Bank of Hawaiʻi named to national list of best workplaces for parents, families

Bank of Hawaiʻi is the only Hawaiʻi-based company among 1,000 US businesses named to Newsweek’s “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Parents & Families 2026” list, the bank announced Friday.

The bank is one of 24 banks nationwide included in the ranking, which Newsweek published July 16. The full list is available on Newsweek’s website.

Newsweek compiled the ranking with market research firm Plant-A Insights Group as part of what the companies describe as one of the largest independent studies of working families in the country. The survey drew feedback from more than 300,000 working parents surveyed between 2022 and 2025, including a primary survey of more than 100,000 parents conducted between April and October 2025. Measured factors included backup child care, paid family leave exceeding federal minimums, adoption assistance, flexible spending account contributions and subsidized cryopreservation benefits, according to the release.

Sharlene Ginoza-Lee, chief people officer at Bank of Hawaiʻi, said the recognition reflects feedback from the bank’s own employees. “It speaks to a culture that puts people first and is especially meaningful because it reflects the voices of our own teammates,” she said.

The bank cited its paid parental leave policy and its scholarship program as examples of its family-focused benefits. Employees receive four to six weeks of paid leave, depending on years of service, which can be used within the first 12 months after the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child and does not have to be taken all at once.

The Bank of Hawaiʻi Foundation Scholarship, now in its 12th year, provides financial assistance to college-bound children and grandchildren of employees. Since the program began in January 2014, the foundation has awarded 317 scholarships totaling more than $1.1 million through program administrator Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.