Best Cannabis Companies to Work For — 2026 Now Open for Entries

Cannabis Business Times is pleased to announce that its seventh annual Best Cannabis Companies to Work For awards program, which identifies and recognizes the best employers in the industry, is now accepting entries. The program is open to all cannabis businesses, including plant-touching operators and ancillary companies based in the U.S. or Canada.

“We launched the Best Cannabis Companies to Work For program in 2020 to put a spotlight on companies that have created positive workplaces,” said Noelle Skodzinski, Cannabis Business Times founder and editorial director. “The industry’s rapid growth as legalization spread created great opportunity but also challenges for employers. Job-hopping was and still is very common, as employees search for better places to work.”

“Retail, cultivation, and manufacturing experience the highest turnover rates,” according to the “2023 Vangst Salary Guide.”

In cannabis retail, turnover rates reached 59% in the U.S. and 60% in Canada­ during a 12-month period between 2021 and 2022, according to Headset data.

“Amid high turnover, companies continue to struggle to retain top talent, and they spend a lot of time and money trying to recruit and train new employees,” Skodzinski said. “The Best Cannabis Companies to Work For program was designed to call out top employers and their best practices, giving those companies the recognition they deserve, and helping others learn how to create supportive, engaging work environments, while helping industry employees find great places to work.” Root & Bloom ranked No. 1 in the 2024 Best Cannabis Companies To Work For – Cultivation list. CEO Tom Regan, left, and VP of Cultivation William Windham, photographed at the Root & Bloom cultivation facility in January 2024. Photo by Cynthia August

And the need for creating engaging work environments has only increased for all businesses. In 2024, the percentage of employees who are engaged at their jobs dropped to a 10-year low, according to a Gallup report.

Employee engagement is important beyond being a way to reduce turnover, however. Highly engaged employees achieve greater productivity and profitability, and higher customer loyalty/engagement, among other things, per Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement Survey. They also achieve less employee theft, and fewer quality defects, according to the survey.

In addition to entering to gain recognition for being great places to work, all companies that enter, whether they rank as a ‘Best Company’ or not, also have the ability to purchase from the Workforce Research Group an Employee Feedback Data Dashboard, which provides aggregated employee feedback and benchmarks to help the companies identify ways to improve their work environments and better engage employees.PayRio ranked in the No. 1 spot on the Best Cannabis Companies to Work For – 2025 list. Pictured are team members at Hall of Flowers in Santa Rosa, Calif.Photo courtesy PayRio

Cannabis businesses can enter to be a Best Cannabis Company here. The registration deadline is Oct. 3.

About Cannabis Business Times’ Best Cannabis Companies to Work For Rankings
The Best Cannabis Companies to Work For is a research-driven program conducted by Cannabis Business Times in partnership with independent research firm Workforce Research Group. Entering companies must complete an employer questionnaire about their workplace benefits and practices, and a certain percentage of their employees must complete an anonymous employee questionnaire.

One of the things that makes the Best Cannabis Companies to Work For rankings unique is the methodology, which heavily weighs (80% of a company’s total score) the employee feedback.

Ranking companies are featured by Cannabis Business Times and are able to display the program logo on their websites and in recruiting and marketing materials.

For more information, visit the Best Cannabis Companies to Work For — 2026 website.  

View ranking companies from Cannabis Business Times‘ Best Cannabis Companies to Work For —  2025 here.