4 MI Businesses Among 2021 Best Companies To Work For: Fortune

The businesses ranked among this year’s 100 Best Companies To Work For have at least one thing in common: They treated employees well during the pandemic.

The 24th annual list, compiled by Fortune and Great Place To Work, honors the “most heroic companies supporting their people and communities in the U.S. during this historically challenging year,” according to a release by Fortune.

Rocket Companies in Detroit is among the companies that made this year’s list. The company ranked No. 5, an increase from its 29th place ranking last year.

Other companies on this year’s list from Michigan include:

Stryker (88)

• City: Kalamazoo
• Industry: Medical products and equipment
• Rank last year: 8
• Employees: 21,427
• Percentage of women: 34. 6
• Percentage of minorities: 24.4
• Revenue in 2020: $14,351

From Fortune:

The medical technology company’s sales took a hit when hospitals postponed elective procedures, which make up roughly half of Stryker’s business, during the pandemic. To help bear the burden, the company implemented temporary salary reductions among leadership—including the board of directors—in lieu of frontline workers, and created a process for temporary assignments to help those whose work had been reduced or eliminated find other opportunities within the company during the pandemic. Those hardships prompted Stryker to furlough some employees early on and fall 80 spots on Fortune’s list this year. But some employees also appreciated how the company didn’t micromanage during the crisis. Notes one, “That trust was critical and invaluable, and I realize that many, many employees did not have the same ‘luxury.’”

Plante Moran (91)

• City: Southfield
• Industry: Professional Services
• Rank last year: 21
• Employees: 3,335
• Percentage of women: 48.8
• Percentage of minorities: 10.7

From Fortune:

Among the nation’s largest accounting, tax, consulting, and wealth management firms, Plante Moran responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were celebrated by its staff. The company avoided layoffs and furloughs, and even maintained bonuses. It also granted the staff more flexibility, and leaders stepped up with transparency and bold ideas both inside and outside of work. “Not only were staff members given the necessary equipment to work at home, but they were also given extra time off, extra money to update their home offices, and even a financial incentive to purchase home fitness and wellness equipment at a fraction of the normal cost,” says one PMer. Plante Moran also raised and donated $225,000 to the National Association of Black Accountants and the National Urban League through its Giving Campaign for Social Justice in 2020.

Dow (99)

• City: Midland
• Industry: Chemicals
• Rank last year: n/a
• Employees: 16,500
• Percentage of women: 27.3
• Percentage of minorities: 24.7
• Revenue in 2020: $38,542

From Fortune:

In the war on COVID-19, Dow supplied armaments to the front lines. The company’s plants—it has 109 manufacturing sites across 31 countries—churned out plastics and chemicals crucial in making personal protective equipment and virus-slaying sanitizers. After producing and donating 100,000 face shields to the state of Michigan, Dow made its designs publicly available for download. The company pumped out more than 880,000 eight-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer per week during the pandemic. Dow also designed, manufactured, and donated thousands of hospital gowns and air purifiers to hospitals, and, in recognition of its employees’ efforts, it awarded $1,000 bonuses to approximately 8,200 workers who kept the lights on at its U.S. factories. “Our leadership insured we helped the community with PPE,” one proud worker says.

Cisco, based in San Jose, California, topped this year’s list. The company, which makes network and other communications equipment, employed 36,374 people as of March 2021. Cisco, ranked fourth last year, has been on the list every year since its creation.

Rounding out the top 5 were Salesforce, based in San Francisco; Hilton, based in McLean, Virginia; Wegmans, based in Rochester, New York; and Rocket Companies, based in Detroit, Michigan.

To compile this year’s list, Great Place to Work surveyed more than a half-million employees on issues including how trustworthy, caring and fair the company is in times of crises; employees’ physical, emotional and financial health; and the company’s overall impact on its community.

Companies also need to employ at least 1,000 employees to be considered for the list.

The results: A strong link surfaced between positive employee opinion and how senior leaders and direct managers responded to the COVID-19 crisis. In fact, 71 percent of workplaces on this year’s list scored better than in pre-pandemic years.

In a typical year, 75 percent of a company’s score is based on confidential employee feedback, while the remainder is the company’s response to an essay question focused on programs and practices. This year, however, the essay question focused on actions taken in response to the challenges of 2020.

These companies managed “not just to muddle through” the pandemic, according to Fortune’s release, but also to become “role models” for other businesses.

Read more about the 2021 methodology.

See this year’s full list of 100 Best Companies To Work For.