The 2025 Just Report has arrived, and it offers fresh insights into how fair policies and people-centered practices drive stronger, more resilient organizations. The data is clear: workplaces that prioritize respect, opportunity, and transparency are good for employees and great for business.
Commissioned by Living Future, creators of the “Just label,” the 2025 Just Report profiles a select group of firms that are leading the way toward more open and responsible workplace cultures. We are proud that Neumann Monson Architects was featured among these firms as an example of fairness, shared leadership, and a culture where anyone can thrive.
Since receiving our first Just label, we’ve improved several metrics in employee experience and health, and we continue to see the benefits of using our label as a tool for growth. What started as a framework for self-assessment at Neumann Monson has evolved into a cornerstone of our of culture.
“We’ve seen real change from this process,” says Tim Schroeder, President of Neumann Monson. “The Just framework gave us language and structure to keep improving. It keeps us accountable to be the kind of firm we want to be.”
Empowering People at Every Level
When employees can feel their impact on the company, they bring more enthusiasm and engagement to their work overall. The Just Report emphasizes the importance of this type of employee engagement. Collecting and sharing knowledge from all experience levels helps companies stay agile and brings employees together as they strive to make their workplace better.
The report highlights our internal team model, which consists of small, cross-disciplinary groups focused on design excellence, client experience, and employee experience. These teams decentralize decision-making, giving everyone a role in shaping firm initiatives.
The strategic teams and our Just label also aid in recruitment. “With the younger generations, we’re seeing a drive [for] greater social good,” says Nick Lindsley, Principal. “The Just label has . . . given us a vocabulary to talk to our candidates about topics related to social good that is very appealing and helps us find alignment more quickly.”
Tangible Benefits for Businesses
Studies cited in the Just Report show that teams with a broad range of perspectives, healthy cultures, and high engagement outperform peers across nearly every financial metric, from profitability to valuation. Happier employees deliver stronger client outcomes, more innovation, and better long-term resilience.
Firms that display a Just label also stand out to clients and investors. In sectors like architecture, having a Just label signals integrity and alignment between values and design goals. Several firms featured in the report noted that including their Just label in proposals has helped them win new work and attract partnerships with mission-aligned clients.
At Neumann Monson, we use our Just label to make sure our goals align with our clients. During project interviews, we highlight our label and our strong commitment to the social values of our company.
“We think that cultivating this . . . culture makes our actual design work better.” says Lyndley Kent, Principal. “It results in better outcomes for our clients. Everything feeds into each other.”
Continuing Improvement
While we’re very pleased with the improvements we’ve made to our Just label, we also understand that it’s only a starting point, not a final score. Companies can always look for ways to improve employee wellness, enhance work-life balance, and continue fair business practices. A Just label is a way for companies to look in the mirror and see where they can better align their practices with their mission.
In the spirit of the Just label, we assess our policies and practices annually to push for a fair and transparent future for our employees and the communities we serve. We are proud to have contributed some of our experiences to the 2025 Just Report, and we hope it encourages other businesses, in architecture and beyond, to consider the benefits of building companies around their people.
You can view any company’s Just label on Living Future’s database, including ours.
You can also download and read the full 2025 Just Report at no cost from the Living Future Marketplace. And if you think your business would benefit from receiving a Just label, you can read our article with tips and recommendations about the process.