Retaining Talent: What Can Metals Companies Learn From The “Best Places To Work”?

Each year, Glassdoor publishes its highly anticipated Best Places to Work list, based on feedback from employees across the United States. In its 2025 report, the top 10 large U.S. companies are:

• Bain & Company
• Crew Carwash
• In‑N‑Out Burger
• NVIDIA
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Microsoft
• eXp Realty (4.5)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints
• RLI
• MathWorks

These organizations span industries as diverse as consulting, technology, healthcare, and service.

So, what can leaders in the metals industry learn from them?

10 Employee Retention Strategies For The Metals Industry

In my opinion, what sets these organizations apart is their outstanding employee retention practices. While not every strategy may apply to your business due to industry differences, these top-performing companies offer valuable inspiration. Below are ten employee retention strategies that have earned them a place among the best workplaces in the nation. If adapted properly to your context, these practices can help you build a high-performing, loyal workforce in an industry that often faces high turnover, aging talent, and skilled labor shortages.

Prioritize culture and mentorship. In high-pressure environments like consulting, employee satisfaction starts with culture. Bain & Company leads the list thanks to its employee-first philosophy. The firm fosters a cohesive, collaborative environment grounded in shared values, purpose, and belonging. The firm invests deeply in mentorship, coaching, and professional development. Despite the high demands of consulting, the company prioritizes work-life balance and well-being. In the metals industry, this could mean pairing new employees with seasoned tradespeople or offering structured mentoring programs for engineers and plant supervisors. 

Promote from within and recognize contributions. Crew Carwash excels by cultivating a promote-from-within culture — many leaders began in entry-level roles. The company invests in employee training, develops supportive managers, and fosters a fun, fast-paced work environment. Regular recognition and celebration of individual and team achievements help reinforce engagement. In manufacturing, this translates to recognizing line operators, welders, or maintenance technicians for excellence — and giving them a clear path to become lead hands, shift supervisors, or operations managers.

Offer competitive pay and career pathways. In-N-Out Burger addresses the challenges of a labor-intensive industry with some of the highest wages in fast food. Its simple, value-driven mission centers on quality and care. Strong leadership, well-structured onboarding, and clear advancement opportunities contribute to employee loyalty and low turnover. Metal companies can do the same by offering above-average pay for skilled trades, offering apprenticeships, and clearly outlining career development paths from the shop floor to supervisory or technical roles.

Empower with autonomy and innovation, At NVIDIA, employees are trusted to lead innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) and make an impact. CEO Jensen Huang is widely respected for his visionary, people-first leadership. The company encourages autonomy, respects expertise, and fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion. Employees feel energized to contribute to meaningful advancements in AI and computing. In the metals sector, empowerment might look like involving frontline employees in process improvement, lean initiatives, or safety innovations — tapping their expertise to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and improve quality.

Drive engagement through purpose and support, Eli Lilly and Company offers top-tier benefits, global mobility, and clear growth paths. Employees feel deeply connected to the organization’s mission of improving patient outcomes. A culture of integrity, science, and respect supports a strong sense of purpose and ethical responsibility. Like Eli Lilly that inspires its people with a mission to improve patient outcomes, metals companies can tie employee efforts to tangible, meaningful outcomes, such as building materials for critical infrastructures. Make the impact of their work visible and valued.

Foster learning and flexibility, Under the leadership of Satya Nadella, Microsoft has reshaped its culture around empathy and a growth mindset. Employees benefit from robust development tools and inclusive policies. The company also supports hybrid and remote work models and continues to invest in learning and career advancement. While remote work is limited in metals manufacturing, companies can offer flexible shifts, cross-training, tuition reimbursement, and certifications to promote employee growth.

Use technology to enable trust, and shared success. eXp Realty is a fully remote company that thrives on innovation and flexibility. Its cloud-based model supports autonomy and entrepreneurship. Employees and agents benefit from revenue-sharing programs, open communication, and a strong sense of community enabled by digital collaboration tools. Metals companies can apply similar principles by investing in modern shop-floor technology, digital dashboards for tracking performance, and clear, transparent communication from leadership about goals and results.

Align work with mission and values. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds retention through mission alignment, and by offering meaningful work rooted in faith and service. Its respectful, value-driven environment provides role clarity, job stability, and a sense of purpose. Employees feel they are contributing to something larger than themselves. In an industrial metals setting, this strategy can mean fostering a value-driven workplace where respect, integrity, and safety are non-negotiable — making employees feel part of a respected, skilled profession.

Boost satisfaction through trust-building and small-team dynamics. RLI combines the agility of a small company with the resources of a larger one. Its tight-knit culture emphasizes strong collaboration, high trust, and work flexibility. Employees enjoy a healthy work-life balance, remote options, and frequent recognition, along with opportunities for internal promotion and personal growth. RLI’s small-team approach and work-life flexibility resonate in the insurance world — and can work in metals too. Strong team bonds, flexible scheduling, and peer recognition create loyalty and a strong culture.

Promote deep, meaningful work in a knowledge-rich environment. MathWorks offers a calm, intellectually rich environment similar to an academic setting. Leadership prioritizes mentorship and long-term employee development. A culture of curiosity and respect supports meaningful work that fuels innovation in science, education, and engineering. Metals companies can adapt this approach by creating low-ego, high-performance teams, encouraging curiosity, and giving all workers a voice in solving complex operational and safety challenges.

Common Threads: What Do These Top 10 Organizations Share?

Despite operating in different sectors, these top 10 organizations excel in several core areas:

• Strong Leadership: Transparent, empathetic, and visionary
• Growth and Development: Clear career paths and ongoing learning
• Purpose and Values: Alignment with meaningful missions
• Employee Voice and Trust: High psychological safety and empowerment
• Recognition and Rewards: Fair compensation and regular appreciation
• Flexibility: Support for hybrid or remote work where applicable

Applying these common treads in metals context, this could mean:

• Strong Leadership: Clear expectations, walk-the-talk supervisors
• Career Development: Apprenticeships, skills training, upward mobility
• Purpose and Pride: Tie daily tasks to big-picture outcomes
• Employee Voice: Shop-floor inclusion in safety, lean, and process input
• Fair Compensation: Stay competitive in wage markets for skilled trades
• Flexibility: staggered shifts, four-day work weeks, cross-training

Final Thoughts For Metals Industry Leaders

Your retention strategy doesn’t have to look the same as discussed above, but the principles are universal. Whether you are responsible for a service center, production facility or corporate headquarters, the top 10 Best Places to Work show that valuing your people, investing in their growth, and giving them purpose and recognition pays off. Therefore, to become a top-tier retention organization, consider how your company can adopt and adapt these best-in-class practices. Focus on consistently delivering high-quality employee experiences across culture, leadership, compensation, and career development. In doing so, you’ll not only improve retention — but also create a workplace where people genuinely want to stay and grow.

Jia Wang is a professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on international and national human resource development, organization crisis management, and learning within organizations.