CT companies make list for workplace diversity
Over 20 businesses located in state recognized by Newsweek
More than 20 large and medium-sized companies with global or divisional headquarters in Connecticut have been recognized in the 2024 edition of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, a list compiled by Newsweek and market data research firm Plant-A Insights Group.
Among the Connecticut-based organizations that made the list, the following earned five-star ratings: Boehringer Ingelheim,
Ensign-Bickford Industries, Gartner, Henkel, Mohegan, Pitney Bowes, SS&C Technologies, Synchrony, The Hartford and United Rentals. Barnes Group, CareCentrix, Charter Communications, Companions & Homemakers, Emcor Group, ISG, Vineyard Vines, Webster Bank and XPO received four-and-a-half stars. Garafalo Markets, ITT, Stanley Black & Decker and Xerox received four stars.
In total, 1,500 companies made the list.
“Employers highlight their commitment to recruiting and advancing individuals of various ages, races, genders, sexual orientations and abilities,” Newsweek Global Editor in Chief Nancy Cooper wrote in a synopsis of the list. “Companies recognize that a diverse workforce contributes significantly to organizational success. Diverse workforces cultivate creativity and innovation that stem from a mix of perspectives, experiences and backgrounds, fostering a dynamic environment where new ideas come to life.”
Cooper also wrote that, “companies also value diversity for its positive impact on talent attraction and retention. In a globalized job market, attracting diverse, skilled professionals is vital for staying competitive. Job seekers, particularly younger generations, seek employers that prioritize diversity and inclusion. Employees are more likely to stay with a company that nurtures an inclusive culture where everyone feels val
ued — contributing to higher levels of job satisfaction and reducing turnover rates.”
The list’s scoring factored in publicly available data, interviews with HR professionals and an anonymous online survey conducted among a “diverse group of employees” at companies in the U.S., according to Cooper.
“Respondents shared insights into corporate culture, working environments and other aspects of both their own companies and others they were familiar with, resulting in over 1.5 million company reviews,” Cooper added.
Among other recently published measures of workplace diversity, more than a dozen companies with headquarters or large offices in Connecticut received 100 percent scores in the Human
Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-24 Corporate Equality Index, which focuses on corporate support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.
While there are numerous studies that recognize companies’ efforts to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces, there are still stark disparities in the top ranks of many companies in Connecticut. Among the 14 Connecticut-headquartered
companies on last year’s Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations, only one, elevatorand-escalator maker Otis Worldwide, currently has a woman CEO.
At the same time, there are still few people from racial and ethnic minority groups who become CEOs of large companies. For instance, there have been only two Black CEOs of Connecticut-based Fortune 500 firms.