Here’s how the Top Workplaces were determined

The disruption of business during the COVID-19 pandemic forced employers to focus harder than ever on retaining and attracting talent. Top Workplaces celebrates the employers that are getting it right.

The heart of the Top Workplaces program is an employee survey. The 24-question survey collects feedback from those who know organizations the best: the people who work there. Employee feedback is the sole basis for determining which employers make the Top Workplaces list.

This is the 13th year employee survey company Energage has partnered with the Tampa Bay Times to identify outstanding workplaces in the Tampa Bay metro area.

“The employee experience needs to be on the mission-critical list,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “By giving employees a voice and showcasing an authentic culture, organizations can attract those job seekers who complement their culture. Culture drives performance.”

For 2022, 101 employers made the Tampa Bay Top Workplaces list. Energage invited more than 2,000 organizations to participate, and they were eligible provided they had 50 or more employees in the region. Most of the surveying was done between September and November of 2021. Surveys went out to more than 67,000 employees in the region, and 35,846 responded.

Employers were divided into three size groups based on the number of employees in the region, to compare feedback most fairly. Organizations that exceeded benchmark scores for each size group made the winners list. Within those groupings, organizations are ranked by the aggregate score based on the employee feedback; the more positive the employee responses, the higher the score, the higher the rank.

Energage determines special award winners for employers who have standout scores in certain areas of the survey, such as leadership, values, direction, communication, meaningfulness and benefits.

Why isn’t a particular company on the list? Perhaps it did not participate, had too few employees to qualify, or did not score high enough in the survey process. Each year, Energage disqualifies a small number of participants based on irregularities in the employee survey responses, including if employees say they were pressured into answering positively. To nominate a company for next year’s program, go to tampabay.com/nominate.

Bob Helbig is media partnerships director for Energage, an employee survey company based in suburban Philadelphia.