Companies that ‘prioritize work flexibility' have the happiest workers, new ranking shows

H&R Block can now claim it offers the happiest and most stress-free workplace around.

The tax preparation company came in No. 1 for employee wellbeing, according to the 2024 Work Wellbeing 100 from Indeed and the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre.

The index ranks the top 100 publicly traded U.S. companies where employees reported high levels of happiness, purpose, satisfaction, and low stress when prompted to take a survey while leaving a review of their employer on Indeed. And those high marks could be driving better business performance.

Indeed's ranking found that companies with higher work wellbeing scores also have higher valuations, returns on assets and profits. Collectively, the companies on the list outperform stock market indexes including the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite, according to the report.

The most prevalent industries on the list were retail, which appeared 23 times, and transportation, which was noted 14 times. 

"A lot of these companies tend to prioritize work flexibility," says Kyle M.K., a talent strategy advisor at Indeed. Those policies allow employees to choose where, how and when they work, "giving them the option to go to doctor's appointments or soccer games or work from home if that's easier for them."

At a time when large firms are changing their policies and pushing workers to come into the office as many as five days per week, the Indeed report suggests that companies refraining from stricter mandates are winning favor among recruits.

"Companies that provide choice are the ones that tend to have a much better reputation among their employees," M.K. says.

Leading the pack, H&R Block operates a hybrid workplace, with 42% of corporate staff working remotely full-time, the company's chief people officer told Human Resource Executive recently.

These are the top 20 employers on the list:

1. H&R Block
2. Delta Air Lines
3. L3Harris
4. Accenture
5. Nike
6. Tradesmen International
7. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
8. Addus HomeCare
9. IBM
10. Amazon Flex
11. Apple
12. The Walt Disney Company
13. Wipro
14. Maximus
15. Vans
16. Cognizant Technology Solutions
17. Google
18. Dutch Bros Coffee
19. Microsoft
20. FedEx Freight

A majority of job seekers want to work for companies that care about their feelings at work, according to M.K., and Indeed's list spotlights the firms they may want to consider prioritizing in their job search.

"While work wellbeing has faced challenges in recent years, it's more important than ever for companies to create environments where employees can truly thrive," LaFawn Davis, Indeed's chief people and sustainability officer, said in a statement. "By prioritizing work wellbeing, companies cultivate a more resilient, effective and happier workforce which ultimately drives business growth."

M.K. encourages job applicants to take stock of their values when making decisions about where they will work, adding that it will help them find companies that are aligned with their "intrinsic motivations" and where they can perform well.

"We believe that everyone has the right to thrive at work and deserve[s] a workplace that takes care of them," he says.

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