When a company that builds benefits for hard-to-serve workforces—think staffing firms, restaurants, retail operations, and government contractors—gets recognized by its own employees as a top workplace, that’s worth paying attention to. That’s exactly what happened for Fringe Benefit Group (FBG), which has just been named one of Austin’s Top Workplaces for 2025 by the Austin American-Statesman.
FBG ranked 13th among mid-size companies (150–499 employees), earning its spot through completely anonymous employee feedback collected by Energage, the HR tech firm behind the nationwide Top Workplaces program. No executive lobbying, no marketing submissions—just culture scored by the people living it.
And for FBG, the recognition caps off an impressive award streak. The company also picked up four additional Top Workplaces honors this year, including:
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Top Workplaces USA for Remote Work
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Cultural Excellence Award for Appreciation
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Cultural Excellence Award for Employee Well-Being
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Cultural Excellence Award for Professional Development
For a company operating in industries where part-time, hourly, and contract work can make benefits notoriously difficult to administer, strong internal culture isn’t a given. Which is why this award says more than just “good place to work.” It signals that FBG’s growth and product innovation haven’t come at the cost of employee experience—a balance not every benefits provider can claim.
A Culture Built on Communication, Values, and Impact
Energage’s methodology looks at more than a dozen culture drivers, from clarity of mission to everyday manager communication to how empowered employees feel to innovate. FBG’s strong marks across these categories suggest a company that treats culture not as a branding exercise but as operational infrastructure.
“Our growth is a direct result of our outstanding employees, who embrace collaboration and teamwork to serve our clients,” said CEO Travis West. “Being recognized by our employees for our corporate culture is an incredible honor.”
West also pointed back to the company’s roots: FBG was founded in 1983 to support government contractors—an industry where compliance-heavy benefits administration is a constant headache. Over the years, FBG expanded into other sectors wrestling with similar challenges, especially employers with large hourly or part-time populations.
That mission-driven expansion has helped the company carve out a niche in benefits offerings that many traditional providers can’t (or don’t want to) handle. And according to its employees, FBG has managed that growth without diluting the culture built over four decades.
Why This Recognition Matters in Today’s HR Landscape
The Top Workplaces program doesn’t rank perks or policies—it ranks culture performance. Which means FBG’s recognition says as much about the company’s internal alignment as it does about employee satisfaction.
A few trends make this especially relevant:
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Competition for specialized HR talent is rising, especially in compliance-heavy sectors like benefits administration.
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Hybrid and remote expectations are reshaping employee experience, making recognition for remote-work culture a differentiator.
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Companies serving frontline or hourly workforces are being scrutinized for how well they treat their own people.
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Retention pressures are intensifying, and culture has become a measurable business driver, not a soft metric.
FBG sits at the intersection of all of these. Its culture awards don’t just look good—they signal organizational stability in a sector where clients increasingly expect their vendors to model the values they preach.
The Bottom Line
Fringe Benefit Group’s placement on the 2025 Austin Top Workplaces list isn’t just another badge—it’s validation from the people who directly shape the company’s products, service, and reputation. Coming off four additional culture-focused awards this year, FBG is positioning itself not only as a leader in benefits for hard-to-reach workforces, but also as an employer that invests seriously in its own.
At a time when HR leaders are scrutinizing vendor culture as closely as product capabilities, that’s a competitive advantage that could pay dividends well into 2025 and beyond.
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