Top Ten Companies to Work for During Tough Times

Posted by Kristina Cowan

New rankings applaud small and medium-sized companies with the right stuff.

Gas prices are rising, food is getting more expensive and the number of foreclosures continues to increase. So it may be surprising that while some larger companies are shedding employees, there are still small and medium-sized companies considered among the top companies to work for. Though salaries tend to be slightly lower at smaller companies, what makes a positive work environment are other benefits, and these can easily make up for lower salaries.

[See Salaries by Company Size]

Definition of Top Companies to Work For

Great companies put people first, and cultivate credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie, according to the "50 Best Small and Medium Companies to Work for in America," an annual ranking by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW).

And the best companies to work for do simple things well, such as making sure employees feel known by others, relevant--and able to gauge their own progress, according to Patrick Lencioni, a management consultant and author of "The Three Signs of a Miserable Job." Lencioni urged human-resources professionals to heed these principles during the unveiling of th "50 Best" ranking in Chicago; the survey's top ten companies to work for are scattered across the country.

Naming the Top Ten Companies to Work For

Dixon Schwabl, an advertising firm in Victor, N.Y., was the winner among the top companies to work for in the small category (50-250 workers); Ultimate Software, an information technology company in Weston, Fla., was the winner among the top companies to work for in the medium category (251-999 workers). Two-thirds of the score for each of the top ten companies to work for was based on employee-survey responses, and one-third of the score for the top ten companies to work for was based on GPTW’s evaluation of companies in five categories: credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.

Employees at these top ten companies to work for and others among the 50 top companies to work for say their employers succeed at the simple things Lencioni mentioned. Diverse, happy employees credit management with creating positive work environments. Employees at the top ten companies to work for enjoy coming to work each day, so much so it feels like a second family.

Traits of Top Companies to Work For

• Taking Personal and Professional Interest in Employees
Winner Dixon Schwabl takes interest in employees’ personal and professional development year-round, says public relations supervisor Karen Sims. Teams meet each day, and there is an all-company meeting each week. This constant communication is part of what makes a positive work environment, notes Sims, who has been with the company for about 7½ years. Away from the office, employees enjoy a variety of sports teams, including softball, soccer and bowling—and sometimes even employees’ families play.

• Helping Workers Gauge Their Success
At Ultimate Software, the CEO and management let teams know how well they’re performing, and co-workers and managers alike applaud each other on a job well-done, says Greg Miller, engineering talent manager at the company. “We’re actually given the business reason for concrete proof that what we’re doing makes a big difference with the company,” says Miller, who has been at the company for eight years. He notes that while Ultimate Software does spend money on excellent benefits, some of most important things, such as showing genuine concern for employees, are inexpensive.

• Valuing Employee Input
Management seeks regular feedback from employees at ACUITY, a property and casualty insurer in Sheboygan, Wis., which placed second among the top companies to work for in the medium-sized business category. Stephanie Schreiber, manager of commercial underwriting, says, “The employees have a lot of valuable input about how to do things better, and the company seeks that out so much.”

• Offering Continuing Education
ACUITY also strives to help managers do a better job of managing, Schreiber says, by sending them to management courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Fluno Center for Executive Education. Continuing education helps employees “put technical stuff aside and look at how to be the best for your team, being able to give, work directly with employees to get the best out of them,” explains Schreiber, who has been with ACUITY a little over 12 years.

Top companies to work for, small category (50-250 workers)

1. Dixon Schwabl Advertising, Victor, N.Y.
2. Badger Mining Corporation, Berlin, Wis.
3. SnagAJob.com, Glen Allen, Va.
4. Heinfeld, Meech & Co., P.C., Tucson, Ariz.
5. McMurry, Phoenix

Top companies to work for, medium category (251-999 workers)

1.  Ultimate Software, Weston, Fla.
2.  ACUITY, Sheboygan, Wis.
3.  Integrity Applications Incorporated, Chantilly, Va.
4.  Stark Investments, St. Francis, Wis.
5.  Hoar Construction, LLC, Birmingham, Ala.

Comments

[AMS]

I made a cool list of CNNMoney's Top 100 Companies to Work for in blist. Check it out.

http://app.blist.com/#/blist/aamitchell/CNNMoney-Top-100-Companies-to-Work-For

[Willem]

Any comments on big companies? (1000-100000 people) I work for MI SWACO, great company that takes good care of its employees

[Colin]

Very US-centric. how about providing some data that is relevant to the rest of the world?

[Charles Mantei, HRM JD LLM]

Who is looking for Human Resources Managers who can transform companies into great places to work?

[Tina]

Great, how do you find out the top ten companies to work for in your area or expertise? There should be a tool to sort this data making it useful as well as interesting!

[HappyWorker - I LOVE my job! Yes, really! I love the people and they treat me GREAT!]

I have never worked so hard in my life, but it is easy to give 200% if the people appreciate what you do and empower you to do your job.

[Allison]

All great comments above! I especially would love to know the answer to Colin's question, about which companies are embracing HR professionals, in both good economic times and bad, aiding them to become more socially accountable for all employees across the board! Anyone please respond to us and I'm there!

[Alice]

This list is great but does anybody know if there is something liek this for the Canadian Market?

[alan]

I spent 20+ years with a high-tech manufacturing company...went through all the new methodologies that would improve things.
When it served them fiscally we were downsized and with 20 years and a handshake goodbye that was it.
Great company and loyal too!
There is no loyalty anymore.

[Scott]

You don't need HR managers to transform companies into great places to work. You need executive management with a vision that believes that a company should be a great place to work and then commit to doing it. It starts at the top not in the HR department - especially at a small company as profiled in this article.

[Sandy]

It's best to work for the government. They barely do any work and have a ton of benefits, lol... The problem is that any place you apply to wants someone with public sector experience. Well how the heck are you supposed to get that experience? pfft. Oh well, guess I have to actually work for a living.

[Christine]

Wow Scott, are you ever uninformed. Most government employees work very hard! With your attitude tax payers are lucky you’re not a government worker. Government works on average are paid less then their counter parts in the private sector. What SOME government workers do get is a pension plan (which they pay into) and/or heath benefits (which they also pay for).

[david]

as with all employment - there are good as bad apples. My ex-wife used to work for the government. She can attest to the fact that it's nearly impossible to get fired. They simply "shuffle" you to another position.

I've also done contracting work for a number of government agencies and I can tell you... a lot of the staff - when you are a contractor will look at you and say --"you're the contractor, you do it".

Our government is bloated - if our government was run like small to medium businesses, there'd be a hell of a lot more people unemployed for poor performance.

[Ellen]

I just need a company who will hire a mortgage professional with 30 years! in the San Diego area. Many of us are in dire need for income. Sincerely!

[Marg]

Worked diligently for a top 500 Fortune company (educational loan servicing). After about 2 years, this ocmpany would not allow me a job department transfer. Am college educated/marketing/legal/consulting experience. The company was not green (employee friendly) and was flawed with many employee iniquities--they loved tooting their horn and were basically selfish. I gave 'Notice to Leave' rational reasons after attempting to negotiate changes with them. They let me go (no severence pay/no UC Benefits/no recommendation). I contested the INELIGIBLE UC Benefits--updated report still no UC and this is my final stance with PA UC (Board Re Appeal). Am looking forward (with eyes wide open) to the upcoming career whether in non profit or private. Am in for the long haul in a suitable career field.

[James]

Willem, it's talking about where to work during a U.S. recession, that's why the world isn't included. don't be a prick.

[Cherry]

OK, what's a way I can pass this on to top management without having my name attached? Now you see what kind of company I work for. We've been told to worry about our own jobs and not worry about anything else. That really kills the enthusiasm and moral.

[Elaine]

Christine, it's not only government contractors who get the "you do it" line. I'm in wireless telecomm and there's a great many of us in this industry who are contractors. Yes we are the grunts of the industry - we get the work done, make the numbers happen, while watching the employees socialize, go to meetings, take long lunches, come in late/leave early, etc. etc. etc. then go home with annual raises, bonuses and accolades. The American work ethic is not what it should be these days and pointing fingers of fault isn't getting us anywhere. Corporations have stagnated in their thinking, they're just not progressive anymore; salaries aren't even close to keeping up with inflation (at least not for those below the exec mgmt level). So where do we being to revamp an entire system???

[Geoff]

Wow....these guys try and do something nice by posting a very interesting top ten companies to work for "of which I don't work for and am not in the U.S." but the people at the top of this post just whine about it.

Good job PayScale Salary News!

Booooo to you whiners!!!

Suppose you would whine if you worked one of the top 10 anyways so don't bother even trying.

[Linda]

Ok, I thought I would jump in with where you arent talking about working and you should be glad...and that would be hospitals. They have downsized and rightsized themselves until everyone of you should be afraid to get really sick. They want less RN's to do more work with less pay...and they wonder why we are all getting out as fast as we can. The nursing shortage is going to hit really big in the next 10 years when all of us that are experienced and tired will retire or just leave. I have great fear for what will happen next.

[Mike]

I worked for a private owned but very large window manufacturer when it was bought by a very large corporation on the stock exchange. Then the cut backs started, I when from $56,000 to $33,000 the next year. This from a company that profits are 17 billion a year. So several of us quit, started our own window company
and started taking their contracts away.

[Gloria]

Be very careful about placing your faith in Great Places to Work and other employee satifaction surveys. Company I worked with (was upper management level HR) won recognition in the top 5 in our city three years in a row. The employees confided in me each time that they lied on the survey because they did not trust the annonymity and the CEO lied on the employer's survey -- inflating benefits and "restating" turnover. This company's employees are completely demoralized, bullied by their bosses, and constantly on edge about continued employment, which is governed by who's most popular rather than most productive. Sadly, these surveys can be easily manipulated. GPTW needs to rethink how they validate their surveys.

[Marcia]

I totally agree with the post by Gloria. These surveys can be easily manipulated by the firms producing them. There are lies, statistics and then the Best Places to work employee satisfaction survey results. I worked for a major non-profit AZ healthcare organization. They employed firms to calcualte how employees felt about the company. Most of the questions asked of employees had little or nothing to do with why employees liked working for them. Here too the employees are dehumanized and brainwashed by their bosses. With the economy in it's current state employees everwhere are on edge about continued employment. Brown-nosing with the boss guarantees job security. Irregardless of the fact of whether you can produce. GPTW and the countless marketing firms need to rethink how they validate their surveys.