REI Employees Earn Co-op a Spot on the 2016 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

SEATTLE – REI, national specialty outdoor retailer and consumer co-op, thanks its employees across the country for earning the co-op recognition on the 2016 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, according to global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work® and Fortune Magazine. Ranked number 26, REI is one of five companies listed annually since the recognition began in 1998 and one of four companies headquartered in Washington state.

“We are deeply grateful to be recognized again as a great place to work. Our founders put people first more than seventy six years ago and today we still center our lives around the outdoors,” said Jerry Stritzke, REI president and CEO. “We connect people with one another and the outdoors and that’s what makes this a fun job. It’s what makes things like #OptOutside and Yay Days possible. It is an honor to lead REI and the amazing people who make up the co-op community."

A Great Place to Work

The co-op’s more than 12,000 employees lead the industry by being highly engaged and showing a commitment to the co-op. Engagement scores have routinely exceeded 85 percent, and most recently through anonymous surveys, 96 percent of employees said that they are proud to be associated with REI. The co-op’s retail turnover is almost half of retail industry standards, and retention of full-time retail employees is 90 percent.

On top of a funded retirement plan and generous healthcare benefits, the co-op gives all employees two Yay Days, paid days off, to explore the outdoors, and closed its doors on Black Friday for employees to OptOutside. Employees also receive significant deals on outdoor gear and adventures, free gear rentals, and are eligible for employee challenge grants. Other benefits include public transit subsidy, adoption assistance, paid sabbaticals and more.

Join the REI Team

REI looks for candidates who embody its values: authenticity, quality, service, respect, integrity and balance. The co-op is currently seeking applicants for a number of positions at its headquarters, including information technology and merchandising roles. The retail division is looking to fill positions for all locations, including new stores opening later this year. Interested candidates can visit rei.jobs.

100 Best Methodology

To identify the 100 Best Companies to Work For, each year Fortune partners with Great Place to Work® to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. Two-thirds of a company’s survey score is based on the results of the Trust Index Employee Survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. This survey asks questions related to employees’ attitudes about management’s credibility, overall job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts.

Creators of the methodology behind the list, Great Place to Work® has found that employees believe they work for great organizations when they consistently trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with.

About Great Place to Work®

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work® provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In the United States, Great Place to Work® produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For®" list and a series of Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces lists including lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small and Medium Companies and over a half dozen different industry lists.

About the REI Co-op