Wegmans, Publix, Whole Foods Among Best Millennial Workplaces

Wegmans Food Markets, Publix Super Markets and Whole Foods Market have all made Fortune’s second annual list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials. Much has been made of the demographic’s desire to be involved in work that is meaningful to them and has a positive impact on the world, but also to achieve a greater work/life balance than that attained by previous generations, so the business magazine set out to find which companies met those expectations.

To determine the rankings, the publication’s “research partners surveyed more than 88,000 millennials at more than 600 companies that have been certified as a Great Place to Work.”

At No. 40, the highest-ranking supermarket operator on the list, Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans employs 25,287 Millennials out of 44,272 associates, so the demographic makes up 57 percent of its total workforce. “Management actually cares about its employees and always asks how we are doing when we come into work or are just shopping,” Fortune quotes one Millennial worker at the company. “I have worked at other places and always felt like I couldn’t go to management with a problem, but here at Wegmans that has never been a problem. I always feel comfortable going to them for any reason.”

Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix, which came in at No. 74, employs 92,877 Millennials out of 175,208 associates; the demographic accounts for 53 percent of its total workforce. “Publix has a lot of opportunities for advancement,” a Millennial worker told Fortune. “I think it’s great that they only promote within the company, giving anyone a fair chance at building a career with the company, no matter what your schooling background is or where you’ve previously have worked.”

“As company founder George Jenkins often said, when you take care of associates, they’ll take care of their customers,” noted Publix CEO and President Todd Jones, on receiving word of the honor. “Our associates appreciate our culture of caring, and it makes them feel valued as individuals.”

Whole Foods, at No. 90, employs 52,513 Millennials out of a global workforce of 91,055 associates, a whopping 60 percent of its total employees.

“The self-empowerment in this company is truly unique,” a Millennial employee of Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods noted in Fortune. “As a team member, I am fully supported at all levels of management to take appropriate steps to fix problems that I identify or provide support for projects or departments that do not fall within my written job responsibilities. This company makes it really easy to be invested in its success and feel that you are making a difference every day. The people who work here are mostly all of the same mentality and it makes coming to work such a joy to see hard work celebrated and recognized."

Among other retailers, convenience store operators QuikTrip and Sheetz came in at Nos. 31 and 35, respectively, while CPG companies Mars and Clif Bar & Co. ranked 63rd and 92nd, respectively. Nielsen, a frequent PG partner, came in at No. 58.

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