DO YOU WORK FOR A GREAT COMPANY? NOMINATE IT FOR TOP WORKPLACES

After an unprecedented 2020 that forced many businesses to make dramatic adjustments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Diego Union-tribune’s Top Workplaces is back for its ninth annual edition.

Top Workplaces conducts surveys from a range of participating San Diego County companies, asking employees to rank what they like and don’t like about where they work. The results are gathered and tabulated, then delivered to the businesses, with the best performers highlighted in the pages of the Union-tribune.

Last year during the pandemic, 96 area companies took part, down from 126 the year before. Nearly 12,600 em

filled out surveys, down from more than 17,000 in 2019.

Given the financial strains of 2020, officials at Energage, the suburban Philadelphia outfit that serves as research partner with the Union-tribune on the survey, were not surprised to see a dip in participation numbers.

“In some cases, companies, especially HR folks, said, ‘We’re up to our ears in just getting through the day, setting up employees to work from home,’” Energage spokesman Bob Helbig said.

Some employees couldn’t

fill out the surveys because they had been furloughed and a few employers, Helbig said, were afraid the feedback they’d receive would be negative.

“What we’re seeing now in recent months is that companies clearly realized, hey, we have to hear what our employees are saying, which is why we’re starting to see record levels of participation,” Helbig said. “It’s understandable that some companies may have wanted to pause what they were doing, but the truth is whatever’s going on in the work environment, strong companies listen, react, explain and communicate.”

All it takes to take part in Top Workplaces is for someone

to nominate a particular company by going to sandiegouniontribune.com/ nominate or by phone at (619) 780-3999.

Energage then contacts the businesses and if they agree, employees receive an anonymous survey that takes about five minutes to complete. Employees read about 25 statements — such as “I feel genuinely appreciated at this company” — and rank them on a scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”

To be eligible, a company has to be located in San Diego County and employ at least 50 people. In addition to private businesses, companies in the government sector and nonprofits are

welcome.

Anyone can place a nomination, whether they be an employee, employer or someone outside a particular company. Deadline for nominations is July 16. There is no charge for participating.

This year’s top performers will be revealed in a special section of the Uniontribune in November and also at a special event. Companies are broken down by size: Small (50 to 149 employees), midsize (150 to 499 employees) and large (500 or more).

Cybersecurity company La Jolla Logic finished among the top places to work in the small business category last year.

“We were thrilled to receive this meaningful recognition,” said La Jolla Logic CEO and founder Stacey Anfuso. “It reinforces to our employees that we are listening to them and continually making improvements and extending an effort to provide them with the most positive workplace experience possible.”

Responses to the surveys are kept confidential, with Energage sharing the results to companies in private, as a way to encourage businesses to participate.

“The core of our business is providing that feedback and helping companies understand, here is where you excel and here are some areas where you have an opployees

portunity to improve,” Helbig said.

Anfuso said she would encourage fellow CEOS to take part. “There’s no downside to participating,” she said in an email. “The employees appreciate the opportunity to voice their opinions and be heard and the leadership team gets a better understanding of the employees’ perspectives.”

Energage conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media outlets in 58 markets, including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Dallas Morning News. Last year, more than 2 million employees in about 7,000 organizations participated.

rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com