September 6, 2023
In partnership with Springbuk, we are excited to announce our honorees for the 2023 Healthiest Employers of Southern California. All applicants are considered for our Healthiest 100 Workplaces America award. We will announce the 2023 award winners on October 4, 2023.
78.8% of the Southern California companies surveyed are on a hybrid schedule where employees are in the office on specific days. 21.2% work onsite or in-person and 0 companies are fully remote.
Additionally, some notable statistics from this year’s groups include:
- 81.8% have tuition reimbursement for employees
- 71.9% of organizations have upper leadership members serving on the wellness committee
- 48.5% of applicants have had a formal wellness program in place for more than 10 years
- 43.8% provide adoption assistance/reimbursement opportunities to use toward adoption agency fees, court costs, travel, etc.
- 18.8% have introduced an unlimited time off policy
Congratulations to this year’s finalists!
*Please note that employee counts are based on full-time employees.
150 to 499 Employees
1st Belkin – El Segundo – 481 Employees
Belkin International is an accessories market leader delivering power, protection, productivity, connectivity, audio, and smart home solutions for a broad range of consumer and enterprise environments. Designed in Southern California and sold in more than 50 countries around the world, Belkin creates products that help consumers realize the power of technology and make their lives easier and more fulfilling.
Belkin prioritized employee well-being during the construction of its global headquarters in 2022, obtaining a Fitwel certification focused on enhancing personnel health. The headquarters reflects the "Be Positive Active" value, with numerous health and wellness amenities, including a free onsite gym with various equipment, virtual fitness classes, massage chairs, a meditation room, and a lactating room. Additionally, a café offers healthy meals, and monthly virtual mindfulness sessions are provided by an in-house psychologist, creating a happy, healthy, and productive workforce.
Belkin values employee well-being, equating it with a sense of belonging. They prioritize physical and mental health, offering free monthly mindfulness sessions led by an in-house psychologist. During Mental Health Awareness Month, they ran informative campaigns and introduced a new crisis lifeline, 988. They also promote well-being through art therapy and provide Mental Health First Aid training for leaders. Beyond awareness, Belkin offers a robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP) free to employees and their households. This EAP covers various issues with qualified counselors, allowing up to three sessions per issue per year. Belkin's comprehensive approach demonstrates their commitment to fostering a healthy and supportive work environment.
2nd Children's Bureau – Los Angeles – 402 Employees
The Children's Bureau was established in 1904 by Mrs. E.K. Foster, a prominent community leader in Los Angeles, along with a dedicated group of volunteers who shared a deep concern for the welfare of vulnerable children. Through their advocacy efforts, they successfully campaigned for legislation aimed at safeguarding these children. Presently, the Children's Bureau remains a trusted and innovative leader in promoting child well-being. The Children's Bureau remains dedicated to its mission, continuing to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families, with services including mental health, foster care, and adoption.
Belkin's Wellness Program is a standout benefit, focusing on education and well-being. Each month, the program explores different aspects of wellness, including stress reduction, nutrition, digital detox, financial fitness, and more. They offer virtual Lunch N Learns, themed challenges, weekly stretch and meditation sessions, and engaging games to enhance knowledge retention.
These activities not only foster learning but also promote staff connections in a hybrid work environment. The challenges encourage positive behavioral changes in a playful and collaborative manner. Importantly, Belkin ensures easy accessibility by automatically adding Wellness events and activities to the staff's calendars. This comprehensive approach demonstrates their commitment to employee well-being and personal growth.
500 to 999 Employees
1st Kitchell – Phoenix, Arizona (Local Office: San Diego) – 786 Employees
Kitchell began as a commercial contracting business and over the years developed new talents and enterprises, acquiring complementary businesses and expertise to remain a competitive, privately-owned company. Today, Kitchell Corporation is the holding entity of several companies that are part of Kitchell's core business as well as those that operate independently.
Kitchell offers a generous Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution to motivate employee-owners to prioritize their well-being. They provide up to $2,000 in wellness dollars to insured employees, which can cover the entire annual premium for single insured individuals, resulting in a net health savings benefit. Even those not covered by Kitchell's insurance are encouraged to participate in the wellness plan and can earn rewards for their engagement.
The success of this program is measured by ongoing participation, and in 2022, they saw significant improvement with 253 employees maximizing their wellness dollars, compared to 214 the previous year, indicating a 16% year-over-year increase in program effectiveness.
Kitchell was named one of the 2022 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America.
2nd Dudek – Encinitas – 541 Employees
Dudek is a 100% employee-owned, multidisciplinary environmental and engineering consulting firm based in Encinitas, CA. Dudek empowers clients to DuMore for their projects and is one of the Top 105 U.S. Environmental Firms (Engineering News-Record, 2022). Dudek is a nationally recognized Top Workplace (Energage, 2022).
Dudek's standout benefit is HealthJoy, a comprehensive solution offering bill review, provider search, reduced mental health costs, telehealth options, and a personalized benefits 'wallet.' HealthJoy also provides access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) aimed at assisting employees with personal concerns.
HealthJoy is responsive and adaptable, with improvements made based on Dudek's feedback. Aggregate data indicates that 71% of Dudek employees have registered with the app and report a 100% satisfaction rate. It simplifies the healthcare experience by offering virtual resources and a dedicated benefits concierge team to connect employees with professionals. HealthJoy has generated nearly $90,000 in savings over the past year by promoting cost containment and program savings, ultimately helping employees become more informed healthcare consumers and reducing healthcare costs.
3rd Apartment Income REIT Corp. (AIR Communities) – Denver, Colorado (Local Office: Irvine) – 749 Employees
Apartment Income REIT Corp., known as AIR Communities, is the owner and operator of best-in-quality apartment communities across the United States. AIR Communities professionally manages high-quality properties in most major markets, including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Miami. Our communities are managed by outstanding teammates who provide best-in-class customer service.
AIR Communities prioritizes employee well-being by offering a unique approach to time off and flexibility. They encourage employees to balance work and personal life by providing extra time off beyond standard vacation days, tailored to individual needs and business requirements. Corporate teammates enjoy summer hours, with offices closing at noon every Friday. In 2022, onsite teammates received additional paid time off during the holidays, fostering a sense of care and value.
AIR Communities also stands out with an industry-leading parental leave program, granting 16 paid weeks for bonding and caring for new family members. These investments in employee well-being result in a highly engaged team, as reflected in their impressive 2022 team engagement score of 4.42 out of 5. This holistic approach demonstrates AIR's commitment to caring for its employees, inside and outside of work, to ensure they perform at their best.
4th David Evans and Associates, Inc. – Portland, Oregon (Local Office: Ontario) – 880 Employees
5th Schrödinger, Inc. – New York, New York (Local Office: San Diego) – 740 Employees
6th Henderson Engineers – Lenexa, Kansas (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 905 Employees
1,000 to 4,999 Employees
1st Cubic Corporation – San Diego – 2,350 Employees
Cubic is the leading integrator of payment and information technology services for intelligent travel solutions worldwide, and the leading provider of realistic combat training systems, secure communication, and networking of highly specialized support services for military and security forces of the U.S. and allied nations.
Cubic has recently enhanced its benefits package with the introduction of an employer-funded Lifestyle Spending Account. This program allows employees to allocate an annual allowance towards personal well-being expenses. Cubic involved employees in the program's development, incorporating all their suggested ideas. Since its launch in October 2022, the program has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with employees using it for various well-being activities, such as horseback riding lessons, woodworking materials, ski passes, and self-development classes. The Lifestyle Spending Account is tailored to meet individual well-being needs, fostering a culture of well-being within the company.
In addition to the Lifestyle Spending Account, Cubic has introduced Hinge Health and Virta Health to its benefit offerings in 2022. These programs, available at no cost to employees on the medical plan, address specific health concerns such as back and joint health (Hinge Health) and diabetes, prediabetes, or obesity (Virta Health). They provide innovative and personalized solutions, approaching well-being from a holistic perspective. The high engagement and utilization of these programs reflect their popularity among Cubic's employees. These additions demonstrate Cubic's commitment to supporting employee well-being and holistic health.
2nd Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP – Washington, D.C. (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 1,406 Employees
Since 1945, Akin has served clients, providing creative, effective transactional, litigation, and public policy counsel and representation. From a single office and two lawyers in Dallas, the firm has grown to 19 offices spanning the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and a diverse workforce of more than 900 lawyers, working alongside clients to address challenges and achieve goals where they live and work.
Akin recognizes that well-being encompasses various aspects such as physical and mental health, financial stability, family welfare, and community engagement. One notable example of their tailored approach is the Fitness and Well-Being Reimbursement program. In 2022, the monthly reimbursement allowance was increased from $35 to $50. More significantly, the range of eligible expenses was greatly expanded. Initially covering expenses related only to gym memberships and fitness equipment, the program now includes a wide array of fitness and sports equipment, wellness monitors, classes, coaching, memberships, well-being apps, healthy sleep solutions, and self-care resources.
In addition to the reimbursement program, Akin offers other innovative benefits such as access to on-site mental health advisors. These initiatives underline Akin's commitment to fully supporting their personnel by addressing their unique needs and circumstances.
3rd Essex Property Trust, Inc. – San Mateo (Local Office: Irvine) – 1,774 Employees
Essex Property Trust, Inc. is a proven leader in West Coast apartments and a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily apartment communities. With a commitment to the vibrant coastal economies in which they operate, they continually push to innovate, improve, and add value to the lives of residents, associates, and shareholders.
In the past year, Essex has focused on community and social wellness and supports individual and collaborative well-being journeys, aligning with associates' personal and company goals. Despite inflation challenges, they provided over $5 million in rent subsidies to more than 800 associates. They continued their partnership with the Housing Industry Foundation, contributing over $100,000 towards affordable housing, and donated nearly $300,000 to various community organizations in California and Washington.
Essex has achieved gender pay parity, with no pay gap between genders. They have a diverse leadership team, with 60% of executives being women, 30% of the Board of Directors identifying as diverse, and 54% of managerial positions having diverse representation. Their wellness program focuses on community and social wellness and supports individual and collaborative well-being journeys, aligning with associates' personal and company goals.
4th Walker & Dunlop – Bethesda, Maryland (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 1,395 Employees
5th Harman International – Richardson, Texas (Local Office: Northridge) – 2,169 Employees
6th Venable LLP – Baltimore, Maryland (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 1,653 Employees
7th West Monroe – Chicago, Illinois (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 1,998 Employees
8th Ensign-Bickford Ind – Denver, Colorado (Local Office: Moorpark) – 1,200 Employees
9th Vertex Pharmaceuticals – Boston, Massachusetts (Local Office: San Diego) – 4,123 Employees
10th Marcum LLP – New York, New York (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 3,503 Employees
5,000+ Employees
1st Shamrock Foods Company – Phoenix, Arizona (Local Office: Eastvale) – 5,416 Employees
Shamrock Foods Company is a family-owned-and-operated, Forbes 100 privately held company. Its family of companies includes Shamrock Foods—the largest independent food service company in the West, and top five in the United States—and Shamrock Farms, one of the largest family-owned and operated dairies nationwide. Shamrock has an unwavering commitment to its more than 5,600 associates with its longstanding philosophy being “to treat associates like family.”
Shamrock Foods Company lives this philosophy by helping employees with their physical health, happiness, community engagement, continuous learning, and financial wealth. One of the company's unique offerings is the Payer Matrix partnership, aimed at reducing associate costs for prescription medication and specialty drugs. This benefit has allowed Shamrock associates and their family members to access important medications with little to no out-of-pocket costs and no increase in copays. In 2022, the program assisted with over 250 specialty pharmacy claims, resulting in a net savings of nearly 70% for Shamrock associates.
Shamrock Foods Company was named one of the 2022 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America and is a current member of the Healthiest Employers Hall of Fame.
2nd U-Haul International – Phoenix, Arizona (Multiple Local Office) – 17,170 Employees
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the number one choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America and offers 876,000 rentable storage units and 75.1 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading “Best for Vets” employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America.
In 2022, U-Haul introduced Virta to their benefits package, initially focusing on the Type 2 diabetes program. The outstanding outcomes prompted them to expand offerings to encompass all three Virta programs: Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and obesity reversal. Virta's research-based approach effectively and sustainably reverses these conditions without medication or surgery-related risks, costs, or side effects. The program leads to lowered A1c levels, weight loss, and reduced or eliminated insulin use. Since implementing Virta, participants enrolled in the treatment plan have experienced an average reduction in insulin usage by 54% and collectively shed over 3,200 pounds.
To further support mental well-being, U-Haul introduced a Mindset App Reimbursement program in 2022, covering mindfulness, breathwork, and meditation techniques. Executive leadership actively promotes these benefits and encourages team members to utilize them and seek the help they need. The onsite medical clinic integrates mental health benefits into its services, with providers trained to assist team members in accessing the appropriate resources.
U-Haul was named one of the 2022 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America.
3rd Genuine McCarthy Enterprises, Inc. – St. Louis, Missouri (Local Office: Newport Beach) – 6,469 Employees
Genuine McCarthy Enterprises, Inc. is approaching 160 years in the construction industry where we focus on learning, building, and growing to meet the needs of our clients. We are a non-residential builder focused across the United States. As a 100% employee-owned company, the health and well-being of employees have always been paramount.
The program's success is attributed to continuous improvement and enhancements, resulting in consistently high participation levels over ten years with their wellness vendor. Employees participate in an average of 14.6 activities per month, exceeding the industry average. McCarthy achieves high engagement by offering relevant and interesting options to employees. In 2022, they organized a national fitness challenge called "Race Through McCarthy," virtually exploring job sites, and conducted financial wellness days. Their primary medical insurance covers all preventive medications at no cost, and employees can access additional savings through Rx Savings Solutions. Included Health provides support for navigating health plans and obtaining second opinions.
Genuine McCarthy Enterprises was named one of the 2022 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America.
4th Burns & McDonnell – Kansas City, Missouri (Local Office: Brea) – 8,408 Employees
5th Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. – Newport Beach – 110,000 Employees
6th CBIZ – Cleveland, Ohio (Local Office: Irvine) – 6,471 Employees
