West Arete Honored as Top Workplace

State College-based software development company West Arete was recognized recently for creating the most positive impact for their workers based on an independent assessment administered by the nonprofit B Lab.

West Arete — which builds custom software for companies, foundations and nonprofit organizations — was honored in the Best for Workers list, which includes businesses that earned a Workers score in the top 10 percent of more than 2,100 Certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment. The assessment measures a company’s impact on its workers, community, customers and the environment. To certify as B Corporations, companies like West Arete must complete the full assessment and have their answers verified by B Lab.

“We have always felt a strong sense of purpose in the work that we do,” Scott Woods, president of West Arete, said in a release. “We stood by our team through thick and thin, both as individuals and as a company. We’ve all made sacrifices for each other—some of which would be unconventional for a conventional business. Being on the Best for the World list confirms to our team that what they’ve accomplished so far is truly remarkable.”

Since the company’s inception 12 years ago, Woods said West Arete has strived to create a business that is good for the world. The company is a member of 1% For The Planet, a bike friendly business and works primarily on projects for the public good. 

West Arête is pioneering a program in which every employee is given a one-month paid sabbatical each year. Woods spoke about developing the process at TEDxPSU earlier this year.

The Workers section of the B Impact Assessment assesses the company’s relationship with its workforce. It measures how the company treats its workers through compensation, benefits, training and ownership opportunities provided to workers. The category also focuses on the overall work environment within the company by assessing management/worker communication, job flexibility, corporate culture, and worker health and safety practices. Honorees scoring in the top 10 percent set a gold standard for the high impact that business as a force for good can make on employees around the world. 

The 148 Best for Workers companies come from 61 different industries and 21 countries. B Lab simultaneously released separate lists recognizing B Corporations as Best for the World (overall impact), Best for the Environment, Best for Customers, Best for the Long Term, Best for Community and Best for the World: Changemakers, which can be found at https://www.bthechange.com.

“Companies like West Arete are setting a new standard for creating positive impact for employees through their business,” Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab, said. “We’re proud to shine a light on their achievement. Best for the World is the only list of businesses making the greatest positive impact that uses comprehensive, comparable, third-party-validated data about a company’s social and environmental performance.”