Like your job? Nominate your employer as a Top Workplace

For the sixth consecutive year, the South Florida Sun Sentinel is inviting people to nominate their employers for the Top Workplace awards.

The recognition gives companies and nonprofit organizations a chance to boost employee engagement, attract and retain top talent and transform the workplace culture. More often than not, it means maintaining policies that recognize employee achievement, placing trust in what they do and giving meaningful consideration to their ideas.

“Top Workplaces put the employee at the center of things and focus on creating the right environment to unleash potential and inspire performance,” said Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage of Philadelphia, the Sun Sentinel’s research partner for Top Workplaces.

In 2000, it was management guru Peter Drucker who said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” That statement is even truer today.

The researchers at Energage have observed that we now work in a world where the best culture wins, not the best strategy. The business world is evolving so quickly that strategy or market position alone will no longer protect a business. It is only an engaged workforce and a vibrant workplace culture that will allow an organization to thrive.

Last year, the Sun Sentinel invited nearly 35,000 employees in South Florida to help identify the best places to work. Nearly 13,000 employees were surveyed, and 71 employers stood out on the Top Workplaces list.

The program is divided into three categories according to the number of people employed in the tri-county region: Small organizations have fewer than 125 employees in South Florida; midsize have 125-399; large have 400-plus.

The top-rated employers are honored in front of their peers during an awards luncheon.

For its efforts last year, the InterContinental Miami hotel won the large company category, mainly for placing high levels of trust in employees who serve the hotel’s guests. For Jamal Samad, a loss prevention supervisor, management’s faith keeps his attitude aloft on the job.

The search for a new round of winners for their achievements in 2019 starts this weekend.

To be considered, an employer must have 35 or more employees. The program is open to public and private companies, nonprofits and governmental organizations in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Energage will survey employees from August through November, using a 24-question survey covering their feelings about their organizations.

The time to enter is short: The deadline is Sept. 13.

To nominate an employer, go to sunsentinel.com/nominate or call 954-666-0786.