The latest batch of Orange County’s best places to work earned the distinction after a heightened research process.
This week’s Special Report highlights 100 businesses that scored highest on surveys as part of proprietary research done for the Business Journal by Best Companies Group. The questionnaires aimed to capture employer benefits and policies, as well as levels of employee engagement and sentiments.
This year’s research included more questions and sharpened focus on specific topics, including availability of technology resources at work, said Susan Springer, director of workplace assessments at Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Companies Group.
“We’ve made some improvements from previous years,” she said. “We don’t want to change the survey too much, but we felt that there needed to be more focus on technology in the workplace. We also beefed up the employee-engagement section, because at the end of the day, this is what it’s all about. You can take all the 401(k) and vision plans, but the bottom line is, ‘Are you coming in every day excited about work and willing to do the job you’re asked to do?’ ”
Categories, Employee Views
This week’s Business Journal entries are grouped by size: The lists include 39 small companies with between 15 and 49 U.S. employees; 31 medium companies that employ between 50 and 249; and 30 large companies, with 250 or more workers.
The companies’ overall scores hinge largely on employees’ views about their workplace conditions. The employee surveys carry 75% weight, and the employer responses account for 25%.
Employees were asked to indicate whether they agreed with 78 statements in eight categories, such as corporate culture and communications, relationship with supervisor, pay and benefits, and work environment.
Researchers compiled the percentage of respondents who answered “agree somewhat” and “agree strongly” to make category assessments and compute an overall score.
The 100 companies that made the list had 93% positive feedback on average.
Employees at small companies generally responded slightly more positively than those at larger firms, with a 94% positive feedback overall, versus 93% each for the medium and large companies.
The “work environment” category drew the highest percentage of positive responses, with 96% of all employees agreeing to such statements as, “My workspace has adequate privacy for me to do my job,” and, “There is adequate noise control to allow me to focus on my work.”
The “training, development and resources” section received positive responses from 91% of all employees. Within the category, 95% of respondents said their organizations provide “enough technology, equipment and resources I need to do my job well.” About 94% said, “Technology issues are resolved in a timely manner.”
The “relationship with supervisor” category also got a strong rating.
About 95% of all employees said their supervisors are “open to hearing my opinion or feedback.” About 92% said their supervisors help them “develop to my fullest potential.”
Keeping an “open environment” for communication and encouraging employees to actively contribute are some key focus points of Wild Attire Inc., said Omar Sayyed, president of the Garden Grove-based e-commerce business. The company operates a number of fashion-oriented sites, including ties.com and scarves.com.
Wild Attire, which has 18 employees, was No. 24 on the small-companies list.
“We can’t expect the company to grow if we hire somebody and dictate what they should do, how they should to it, and how often they should do it and so on,” Sayyed said. “We instead try to steer [the organization] in the right directions.”
The employer portion of the research counted for 25% of the overall score calculation.
Managers were asked questions about various topics, including the proportion of benefits coverage paid by the employers, the frequency of employee performance reviews, and perquisites that they think their employees appreciate.
Newmeyer & Dillion
Jeff Dennis, managing partner of Newport Beach-based law firm Newmeyer & Dillion LLP, said a few fun and practical benefits stand out, including casual, all-employee gatherings, as well as encouragement for employees to maintain work-life balance.
“We have bimonthly mixers, where we invite all our employees to get together … typically on Thursday afternoons, with some food and beverages, and mingle,” Dennis said. “And we’ve done summer kickoff parties. Last year stands out in particular to me, because I ended up in a dump tank, which was fun for the employees. Even though it was in June, it was freezing cold. But it was a lot of fun. I think as a leader, we have to be able to laugh at ourselves and open up ourselves.”
Newmeyer & Dillion ranked No. 14 among the medium-size companies on this week’s list. The firm has roughly 100 employees in Orange County. It’s among the top 10 law firms in the county by attorney count.
“From a practical standpoint, our folks appreciate how we try really hard around holiday weekends and Fridays in the summer to let people go a little bit early,” Dennis said. “We want them to extend their weekends outside the office. We think it’s important to have a work-life balance. The legal business is not an easy one to be in. We want our employees, from the most junior levels to the top, to enjoy coming to work.”
Aliso Viejo-based software company Telogis Inc. makes various investments for its employees, including holding team-building activities and fun events for employees and their families. A key investment, said Telogis Chief Executive David Cozzens, is in its new hires and talent management.
“We invest a lot when [new employees] come on board through orientations, where they take a full week of learning everything about the company. They come from all over the world to the headquarters here.”
Telogis ranked No. 11 on the large-companies list. It has 325 employees in the U.S. and more than 500 globally, including workers at offices in Canada, Brazil and the U.K.
Cozzens said corporate responsibility is an important focus for the company and its employees. Telogis has a “green-certified” building that helps reduce carbon emissions. It also has participated in disaster-relief fundraising efforts, including donating $10,000 as a company to partly match its employees raising $12,500 for Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines last year.
