Kindland, in collaboration with George Mason University and Forbes, today released the inaugural Forbes America’s Kindest Companies list, ranking 50 public companies on how they treat their employees and customers. Kindland and Forbes originated the initiative, and independent researchers at the university’s Costello College of Business conducted the research that developed the list.

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The complete list is available at https://www.forbes.com/lists/kindest-companies/

“Developing a kindness culture represents one of the most accessible, affordable, and impactful investments business leaders can make,” said Stuart Muszynski, President and CEO of the Values-in-Action Foundation and Kindland. “And as our partner George Mason’s research indicates, employee experience can be predictive of subsequent return on assets and operating and net margins.”

“At a time when some question whether monolith companies choose profits over simple goodwill, ‘America’s Kindest Companies’ identifies the businesses that balance both,” said Alan Schwarz, assistant managing editor of Forbes Media. “These companies demonstrate a concern for their employees, their customers, and the world at large that sets the standard for all others.”

George Mason researchers designed the methodology and conducted the project’s independent research, including defining and measuring the corporate kindness index, analyzing the employee-experience, structural-inclusion, and customer-sentiment data; calculating component and overall scores; and conducting a financial analysis. More on the methodology is available on Costello’s website.

The Corporate Kindness Index gives equal weight to three data sources:

  • Employee experience: Ratings from Glassdoor across six areas that pertain to kindness: diversity and inclusion, career opportunities, work-life balance, compensation and benefits, culture and values, and senior management, formed an Employee Experience Index.

  • Structural inclusion: Denominator, a Danish data company that tracks and scores corporate diversity, human rights, and workplace culture, contributed data on workforce patterns and organizational practices that shape representation and access to opportunity, which formed a Structural and D&I Index.

  • Customer treatment: Broad consumer-sentiment survey data from research company HundredX formed a Customer Experience Index.

Analysis by Costello determined that these sources are largely independent, so each contributes distinct information to the overall score, which is the average of the three indices.

To safeguard the integrity of the rankings, the Costello research team maintained methodological independence, set the index weights independent of financial influence, published the employee experience components and weights, and provided component scores for the project’s advisory board and Forbes for review. The team also identified refinements for next year, including a community responsibility measurement.

“The work of compiling the corporate kindness index aligns with ‘Mason Chooses Kindness,’ the university’s well-being effort, and with educational opportunities for students and the communities the university serves,” said the project’s Principal Investigator, Brett Josephson, associate provost of learning initiatives at George Mason and associate professor of marketing at the Costello College of Business.

The project’s advisory board consisted of 11 senior business leaders who advised the project’s principals, Kindland, and George Mason. They functioned as informed validators, reviewing the method, its rationale, and its limitations, and affirming the research approach.

“At Northwell, kindness has been an essential ingredient in building a sense of belonging and teamwork into our culture,” said CEO Emeritus Michael Dowling, Northwell Health and advisory board member of the project. “I cannot emphasize enough how important developing this inaugural list of kindest companies based on solid research is to advancing the importance of kindness to other companies.”

About Kindland and the United States of Kindness

Presented by Values-in-Action Foundation (VIA), Kindland is a national movement that brings together businesses, organizations, schools, communities, and individuals to recognize, share and inspire acts of kindness. By making kindness more visible, Kindland seeks to create a ripple effect of positivity, connection, and goodwill while seeking to build a United States of Kindness. VIA is a non-profit organization that has been in the business of spreading positivity and kindness for more than 32 years. It has created and implemented a variety of successful programs to service all demographics. Its school programming has reached over 3 million students in all 50 states. Learn more at www.viafdn.org or www.USofKindness.org.

About the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University

The Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University is one of the largest business schools in Virginia, and is located near Washington, D.C., in Arlington and Fairfax, and at George Mason’s global campus in Incheon, South Korea. The college’s AACSB-accredited business and accounting curricula prepare undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe for career success in business and government. Its research-based faculty and focus on multi-disciplinary academic programs, inclusive entrepreneurship, modular education, experiential learning, and corporate and community partner engagement are transforming the landscape of business education and workforce development. Learn more at business.gmu.edu.

About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. George Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.

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