The survey evaluated millions of anonymous employee reviews to assess US corporations on happiness, stress, satisfaction, and purpose.
In a new rating of employee happiness, a family-run truck stop company started almost sixty years ago outperformed legendary companies such as IBM Corp., Nike Inc., and Apple Inc.
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores received an 83 out of 100 rating in Indeed’s first-ever poll, which evaluated millions of anonymous employee feedback to rank US firms on happiness, stress, satisfaction, and purpose.
Only businesses with 1,000 or more people were eligible, and the top twenty included everything from airlines to consulting firms to fast-food restaurants. Love’s employs around 40,500 people, including 1,500 at its Oklahoma City headquarters. The company also operates a truck fleet, motels, and a logistics agency.
Only businesses with 1,000 or more people were eligible, and the top twenty included everything from airlines to consulting firms to fast-food restaurants. Love’s employs around 40,500 people, including 1,500 at its Oklahoma City headquarters. The company also operates a truck fleet, motels, and a logistics agency.
Measuring employee happiness is “difficult,” according to Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside who assisted in the development of Indeed’s wellbeing approach. Employees scored each of the four wellbeing indicators — happiness, stress, contentment, and purpose — on a five-point scale that translated into ratings ranging from 40 to 100. To be eligible for the US list, at least 200 unique ratings were necessary. Indeed also developed rankings for employers in Canada and the United Kingdom.
According to Gabrielle Davis, a career trends analyst at Indeed, Love’s topped the list due in part to flexible work schedules and a welcoming culture. “While it may come as a surprise to some, the data shows that Love’s excels at prioritizing work wellbeing for employees,” she stated. The business established a diesel mechanic training program last year that trained 300 personnel about heavy-duty vehicle systems, and it plans to expand the academy this year. Love’s has 644 rest spots in 42 states.
“We didn’t invent our values in a board room; they came from how my Dad behaved and the example he set,” said Jenny Love Meyer, 57, whose father Tom, now deceased, started the firm in Watonga, Oklahoma in 1964. “Respecting others and what others say is what people remember him for.”
Nonetheless, not all of Love’s employee reviews were glowing: On Indeed, one job was branded “Constantly overworked and underpaid.”
The top rank may help Love’s recruit employees at a time when many firms in retail and foodservice settings are struggling to find and keep personnel. According to data from recruitment agency Korn Ferry, yearly turnover for part-time retail employees hovered around 75% prior to the epidemic. It has since risen to 95%. Meyer stated that Love’s does not publicize its staff turnover rate.
Retail workers must cope with increasing theft and irate clients, in addition to erratic hours and low compensation.
According to a recent Gallup poll, four out of ten US workers said their job had a negative impact on their mental health, and more than eight out of ten people said employers’ support for mental health will be an important consideration when they look for work in the future, according to the APA.
