 50 Best Workplaces for Giving Back

By letting employees guide charitable efforts, the winning companies create high levels of commitment and pride among their teams.
APRIL 26, 2016 (San Francisco, Calif.) – Few things pull a team together like a worthy cause. Whether it's pro-bono professional work, a partnership with a nonprofit or a simple office fundraiser, these contributions often do double duty by making the work experience more meaningful and fun.

While plenty of companies can take pride in their charity or volunteering, a handful stand above the rest in the eyes of their employees. That's why research and consulting firm Great Place to Work® is excited to recognize the country's 50 Best Workplaces for Giving Back with Fortune magazine. The first ranking of its kind, this list considers more than 240,000 employee surveys, in addition to donations relative to company size and programs that involve co-workers in their communities.

"The Best Workplaces for Giving Back show that employee empowerment is vital to getting a full 'return' on community involvement," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work®. "These organizations go beyond traditional top-down philanthropy and allow employees to innovate and steer charitable efforts, creating high levels of commitment and pride among their teams."

Topping the list of the 50 Best Workplaces for Giving Back is cloud computing company Zumasys, followed by shipping services provider American Global Logistics and business software company Saleseforce. To see the full list, click here.

Much of what sets the winning companies apart for employees comes down to how effectively their charitable endeavors fit the personality of their workplaces. The innovative ways these organizations give back empower co-workers and help reinforce the values that unite them. For example:

• Zumasys donates 1 percent of its revenue annually to causes nominated by colleagues. In some cases, this has even included grants to struggling friends and family of Zumasys team members.
• An employee-led foundation at American Global Logistics has donated freight services to projects in Latin America, as well as financial contributions and volunteer opportunities for a diverse range of charities. Co-workers rotate through leadership positions on the foundation quarterly, partnering with Free the Children in Ecuador, Books for Africa, the American Heart Association and many other organizations that team members hold dear.
• Employees at Salesforce can take up to six paid volunteer days off each year, with those using all six receiving a $1,000 grant for the nonprofit of their choice. This large technology employer also prides itself on company-matched employee donations and pro-bono opportunities like custom software programs that helped partner organizations in Haiti more efficiently deliver medical services and educational programs.
• Design and consulting firm Disher helps team members pay for trips abroad to work with nonprofits, in addition to offering paid volunteer time, employee-led giving and local charity events like Habitat for Humanity builds.

These businesses and their peers on the Best Workplaces for Giving Back surpassed more than 500 other companies certified by Great Place to Work® when it comes to how employees rate their organizations' impact in the community, the amount of meaning they find in their jobs and whether they feel they make a difference at work. Other insights from Great Place to Work®'s analysis of its Trust Index© surveys and anonymous employee comments include:

• Team members at the Best Workplaces for Giving Back were nearly four times more likely to bring up their businesses' charitable endeavors, compared to those at other organizations certified by Great Place to Work®.
• Companies on the list were more than twice as likely to offer paid time off for volunteering and donated three times more on a per-employee basis to programs that match individual giving.
• Co-workers at the Best Workplaces say they're more likely to stay with their employer for a long time and give extra when it's needed to get the job done, compared to individuals working for peer companies.

"People get fired up when they learn how The Best Workplaces for Giving Back share their resources with the community. Clearly, one person can make a difference and it's contagious. At the same time, more than nine in ten employees at these organizations say they're proud to tell others where they work," Bush said. "These companies show that offering co-workers a robust role in corporate giving can build camaraderie, loyalty and confidence in the organization – all traits of a great, high-performance workplace."

About Great Place to Work®

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work® provides the benchmarks, framework and expertise needed to create, sustain and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In the United States, Great Place to Work® produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For®" list and a series of Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces lists, including lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small and Medium Companies and over a half dozen different industries.

Follow Great Place to Work® online at Greatplacetowork.com and on Twitter at @GPTW_US.

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Contact: Ann Nadeau, Chief Marketing Officer, Great Place to Work®
Phone: (+1) 415 298 5237
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