How do you assess the quality of a workplace? Ask the experts: The employees.
For the 15th year, employee survey firm Energage has teamed up with The Enquirer to determine the best places to work in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. It’s not a popularity contest and not everyone gets a blue ribbon. A select number will be honored based on a scientific research process.
Energage administers an employee survey that includes 24 factors and takes just a few minutes to complete. The survey asks employees to provide feedback on matters such as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaning and appreciation. Energage analyzes the feedback data and scores companies based on the responses.
There is no fee to participate in Top Workplaces and no obligation to purchase any product or service. By 2024, 2,395 organizations were invited to survey their employees, and 188 organizations agreed to do so. Based on survey feedback, 126 companies were recognized as Top Places to Work.
“Being honored with a Top Workplaces Award is a hallmark of excellence that sets companies apart in a recognizable way,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “Top Workplaces embody the highest standards, and this award, rooted in authentic employee feedback, is a point of immense pride for business leaders.”
The award is open to any employer with 50 or more employees in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Survey results are only valid if 35% or more employees respond; employers with fewer than 85 employees apply a higher response threshold, requiring a response from at least 30 employees.
Employers earn Top Workplaces recognition when their overall employee feedback score exceeds national benchmarks. Employers are grouped into similar sizes to best compare similar employee experiences. Energage created these benchmarks based on feedback from approximately 30 million employees over 18 years. They are ranked within these groups based on the strength of the survey feedback.
There are a few reasons why you may not find a particular company on the list. The organization may have chosen not to participate. Or the feedback from the employee survey may not have been strong enough to merit recognition. It may also be that the campaign was not large enough to meet participation standards, or that not enough employees responded.
Energage conducts tests based on survey feedback and may choose to disqualify organizations in some cases, for example if a large number of employees say they feel pressured to answer positively.
To enter the 2025 Top Workplaces Awards, or for more information, visit the nominations page at cincinnati.com/nominate.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Greater Cincinnati’s Best Workplaces Are Selected
