Employer Brand Rankings: December 2022
Happy new year! Hopefully, your return to work following a big, juicy holiday break is not a painful one. December is often a news-lite month, but there were plenty of goings-on in employer behavior. Enjoy, and welcome back.
Cream of the crop
5. iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia announced that it will cut its real estate footprint in half but will not decrease its employer presence in those areas. According to the company, the money saved will be diverted to hiring more people, developing new projects, and improving technology. Hey, if employees don’t want to work in an office, don’t make ’em.
4. The Cocky Rooster
Though I cannot endorse its ridiculous name, a restaurant in Richmond, VA, called the Cocky Rooster, is testing a 3.5-day work week. OK, so 3.5 is slightly misleading: employees will get their 40 hours across four shifts: one 13-hour shift, one 10-hour shift, and two 8- or 9-hour shifts. Apparently workers are happy with the new arrangement and job applications are up.
The owners told Richmond Bizsense that “they’re trying to offer workers a higher quality of life and more regular weekly schedule than what’s typical in the restaurant industry.”
3. Exxon Mobil
Kevin Crowley reported for Bloomberg that Exxon Mobile is giving workers “above-inflation” pay increases following an impressive quarterly earnings announcement.
2. Zillow
Zillow is beefing up its parental leave benefits. In 2023, “delivering parents” will get 20 weeks paid time away, and “non-delivering parents” will get 16 weeks paid.
According to a release from the company, “this ‘baby bonding time’ can be taken all at once or in full week increments within one year of birth or adoption for total flexibility. But the support doesn’t stop once that leave ends: Employees can choose to come back to work at 60% or 80% of full time for the first two weeks following their return from parental leave.”
1. The State of Utah
The state of Utah has announced that it will no longer require four-year degrees for 98% of government jobs, reports Kathryn Moody at HR Dive. The state is focusing instead on “demonstrated competency” rather than formal education, broadening its talent pool and increasing access to executive branch jobs. More than half of Americans age 25 and older do not have a bachelor’s degree, according to Pew.
Bottom of the barrel
3. Chick-fil-a
Back in November, a Chick-fil-a restaurant in Florida made my nice list for instituting a three-day work week. In December, a franchise in North Carolina tried to solicit its employees to work for free, which very much violates the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Apparently, the operator asked workers to “volunteer” to direct traffic for its drive-thru in exchange for free meals. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) fined the franchise $6K and ordered it to pay back wages.
2. Tesla
Josh Eidelson reports for Bloomberg that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a complaint against Tesla for violating the Labor Relations Act by prohibiting employees from discussing pay and telling them not to complain to upper management about working conditions.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has stepped in and fined the company and ordered it to pay back wages.
1. Publix
The DOL also recovered more than $12K in back wages and $5K medical expenses from the supermarket chain Publix on behalf of an employee who was fired for using their rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance reporter based in Richmond, VA, who covers the future of work and women’s experience in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Fast Company, Quartz at Work, and Digiday’s Worklife.news, among others.
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