A year ago, workplaces throughout the Chicago area were riding high thanks to a long-running economic expansion. Our annual Top Workplaces report focused on how companies were hiring, rewarding and retaining employees who had opportunities elsewhere.
This year, the coronavirus pandemic has created harsh conditions for companies and their workers — reduced budgets, layoffs, pay cuts, sick employees and the isolation that can come when teams are scattered, with many employees working from home.
In addition, the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter movement have led to introspection within organizations about their diversity efforts.
Finding ways to maintain a company culture has required a new playbook.
On behalf of the Tribune, Energage of Exton, Pennsylvania, a workplace survey and improvement specialist, conducted an engagement survey of nominated Chicago-area employers with at least 100 employees. The surveys were conducted after the pandemic had dramatically changed working environments.
Working Lunch
To determine the winners, Energage undertook the scientific survey for its research purposes. The Tribune did not pay Energage. The Tribune used advertising to seek nominations. In total, 3,323 companies were invited to participate, compared with 3,095 in 2019.
Of those, 185 companies completed the survey (255 last year), allowing Energage to identify the top organizations, divided into three categories: small (fewer than 250 employees), midsize (250-999) and large (1,000 or more), the same divisions as previous surveys. The surveyed companies collectively employ 136,707 people in the Chicago area, of which 99,388 received surveys and 62,722 responded.
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Energage delivered the top results to the Tribune. The list of companies not designated a Top Workplace was kept confidential by Energage. The firm questioned employees using paper and online surveys.
Employees responded to a set of statements about their feelings toward their workplace, using a seven-point scale. The statements focused on issues such as leadership of the company, execution and connection. A numerical value was attached to each statement, allowing Energage to create an overall score for each company.
Afterward, Energage ran a series of statistical tests to look for any questionable results. The firm said it sometimes disqualifies a small number of employers based on these tests. The list is categorized by size because smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers.
— Mary Ellen Podmolik, director of content
Click to read more Top Workplaces coverage.