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Women have been steadily gaining ground in the corporate world in the past decade. Since 2015, the number of North American female C-level executives has increased from 17–28 percent. The C-suite is now 25 percent female in the United Kingdom, and women are starting to occupy more leadership roles in the Middle East.
But despite the progress that has been made, there are still glaring equity gaps around the globe. Women of color continue to be grossly underrepresented in the American corporate pipeline, holding only six percent of C-level roles. In the United Kingdom, men are 21 percent more likely to be internally promoted to leadership positions. And in the Middle East, only three percent of business leaders are female.
Organizations that foster true gender equality and inclusion remain in the minority. To celebrate companies that dedicate time and resources to creating equitable cultures, Great Place to Work compiles annual lists of the Best Workplaces for Women across the globe.
While it’s no surprise that large corporations such as Microsoft, Adidas, Netflix, Starbucks and Coca-Cola made the top 20 in 2023, many of the victors are small in size but mighty when it comes to empowering women to rise to the top.
Here, we look at some of 2023’s Best Workplaces for Women around the world and learn what their female leaders say about why their companies stand out from the pack.
Chicago-based user experience and human factors research agency Bold Insight is no stranger to accolades, having taken out three Great Place to Work certifications in 2023. But Managing Partner Pamela Stoffregen-Gay holds the Best Workplace for Women title closest to her heart.
“We’re fiercely proud of our equitable and inclusive company culture,” she tells The CEO Magazine. “With 68 percent women in our team and 71 percent women in our management team, we credit the accurate representation in our management to the flat, non-competitive organizational structure we established from the outset.”
Bold Insight’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) best practices are incorporated into every organizational workstream. The company offers its employees industry leading parental leave and work-from-home policies, as well as 100 percent employer-paid health insurance and countless wellness perks.
“We’re fiercely proud of our equitable and inclusive company culture.”
- Pamela Stoffregen-Gay, Managing Partner, Bold Insight
Unifrog (certified a B Corp for meeting high social, accountability and environmental standards) has supported 1.6 million students around the world to make informed decisions about their future by helping them compare and apply for courses on their user-friendly platform. Not bad for a team of less than 100 people!
The London-based company’s commitment to DE&I is second to none, and the management team continuously reviews its recruitment process and policies to limit unconscious bias. Unifrog’s impressive list of perks includes flexible working arrangements, enhanced parental pay, a voucher for antenatal classes, health insurance and a wellbeing allowance.
“The Unifrog team has always been balanced in terms of gender, right from when it was just the two of us in the founding team,” Coralie Colmez, who co-founded Unifrog with her husband Alex Kelly, reveals to The CEO Magazine. “Having women involved in every side of the business means that we hear their thoughts on everything, from our product to our processes.
“For us, inclusion and equity means that we have a wide range of life experiences, ideas and viewpoints represented across the team. This is particularly important because our product is in education, and we want to help every type of student. We make sure we really do hear from everyone through measures like rotating the speakers at our quarterly team days and conducting anonymous team surveys.”
Headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ZenHR’s software solutions help companies streamline and optimize their recruitment and HR processes. With five Great Place to Work nods in 2023, ZenHR demonstrates an ongoing commitment to ensuring all its employees thrive in and out of the workplace.
“Proud to announce that we have been recognized as one of the Best Workplaces for Women in the GCC [Gulf Corporation Council] by Great Place to Work Middle East,” the company wrote on LinkedIn. “This is a testament to our dedication to prioritize gender equality and strive to provide equal opportunities, fair treatment and support of professional growth for everyone.”
ZenHR certainly walks the walk with 50 percent of its employees and 50 percent of senior managers being women. Employee benefits include equal pay (verified by regular pay equity audits), extended parental leave, flexible working hours, remote working arrangements, family health insurance, mental health support and much more.
When a small chain of dental practices with fewer than 150 employees is named one of the best places for women to work in Australia, there’s no doubt the management team has poured its heart and soul into creating an empowering and progressive work environment.
With practices in Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Avenue Dental adds the title to a long list of awards for team culture, business excellence and customer service.
“Avenue Dental has established itself as an exemplary workplace for fostering inclusiveness with a commitment to creating an environment that embraces everyone’s unique strengths and perspectives,” Marketing and Brand Manager Natasha Hutchinson says. “More than three-quarters of the senior leadership team is female.”
“The company is forward with family-friendly policies, offering split shifts, flexible work hours and advanced career growth opportunities. Avenue Dental provides a supportive environment through mentorship programs and ongoing growth training, reinforcing its dedication to creating a workplace where every employee feels valued and empowered.”
“More than three-quarters of the senior leadership team is female.”
- Natasha Hutchinson, Marketing and Brand Manager, Avenue Dental
Frustrated with her lack of free time to create photo albums of her seven kids, Vanessa Quigley dreamed of designing an app that would automatically create affordable photo books from busy parents’ camera rolls and social media feeds. And so, she launched Chatbooks with her husband Nate in 2014.
Ten years later, the Utah-based tech company has grown from a small family affair to a team of 179 happy employees. Chatbooks’ mission is to strengthen families and support women to live their best lives both personally and professionally.
With 50 percent of the company’s leadership positions held by women, flexibility is one of its core values. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic made working from home mainstream, Chatbooks was a remote-first organization that offered a work-from-home setup. Other benefits include paid parental leave, free therapy sessions, one mandatory week off per season and paid healthcare premiums.
“I’ve worked at Chatbooks for a little over three years and I’m amazed at how incredible of a company it is for women to work,” People Experience Coordinator Brittany Jump tells The CEO Magazine. “Not only is the parental leave program extremely generous, but the way they help women continue to grow in their career is like nothing I’ve seen before.
“Within three short years, I’ve had the opportunity to grow from a part-time customer support position, to full-time executive assistant, to now doing what I love most – people operations. Chatbooks gives so much opportunity to hire from within, which allows women and mothers like myself to succeed in our dream career. My coaches at Chatbooks have helped me get to where I am, and I’ll forever be grateful for this amazing place to work.”
India’s leading wine company is renowned for its deep commitment to sustainable growing and protecting our planet. Sula Vineyards is also dedicated to creating an inclusive, diverse and equitable company culture with benefits including a hybrid work model and 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
“We believe that diversity is our strength, and we’re proud to create a workplace where everyone feels at home,” the company wrote on LinkedIn. “A diverse workforce is a more innovative and productive workforce, and that is exactly what we strive to achieve each day at Sula.”
Sula Vineyards took home four Great Place to Work in India awards in 2023.
FreshBooks’ best-in-class diversity and inclusion framework earned the Toronto-based accounting software provider a well-deserved spot on the Canadian list of best workplaces for women.
With the company’s race, ethnicity, gender and age data clearly displayed on its website – women held 37 percent of roles in 2021 – FreshBooks holds itself accountable and sets targets to increase gender and racial representation at all levels.
Women who work at FreshBooks receive comprehensive medical and dental benefits, an annual healthy living allowance, a home office setup credit, generous paid parental leave, stock options and continuous professional development opportunities.
“Every day of the year, I’m inspired by the women I work with, my peers in accounting, the females in tech and the beautiful ladies in my local community,” wrote Twyla Verhlest, FreshBooks CPA and Top Women in Accounting 2023 winner.
Since 2009, British digital transformation consultancy, Silver Cloud HR, has been helping organizations streamline their operations and boost their bottom line with industry-leading HR, payroll and people-related technology. In 2023, the medium-sized company took out no less than four Great Place to Work certifications.
“We are the third-best place to work in the United Kingdom for women!” wrote CEO and Founder Helen Armstrong on LinkedIn. “Silver Cloud HR is female-owned, which is unusual in the tech industry, but also predominantly female-led with the majority of our SLT [senior leadership team] being women.
“To be truly inclusive you need to truly believe in it. And we do. Which is why we ranked third. We don’t always get it right but we ask for feedback, listen and continue to improve. Inclusivity to us means everyone has a voice regardless of gender, disability, sexuality, religion or all the other wonderful things that make us individuals,” Armstrong said.
With a 100 percent remote team, flexibility and work–life balance are top priorities for Silver Cloud. From enhanced family, sickness and bereavement leave to life insurance and mental health support, it’s no wonder 100 percent of Silver Cloud employees say it’s a great place to work.
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