Thousands Of Happy Employees
Friday, March 26, 2010, 7:53am EDT
Going back in time is fun. I know this first hand, because I had an 80’s flashback at this week’s Business First Best Places to Work event. It was held Thursday at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Hundreds of people gathered to recognize the Best Places to Work in Western New York.
Every year, Business First teams up with Quantum Workplace to uncover the top employers. Participating companies allow their employees to complete surveys about the workplace. Companies with the top scores make it onto the annual list.
They have also achieved what many companies cannot. They’ve recruited and retained good people and made them feel engaged in their work. The benefit of such a relationship is two-fold: studies show that employee attitudes are stronger at companies that show appreciation for employee efforts. And in turn, the hard work and dedication of employees directly impacts the company’s bottom line.
Oh yeah, now back to the reason I was wearing leg warmers and a banana clip in my hair. This year's event was complete with an 80's fitness theme. Past events featured a 50's and a 70's disco theme, all thanks to Karen Schiffmacher of Business First. Talk about mixing business with pleasure! The themes allow happy and satisfied employees to show their fun side and creativity! Instead of dreading a boring business lunch, employees are encouraged to have fun and enjoy the retro costumes and music.
It should be easy for them because they are used to enjoying work and work events. One employee described their workplace as “fun” in their survey. Another said, “People are productive here because they feel comfortable.” Several employees lauded the “comfortable, fun atmosphere with open door policy and ability to grow” at their companies. Most noted appreciation for their employer with family issues. “Heavy focus on quality of life and work/life balance,” one employee wrote.
This year, more than 80 companies qualified for the list, which is broken into categories based on size. You can find complete information on each company in the new print edition of Business First.
Here's a look at the top companies in each size category.
Micro: with ten to twenty employees: Eastern Hospitality Advisors, a construction management company.
Small: Leon Studio One, beauty salon and school in Williamsville.
Medium: law firm Rupp, Baase, Pfalzgraf, Cunningham and Coppola.
Large: DiVal Safety, an industrial supply company.
X-Large: CPA firm Freed Maxick & Battaglia.
XX-Large: West Herr Automotive Group.
Jumbo: with more than 1,000 employees: Erie 1 BOCES.
Article from Buffalo Business First
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