Hiring is hard. Keeping great people is harder.
Colorado’s top employers know that retention isn’t a one-time fix; it’s a daily practice. The companies landing on this year’s Top Workplaces list have a common thread: they don’t just offer good jobs. They build environments where talented people see a future and choose to stay.
The data backs them up. Companies that introduced hybrid policies . Organizations that required just one day in the office reported a 41% average increase in retention.
But the employers doing it best go well beyond flexible schedules. They’re tracking feedback, rewarding performance, developing managers, and tying every employee’s work back to a mission that actually matters.
Culture isn’t a poster on the wall
Every company talks about culture. The ones that get it right make it tangible.
At Luminate Bank, CEO Marc Campbell says values have to show up in behavior, not just in mission statements.
“Our values guide how teams collaborate, serve customers, and support one another,” Campbell says.
Every month, Luminate employees nominate colleagues for Core Values recognition, publicly calling out team members who demonstrate the behaviors leadership wants to see more of. “That consistent recognition reinforces our mission,” Campbell says.
Bloom Healthcare takes a similar approach. The Denver-area home health company embeds its values in the employee experience from day one.
Core values are a daily reminder in its workplaces, and the organization formally celebrates standout contributors through the annual Core Value Awards, which honor Innovation, Excellence, Commitment, and Integrity.
Jessica Maslow, Bloom’s SVP of Human Resources, says the company has moved deliberately away from reactive retention toward a proactive, experience-driven approach. “We focus on engagement, career growth, and culture from Day 1,” Maslow says.
Madison & Co. Properties runs on what it calls a “We vs. Me” philosophy. Operations manager Liliana Mendez says that mindset drives how leadership communicates, how teams collaborate and how the company recognizes contributions.
“Our family-oriented culture plays a meaningful role in retention,” Mendez says. “We genuinely care about our people, and that feeling of connection and support has been key to keeping our team strong.”
Listening isn’t enough — acting on it is
Colorado’s best workplaces don’t just survey their employees. They do something with the results.
Elevations Credit Union runs a twice-annual engagement survey using the Gallup Q12 model. Shannon Sackmann, the credit union’s Manager of Workforce Strategy, says the results directly shape how leadership responds.
Changes that came directly from employee input include a new flexible time-off policy for on-site workers, an expanded parental leave program and better coffee in the break rooms.
“If they have pain points or frustrations, ideas, or opportunities for improvement, employees can submit their ideas to a continuous improvement team who researches and prioritizes feedback for implementation,” Sackmann says.
Scrum Alliance uses quarterly pulse surveys and annual Stay Interviews to stay ahead of emerging concerns. When employees say they want more connection in the remote-first environment, leadership didn’t wait for the next planning cycle.
They scheduled a virtual game event during work hours. Scrum Alliance CEO Tristan Boutros says the approach is simple: “By actively listening and taking action on feedback, we ensure our culture evolves in ways that support connection, engagement and employee satisfaction.”
Luminate Bank routes anonymous employee feedback directly to its full leadership team for quarterly review. Campbell says that practice isn’t accidental; it’s about accountability at the top.
The bank introduced quarterly welcome calls for new hires and monthly divisional calls, following employee requests for greater visibility into leadership and clearer communication across the organization. “Employees feel more informed, more connected to leadership, and more engaged in the direction of the company,” Campbell says.
The Nakupuna Companies took a similar path. After engagement survey results flagged confusion around hybrid work expectations, the leadership team dug into the data and developed clearer guidance while preserving flexibility at the team level.
Andy Minor, a project management professional at Nakupuna, says the outcome was clear: employees gained clarity, teams maintained flexibility, and satisfaction improved.
Alignment: making the mission mean something
People stay where their work feels purposeful and where they understand how their efforts contribute to the organization’s mission. Colorado’s top workplaces invest in making that connection explicit so employees perceive the direct impact of their roles.
Elevations Credit Union reinforces its core purpose: “Together, we create solutions for a better life,” through executive-led sessions, monthly CFO broadcasts, and a disciplined strategic planning process.
Kathleen Hoxworth, the credit union’s SVP of People, says leadership cascades finalized strategic plans through a roadshow format so that every employee can connect their daily work to the company’s priorities. “This disciplined, transparent process ensures that strategy is translated into action at every level,” Hoxworth says.
At Nakupuna, Minor says leaders don’t just communicate strategy, they show employees how their contributions move the needle.
“Employees understand not just what we do, but why it matters,” he says. The company’s multi-year strategic plan provides teams with a shared framework for setting aligned goals, which managers then translate into individual objectives during frequent check-ins.
Scrum Alliance holds quarterly team planning sessions where employees review current strategies, track progress, and see directly how their work connects to company objectives.
Boutros says the practice builds ownership. “It fosters a sense of ownership and reinforces our culture of collaboration, transparency, and shared purpose,” he says.
Coaching makes managers worth having
Great managers don’t happen by accident. The state’s top employers train, equip, and hold them accountable.
Bloom Healthcare built its Learn, Empower, Advance, Develop program specifically to grow leaders at every career stage.
The program runs alongside peer coaching, mentorship for new hires, and real-time development conversations embedded in day-to-day management.
Maslow says the goal is to build leaders who are “thoughtful and accountable” rather than relying on natural ability. “Great leadership is built, not assumed,” she says.
At Elevations, managers aren’t just expected to supervise, they’re expected to develop.
Maura Horn, the credit union’s VP of Talent Management, says the organization teaches managers how to give feedback and how to coach when feedback alone hasn’t changed behavior.
At least once a quarter, managers discuss personal and professional development with their team members. Twice a year, they dig into career aspirations. One-third of positions at Elevations get filled internally, a direct reflection of that investment.
Luminate Bank uses a formal performance management system built around quarterly goal-setting and semi-annual reviews, which combine results assessment with career development conversations.
“Managers play an active role in supporting employee growth through consistent coaching and structured feedback,” Campbell says. That cadence means employees always know where they stand and where they’re headed.
Scrum Alliance assigns every new hire a mentor and gives them direct access to the Head of HR during their first three months. The check-ins aren’t performative. They’re built into the calendar as a structured way to catch problems early and make sure new employees feel set up to succeed.
Retention is a strategy, not a reaction
The employers rising to the top of Colorado’s workplace rankings share one core belief: you can’t retain people you don’t understand.
West+Main, a Colorado real estate brokerage, keeps it direct. Founder and CMO Madeline Linder says the company has continually prioritized keeping great people over recruiting replacements.
“Our top priority is keeping the incredible agents we have on our roster, and ensuring they have the tools and support they need to keep serving their clients,” Linder says.
That philosophy scales. Whether it’s Nakupuna operating across the continental U.S. and Hawaii, or Bloom Healthcare caring for seniors in Colorado homes, the best employers start with the same question: what do our people actually need?
Then they build toward the answer using surveys, coaching managers, recognition programs that mean something, and mission statements that employees can feel in their daily work.
The ping-pong tables were never the point. Connection, purpose, growth, and trust; that’s what keeps top talent from walking out the door.
