Secret strategies uncovered
CONTENTS Large employers Edward Jones ... 4
WorkplaceDynamics explains its process:
Kwik Trip ... 8 Waukee Schools ... 9 Great River Medical ... 10 Mary Greeley Medical ... 11 Large workplace list ... 11
By Lynn Hicks
Midsized employers
lhicks@dmreg.com
QuikTrip ... 12
We’ve been on a three-year mission to solve a mystery.
Farm Credit Services of America ... 14 UICCU ... 15
Our agents have questioned thousands of Iowans and compiled classified information. We’ve analyzed the data and pored over clues. We’re closer to answering the puzzling question:
IMT Group ... 15 Easter Seals ... 16 Midsized list ... 18 Small employers Spindustry ... 20
What are the secret strategies that drive the state’s top workplaces?
Keller Williams ... 23 Carrier Access ... 24 Clickstop ... 24 Peddicord ... 25 Small workplace list ... 26
CONTACT & CREDITS President & Publisher Rick Green
The question has taken on more intrigue as the economy improves and employers jostle for the best applicants. This special report — our third annual — identifies the top 100 workplaces. This year, we’ve also recognized an additional 16 employers that didn’t make the top 100 but whose scores finished above the national average.
Editor Carol Hunter Business editor Lynn Hicks business@dmreg.com Phone: (515) 284-8290 Cover illustration and magazine design Amanda Holladay VP of Sales Mark Wurzer Vice President, Sales (515) 284-8384 mwurzer@registermedia.com
These rankings are based on employees’ evaluations, not what the editors of The Des Moines Register or some consultants think. Our research partner, WorkplaceDynamics, asked employees what was most important to them, and then had them rate their employers on those priorities. The surveys showed that Iowa employees put the highest importance on believing their company is going in the right direction and feeling appreciated at work. They want to have confidence in their boss and in their future. Some of what we have learned:
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• FALL 2013
Outreach: We reach out to organizations with at least 35 employees in Iowa and ask them to participate. We use a combination of ads in the Register to solicit nominations, and direct outreach to employers via phone and email. There is no cost to participate. Employee survey: We survey workers at participating employers using either paper surveys or an online survey. Employees respond to a set of statements — such as “I feel genuinely appreciated at this company,” “My pay is fair for the work I do,” and “My manager cares about my concerns” — using a seven-point Likert scale. Each of the statements has been tested to ensure it has a high correlation with how employees feel about their workplace, which is calculated by correlating the statement responses to a control question that asks each employee to rate his or her workplace on a scale of zero to 99. Response requirements: We require a response rate of at least 35 percent for employees based in Iowa. In addition, employers with 85 or fewer employees must have at least 30 respondents. We encourage employers to survey all employees, but large employers can choose to randomly sample their Iowa employees. The 179 employers that participated employ 78,608 people in Iowa; 48,589 Iowa employees received surveys, and 33,659 responded.
Industry doesn’t matter. Our top workplaces have included nonprofits and publicly traded companies, banks and credit unions, colleges and schools, law firms and insurance agencies, transportation companies and manufacturers. Small startups and decades-old businesses have made the list.
benefits are important to employees, but they scored near the bottom of the list. Still, many employees surveyed cited flexible scheduling and ample vacation policies. Employers who offer profit sharing or employee stock ownership plans have also scored highly.
Values count. The top workplaces talk about truth, trust, respect, caring and risk-taking, and they use those values when making decisions.
Small things are big. Employee recognition need not be expensive and elaborate. Some winners regularly send hand-written notes of thanks to employees and hand out gift cards.
Open your books. The best employers value transparency. The more facts they give employees, the more buy-in they receive, and the better decisions they make. Loyalty lives. Some past winners avoided layoffs in the recession, which boosted morale. Pay and perks matter, to a point. WorkplaceDynamics’ surveys show that pay and
You can’t win if you don’t play. Why isn’t your employer on the list? Perhaps it scored too low to be included, but more likely, your employer chose not to participate. Maybe it doesn’t take a super-spy to discover these secrets. Employers are practicing these methods every day as they strive to be great places to work.
IOWA'S TOP WORKPLACES • 2013