Vehicle subscription provider Fair describes itself as a “forward-thinking alternative to traditional car ownership.” The company offers an app that lets buyers shop, get approved and pay for their next car, all on their phones.

Apparently, the company uses that same forward thinking in the area of employee engagement.

Inc. magazine named Fair as one of its Best Workplaces for 2019. Fair said in a news release that in compiling its list of top workplaces, Inc. viewed nearly 2,000 submissions from private American companies, measuring metrics such as employee engagement, employee benefits and quality of company culture.

“In a tight labor market, these businesses are out to nab top-performing employees by making life on the job ever more rewarding,” Inc. said in announcing the winners. 

Fair has been named to the list of 346 finalists. Also named to Inc.’s list was Podium, an interaction platform built for businesses with a physical location. It enables customers to connect via text or messaging platforms.

According to Fair, Inc.’s goal was to identify companies that are the “best-of-the-best” at creating a supportive and engaging workplace where employees can thrive.

Inc. and Omaha’s Quantum Workplace identified some common themes in what makes a great workplace. Among the Best Workplaces 2019 finalists:

—99 percent provide health insurance — and some cover the cost
—49 percent allow employees to bring pets to work
—65 percent take employees to offsite retreats to relax and recharge
—16 percent offer paid sabbaticals to reward length of service

To identify its Best Workplaces, Inc. required each nominated company to complete an employee survey, conducted by Omaha’s Quantum Workplace, The employee survey covered topics such as employees’ confidence in their company's future, management effectiveness, employee perks, and employees’ level of trust in their company. Inc. then ranked all the employers based on a composite score of the survey results. According to the surveys, 74.2% of employees surveyed were engaged by their work. That number was an increase of over 72.1% from the prior year.

Companies with the highest employee engagement scores made strong efforts in putting the human elements of work at the center of their company culture, according to Fair. Those elements included diversity, employee recognition, and performance management. “Attracting and retaining top talent in today's competitive labor market requires a more holistic and human-centered approach,” Fair said in a news release.

The full report will be available in the June 2019 issue of Inc., which hits newsstands on May 28, and on Inc.com.

“All of us at Fair are delighted and excited to be honored by Inc. magazine as one of the Best Workplaces of 2019," Fair founder and chief executive officer Scott Painter said. “Here at Fair, our mission is to change the way people get access to cars by treating people fairly in all aspects of the process. We have worked to create a company culture that reflects that same core principle of fairness and want everyone on the team to feel seen and heard and know that their contributions are making a difference.”

Participating companies in the Best Workplaces 2019 survey were required to have a minimum of 10 employees and be U.S.-based, privately held and independent— not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.