Nominations sought for the Baltimore region’s top workplaces

Most Americans spend roughly a third of their working years on the job, so shouldn’t we all work somewhere that challenges and rewards and feels worthwhile?

At a time when the unemployment rate in Maryland has fallen to 4.6 percent, below the national average, and competition for qualified workers is heating up, many workplaces are looking for an edge in the hiring market.

For the past five years, The Baltimore Sun Media Group’s Top Workplaces has showcased companies in the region that demonstrably can call themselves the region’s top places to work. Their employees say they enjoy going to work and use words like “team” and even “family” to describe their sense of belonging.

The Sun is now seeking nominations for its sixth annual list of the region’s top workplaces.

Last year, 100 companies were recognized as Top Workplaces in the Baltimore region, encompassing the city and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.

For 2015, newcomers to The Sun’s Top Workplaces topped the lists for large, midsize and small employers. Rummel Klepper & Kahl, an engineering and planning firm, topped last year’s list for large employers. NFM Lending, a Linthicum-based mortgage lender, ranked No. 1 among midsize employers. And Visionist Inc., a cybersecurity firm in Columbia, was atop the small-business list.

Despite the emergence of newcomers on the list, many participants are repeat winners: big companies such as publisher Agora Inc. and nursing home operator Future-Care, midsize organizations like the McDonogh School and small firms including Intelli-genesis, Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis and CollabraSpace. Does your company have what it takes to make the list or even top it in 2016?

Anyone can suggest a company — employees, customers, executives, even interns. It doesn’t matter if the workplace is profit or nonprofit, privately owned or publicly held. Companies must employ at least 35 people to qualify.

Employees of nominated firms that choose to participate will be asked to respond to a short survey this summer by The Sun’s partner, Workplace Dynamics, which has conducted Top Workplace surveys for more than 30 news organizations across the country.

The surveys will be used to rank the top companies. Winners will be announced at an event and featured in a special magazine in early December.

To nominate a company, go to baltimoresun.com/nominate or call 410-779-9337.

Nominations are due July 15. What are you waiting for?