Annual Application: How To Apply

Annual Application Frequently Asked Questions

For assistance with the Annual Application or to learn more about our initiatives, please email [email protected].

How do I register for the Annual Application? 

Registration for the 2025 Annual Application opens in early November 2024. All companies that register in advance will receive their survey link when the application opens. If you register after the application opens, please allow three business days for your registration to be processed and a survey link to be sent to you. Each company receives one survey link sent to one primary point of contact (PPC). This can be shared internally but we recommend one person working in the application at a time. If you register, you are not obligated to apply. 

I haven’t received my individual survey link. Who do I contact? 

If you registered but haven’t received your link, please email [email protected]

What is the deadline to submit information to the Annual Application? 

The application opens on December 10, 2024 and closes on March 15, 2025.

What lists am I able to apply to through the Annual Application? 

The annual application includes access to: The annual application includes access to: 100 Best Companies, Best Companies for Multicultural Women, Top Companies for Executive Women, the Inclusion Index, and the #Inclusive100 Marketing, Media, and Ad Tech Survey. You will be able to choose which you are interested in applying for at the beginning of the application, and questions will automatically filter accordingly. YOU MUST SELECT YOUR INITIATIVES IN THE “INITIATIVE SELECTION” IN ORDER TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION. PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.

What is the output for the Annual Application? 

All companies that apply, including those that don’t make a list or the indexes, receive a confidential and free scorecard. Notifications will be sent to the individual listed in the application as the primary point of contact (PPC). Individual company results will remain confidential. An in-depth benchmarking report of your results compared to the winning companies and a competitive set is available at an additional cost.

Is there a cost associated with the Annual Application? 

There is no cost to apply.  

What is the eligibility to apply? 

Eligibility for the Marketing, Media, & Ad Tech Index is at least 250 U.S. employees.

Eligibility for 100 Best Companies, Best Companies for Multicultural Women, Top Companies for Executive Women, and Inclusion Index is at least 500 U.S. employees.

At least two weeks of parental leave for 100 Best Companies, and two women on the board of directors/governing board for Top Companies for Executive Women.

When will I receive the results? 

Annual Application

• Application opens: December 10, 2024
• Application closes: March 14, 2025

Best Companies for Multicultural Women

• Companies Notified: April 24, 2025
• Embargo dates: June 5, 2025

100 Best Companies

• Companies Notified: June 3, 2025
• Embargo dates: July 29, 2025

Inclusion Index

• Companies Notified: July 8, 2025
• Embargo dates: August 19, 2025

Top Companies for Executive Women

• Companies Notified: July 31, 2025
• Embargo dates: September 9, 2025

#Inclusive100 Marketing, Media, & Ad Tech Survey

• Companies Notified: August 20, 2025
• Embargo dates: TBA

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Best Law Firms

• Application opens: November 12, 2024
• Application closes: February 3, 2025
• Companies Notified: April 15, 2025
• Embargo dates: May 28, 2025

Global Inclusion Index

• Application opens: January 28, 2025
• Application closes: June 6, 2025
• Companies Notified: August 27, 2025
• Embargo dates: October 7, 2025

What information is published? Will it be known if I don’t make the list? 

The identity of applicants will be kept confidential. Companies that don’t make a list or index will never be revealed. For those companies that appear on a list and with prior approval from the company, we may disclose and make public on an identifiable basis their application data, information about why such companies were selected for the list and how they scored in work life and women’s issues. This information may include, but is not limited to, female representation and roles, women’s initiatives, workplace culture, benefits, parental leave and childcare policies, networking, flexibility, mentoring, compensation, partnership, advancement, and policies, programs and usage rates. (Individual company data is not publicized for the Inclusion Index and is reported on an aggregate and/or non-identifiable basis.)

How do I license the logo for the list my company made? 

For logo licensing information, please contact your Relationship Manager or Lauren Scarcello.

Can you provide the Annual Application to me in an Excel file? 

If you need an excel version of the application and/or a guide highlighting the changes from 2024 to 2025’s application, please contact [email protected].

Am I able to print a copy of the Annual Application? 

A link to download a Word copy of the survey is located at the top of the first page of the online application as well as at the bottom of any page of the application. You can print each screen but the system can’t print your application mid-process. Work on the Word or Excel version before inputting all the data.

Can I submit my information via email? 

No, your data must be submitted via the online application. 

How do I review my submission? 

To review your submission, you must use the Table of Contents (TOC). After submission, the PPC listed will receive a confirmation email that includes responses recorded and a link that will enable you to print.

Do I need to fill out the questions all at once? 

No, the application automatically saves your answers that were recorded and picks up from where the last user left off. You can save your data at any time by clicking the SAVE AND CONTINUE button at the bottom of each page. Once your data is saved, you can close your session and all of your data will be available at your next visit to the application.

How do I answer questions about things we do not track? 

If you do not track some of the information, we ask for you to submit conservative estimates but only with the following stipulations: the estimate must be made by someone in a position to do so with high confidence, and the estimate must be equally acceptable to the firm in making important business decisions. If you still find that you cannot answer a particular question, please leave it blank. Please use zero (0) only where your answer is actually zero (0).

Can I submit data from previous years? 

Use only 2024 data (preferable), or the last 12-month period for which you have complete information. All data reported must be from the same 12-month period.

Can I submit data from offices outside the U.S.? 

If your firm has offices outside the U.S., only provide data with respect to your U.S. offices. U.S. territories can be included.

What is the best way for me to be inputting the data? 

Use only WHOLE NUMBERS without dollar signs ($), percent signs (%), commas (,) or periods (.); round all dollar figures to the nearest dollar.

What does “total number” mean? 

For this survey, “total number” refers to all full and part-time employees. Include all active and on-leave employees on your payroll as of the end of 2024. If you have no employees in a category, enter a zero (0).

What is the “Workforce profile”?  

Workforce profile is broken up into corporate executives (your company’s highest and senior tier/level, for example, c-suite or most senior executive), senior managers (direct reports to corporate executives or applicable title), managers (direct reports to senior managers or applicable title), and non-managers (your company’s lowest tier/level by job level, pay grade and/or responsibility whether or not they have supervisory or management responsibility).

Are written comments at the end of each section required? 

At the end of each section there is space for written comments. This area is not required, is not scored and bears no reflection on your score or rank. Your response here should be limited to 1,000 characters.

Are the essays scored? 

The essays are not scored and will only be viewed if your firm is a winner. 

Is my link broken? I don’t see the right questions. 

If you do not see the questions for the initiative you are applying for you must return to the beginning of the survey to OPT into the desired initiatives to gain access to those questions. Your link is unique to your company however it is not preset with the initiatives you’re interested in. The questions you see by default are general questions asked of everyone regardless of initiative. The section “Initiative Selection” before “Company Profile” will allow you to choose the initiative(s).

• Reminder: if you opt into a new initiative while you’re already mid-process of filling out the application you will have to double check each previous page for any new questions that would have appeared. Please make use of the word doc/excel file among your team while collecting data and please opt into your desired initiatives before you begin to ease any technical hiccups.

Why is the survey skipping questions I haven’t answered yet? 

If you can’t access a certain page or unable to click back into a section from the TOC it means those questions/section aren’t applicable for either the initiative you’ve selected or based on how you answered previous questions. If you’re not participating in all five initiatives, you might notice that the numbering of questions presented to you makes very large jumps in some areas–it’s simply moving you past a series of questions that don’t apply to you.     

The table of contents (TOC) will check off a page once you’ve clicked through it. Thisindicates that you have clicked through a section but does not indicate that you have completed a section.The survey will automatically take you to the last page opened regardless of who accessed it and/or if the question has been answered. Please be sure to review each checked section to ensure you have answered all relevant questions.

My page is locked and I cannot access the table of contents (TOC). 

If you’ve hit a mandatory question, you must first answer the question in order to navigate to another page regardless of if you are ready to answer the question. If you’ve hit a mandatory page towards the end of the application you MUST fill out the prompt in order to move forward, for example, the Terms of Agreement. Signing will NOT submit your application but will unlock the page to allow you to navigate back to the TOC. Please follow the instructions on how to navigate back to your application from any of these final submission pages. The application will ONLY be submitted if you are on the FINAL page titled “SUBMIT.”

What if I accidentally submitted when I wasn’t ready?  

We recommend one person input the data to cut down on accidental submits. There is a final Review page at the very end of the application. Unless you click the final SUBMIT button on that page, you do not have to worry about accidentally submitting.

What is the math validation page? 

As part of the online application process every company has the opportunity to review, address, and fix any mathematical inconsistencies prior to submitting. These validation pages will live at the end of the survey and can be accessed at any point during the survey. Each of the initiatives has its own page and will appear based upon how you answered the Initiative Selection question. On each initiative validation page, the applicable questions will be checked that pertain to that initiative.  Please note that most questions appear in multiple initiatives. Therefore, if a question is flagged as incorrect in one initiative, you may see it flagged again on other validation pages where that question appears. If any errors are identified, use the Table of Contents along the left side of the application to navigate back to the page where the counts are reported. Make your corrections and return to the math validation tables to confirm that there are no more errors.

What if I cannot fix the math validation? 

You will still be able to submit your application regardless of the math validation error. Some questions need to be less than or equal to a number or add up to a number provided by the company in order for the validation to pass.

What time will the survey close? 

You will have the full day in your respective time zone to submit your application on the due date. Please do not wait until the last day to input your data. Allow yourself the week to finalize your application. Anticipate you’ll hit a technical snafu and will need our immediate assistance. This will help us better serve you within a realistic turnaround.