Does your company have what it takes to be a Top Workplace?
Entering its ninth year, Top Workplaces has a respected track record of recognizing the best and most rewarding work environments for employees throughout the greater Bay Area. The recognition provides tremendous value for the companies, their employees and job seekers desiring to work for the best and brightest the Bay Area has to offer.
Want to know what’s really great? Nominating your company is 100 percent free.
Companies that have been crowned one of the Top Workplaces have thoroughly demonstrated a commitment to their employees and local communities through various charitable and volunteer initiatives. The award is not only a great way to keep current employees happy, but also a way to recruit some of the finest talent from around the globe.
The convenient part? It only takes a few minutes of your time and zero of your budget to begin the Top Workplace nomination process. That means the time investment can really pay off — imagine the perks you could see.
Don’t take our word for it though. Find out what these previous Top Workplace winners have to say about what it takes to excel:
Arista Networks
The Arista culture is vibrant, creative and full of positive energy. In 2016, we achieved epic milestones of more than $1 billion in revenue, more than 1,500 employees and over 10 million cloud networking ports shipped. Perhaps one of the strongest values Arista employees embrace is the work/life balance. In addition to company-sponsored food, drinks and socials every Friday, there are annual picnics, holiday gatherings and other social activities. Wellness workshops and fairs and a nearby fitness center encourage a focus on the health and well-being of all Arista employees.
CD & Power
We foster a team atmosphere, set high expectations of one another, then provide encouragement, support, ideas and resources — simple. Every winter we develop an annual theme for the company to rally around that reflects our values. In our monthly all-hands meetings, we revisit that theme to keep us all focused on our commitments to one another and to our customers. In those same meetings, staff members acknowledge their co-workers by issuing “PHDs” — examples of when others exhibited the Positive, Honest and Dedicated qualities we value. We track how often each team member receives PHD recognition and celebrate milestones with cash and other fun prizes.
Flexera Software
We have diverse careers; from finance, consulting, training, marketing, sales, engineering and more. But, together, we have built a very successful, profitable and growing company that is making an impact on the industry. We also give back. Whether it be collecting food for those in need or toys for children, we come together to compete (we typically team up and have competitions to see which group can contribute the most) and give back. We have had teams help at Habitat for Humanity and at food banks. And, on regular occasions, we like to celebrate. Life is short and we work extremely hard to keep Flexera Software operating at a high level.
Hospice by the Bay
Today what drives our passion is that every person in the organization understands how they each contribute to supporting our patients and families through one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. This ranking is an acknowledgment that we have a positive work environment that honors and fosters excellence, respect, empowerment and making a meaningful difference. This recognition reflects what many of our employees say when asked how they have worked at the same place for so long: “I love the people that I work with, and I love what I do.”
How to nominate your company
Now that you’ve read about what it takes to excel as a Bay Area Top Workplace, here’s how you can nominate your company today:
• All organizations with 40 or more
employees in the Bay Area are eligible to enter.
This includes public, private, nonprofit and government sectors.
• Each workplace is assessed by its employees via a brief 24-question survey.
• Each company will be surveyed from January through mid-March of 2018. Nomination deadline Because you’re in it to win it, here’s how to enter:
• Nomination deadline is January 19, 2018.
• Please submit online nominations at www.mercurynews.com/nominate.
• Phone nominations can be submitted at 408-841-7554.
• The entire process — from nomination to survey — is completely free of charge.
• The winners will be revealed in June.
• Energage, formerly WorkplaceDynamics, our research partner for Top Workplaces, will conduct surveys with more than 40 metro newspapers. In fact, they surveyed more than 2.8 million employees at nearly 7,000 organizations last year alone. Energage, based in Exton, Pennsylvania, conducts this survey in partnership with Bay Area News Group. The Top Workplaces list is entirely based on employee feedback through the survey process. Last year, the survey generated responses from more than 22,500 employees in the Bay Area.
Employees are asked 24 questions, and the employer may add five more. The questions measure employee opinions in the areas of engagement, organizational health and satisfaction. The identity of employees is kept anonymous.
When the results are complete, each participating company receives a free summary report.