It wasn't remotely close. This employer took home over 64% of all first-place votes, making this the largest landslide in the history of the competition.
The story is truly awful.
When Hurricane Helene hit Tennessee this past October, it brought devastating floods to the Nolichucky River—and an even more devastating loss of life to six employees of Impact Plastics.
This wasn't just a natural disaster. It was a failure of leadership, safety, and basic humanity.
Impact Plastics earned its win as 2024’s Worst Employer because of what it did—and didn't do—during the storm:
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That's a wrap on 2024's contest. A huge thank you to everyone who sent me nominees throughout the year, and to all of you who voted.
For those employers that did not win this year, remember, there are no real winners, because at the end of the day you're all losers.
I'll be back in a few weeks to start compiling 2025's list.
Finally, if you're making a new year's resolution, think about learning from all of the prior nominees and staying off my list.
When Hurricane Helene hit Tennessee this past October, it brought devastating floods to the Nolichucky River—and an even more devastating loss of life to six employees of Impact Plastics.
This wasn't just a natural disaster. It was a failure of leadership, safety, and basic humanity.
Impact Plastics earned its win as 2024’s Worst Employer because of what it did—and didn't do—during the storm:
🏆 Ignored Flood Warnings: With forecasts predicting catastrophic flooding, most responsible employers would have evacuated their workers. Impact Plastics? They chose to keep the factory running. Why? To keep production rolling—at all costs.
🏆 No Escape Plan: As floodwaters rushed in, employees were trapped inside the factory with no emergency protocols in place. One worker's final text to their family was, "Can’t get out. I love u alllll." Six employees died because their employer failed them.
🏆 Failure to Report: After the tragedy, reports are that Impact Plastics didn't notify state regulators about these workplace fatalities, a failure to be accountable even after such a heartbreaking loss.
In other words, this is quite the deserving victory.
Here are the full results:
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For those employers that did not win this year, remember, there are no real winners, because at the end of the day you're all losers.
I'll be back in a few weeks to start compiling 2025's list.
Finally, if you're making a new year's resolution, think about learning from all of the prior nominees and staying off my list.