Employees say:
"CarMax is very much driven to create a welcoming and associate-first culture. I am confident that company leadership wants to create a company and business model that is ethical and respects customers and employees, instead of chasing short term profitability."
This is the 20th year that CarMax, a used autos retailer, has appeared on the list.
The company has started using AI to support business processes and consumer-facing content, such as car reviews, to help free up employees' time. In addition, CarMax is using AI to power multiple customer experiences, such as giving online offers to customers to sell their car to CarMax in minutes, and providing personalized car recommendations to help customers buy their next car from CarMax quickly. CarMax also invests in its virtual AI assistant, Skye, to help streamline its customer experience centers and support customers as they are shopping, through steps like vehicle shipping and appointment preparation and management.
For CarMax, community involvement is big. One of its longest-lasting key relationships is with KABOOM!, an accredited charity that builds playgrounds in underfunded and underinvested communities. Since the partnership formed in 2011, more than 11,000 employees have come together to build 206 play spaces.
The no-haggle retailer of used autos is appearing on the Best Companies to Work For list for the 19th time this year.
- New hires receive a warm welcome even before their first day. As soon as someone accepts a job offer, the team leader calls to welcome them, and a mentor calls to answer any questions they might have before they start.
- Elaborate onboarding includes making sure new hires have clear direction about their schedule and are provided with smaller details, such as where they should park and what restaurants are nearby, before their first day.
- Workers can utilize the CarMax Connect web platform to get personalized information, aggregated news, and useful company resources.
- “It's the first company that I've worked for that makes you feel the company puts its employees first, and truly understands that it's the sum of its parts that make up the whole,” said one employee. “They're also very understanding when it comes to personal issues getting in the way of work and allowing you to take time off to address them, and not make you feel like you're letting the whole company down for doing so.”
Employees say:
"I truly feel I am an equal employee. This is the first place that I have worked at where all of management makes you feel equal to them. There are no favorites here, which makes it a very relaxed, amazing place to work."
CarMax, the nation’s leading used-car retailer, believes that good customer service begins with treating employees right. At the peak of the pandemic, every CarMax manager met with their associates to help them balance work and family life. As a result, some employees were able to modify their schedules or take a leave of absence that enabled them to continue receiving benefits. And CarMax aims to hold itself to a high standard; associates with concerns over safety or ethics are encouraged to speak up via an open door policy. “The most amazing thing about working here is our managers genuinely care about us,” says one employee. “They will put in extra time and effort to help us with anything we need, even if it’s something in our personal life.”
Employees say:
“I feel that everyone here is welcoming and accepting of everyone. We are encouraged to develop relationships within our department as well as others. We are empowered to make decisions we feel are necessary in the moment whether it is business or customer related. I can be myself at work and that is a great feeling. I feel people have the best interests of everyone on a personal as well as professional level.”
