For the 16th year, the Chicago Tribune will honor outstanding workplace culture in the region. Any organization with 75 or more employees in the region is eligible to compete for a Top Workplaces award. Standout companies will be honored in fall.

The nominations deadline has been extended to June 6. Anyone can nominate any organization, whether it is public, private, nonprofit, a school, or even a government agency. To nominate an employer or for more information on the awards, just go to chicagotribune.com/nominate or call 312-878-7356.

There is no cost to participate. To qualify as a Chicago Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a short 25-question survey that takes just a few minutes to complete. Companies will be surveyed through June.

Energage, the Pennsylvania-based research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 65 markets nationwide and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year.

For the 2024 awards, 158 Chicagoland employers earned recognition as Top Workplaces.

For the 16th year, the Tribune will honor outstanding workplace culture in the region. Any organization with 75 or more employees in the region is eligible to compete for a Top Workplaces award. Standout companies will be honored in the fall.

It all starts with a nomination. The deadline for nominations is April 25. Anyone can nominate any organization, whether it is public, private, nonprofit, a school or even a government agency. To nominate an employer or for more information on the awards, just go to chicagotribune.com/nominate or call 312-878-7356.

There is no cost to participate. To qualify as a Chicago Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a 25-question survey that takes just a few minutes to complete. Companies will be surveyed through June.

Energage, the Pennsylvania-based research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 65 markets nationwide and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a distinctive mark of excellence, setting companies apart in a recognizable way,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “Top Workplaces embody the highest standards, and this award, rooted in authentic employee feedback, should be a point of immense pride.”

For the 2024 awards, nearly 7,000 organizations in Chicagoland were invited to survey their employees. Based on employee survey feedback, 158 earned recognition as Top Workplaces.

The recruiters told her she’d be able to meet one-on-one with the company’s chief financial officer right away. And she’d be part of a team that cared about her as a person, not just as an employee.

“I was thinking, this can’t be serious,” Bellel said. “Surprisingly, everything they said was true.”

Bellel, who has spent the past 16 years working at Basis, now serves as the director of the accounts payable team — which she calls her “extended family.”

Basis Technologies, which is headquartered in Chicago and has about 250 employees in the metro area and 900 overall, is a digital platform for advertising agencies and brands. The software company serves as a “single source of truth” for marketers, where they can buy and manage ad campaigns all in one place, according to Katie McAdams, Basis’ chief marketing officer.

But the company, which ranks sixth among midsize employers on the Tribune’s list of Top Workplaces, as measured by consultancy Energage in Exton, Pennsylvania, isn’t just looking to succeed in the advertising space. In 2001, CEO Shawn Riegsecker laid out a plan in the company’s founding manifesto for Basis to be a “blueprint” for how other corporations should operate.

“If a company’s goal is to increase the numbers, they should stop focusing on them,” Riegsecker wrote. “They should begin focusing solely on the well-being of their employees and customers and, in turn, the numbers will take care of themselves.”

While its work has changed in its 23 years of operation, that mission has stayed the same. Basis remains a “people-centric” organization, said Emily Barron, chief people officer.

Employees said they appreciate the flexibility of working at Basis, which defies the traditional in-person, 9-to-5 model.

As a “remote-first” workplace, Basis has maintained its Chicago office but mostly uses it for meetings and training programs. It shifted to remote work during the pandemic and doesn’t plan to go back.

But Danielle Douglas, a recruiting manager at Basis, still sees other employees weekly.

“We meet at a coffee shop, or I have my one-on-one (meetings) with one of my direct reports walking along the lake,” Douglas said. “We find opportunities to connect.”

Basis has adopted a four-and-a-half-day workweek. Provided there aren’t any client needs, employees can log off at 12 p.m. on Fridays and get a head start on the weekend.

Many companies started offering a similar concept — logging off early on “Summer Fridays” — because of the pandemic. But Basis decided last year it would test the policy year-round.

“If we didn’t feel that the business was still able to perform with a shortened workweek, it wasn’t going to be something that we could offer,” Barron said.

It went even better than expected, she said. So the company rolled out “Flex Fridays” permanently at the beginning of 2024.

“If we really think about how we’re spending our time, we can work smarter and not have to work harder,” she said.

Employees use their extra time on Fridays in a variety of ways. Douglas, the recruiting manager, uses the time to pursue side projects. She runs an online cookie shop and teaches yoga part time.

“You have your 9-to-5 and your 5-to-9,” Douglas said. “Basis really unlocks that opportunity to explore other passions.”

“We’re treated like adults. We’re trusted to get our work done well,” she added.

The company has also held training sessions that focus on saving employees time by making meetings more effective.

“It’s, like, pausing. Do you really need this meeting? Does it really need to be 30 minutes, or can it be accomplished in 15 minutes?” Barron asked. “Can you cut it down to the five key stakeholders?”

Giving control to employees over how and when they work, Barron said, improves their mental well-being.

“People are finding time while their kids are still in school, they could go to a workout class. They can take a cooking class. They can read a book that they haven’t had a chance to read,” she said.

Every four years, employees also get to recharge on a three-week paid sabbatical offered on top of yearly paid time off. On her last break, Douglas said she spent a week in Greece with her husband, and the next week in Italy with friends. She also took some time to relax at home.

“It’s such a cool opportunity we get to pause and unplug,” Douglas said. “It is such a luxury.”

In 2020, Basis signaled its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, making a corporation donation to the Black Lives Matter movement and designating Juneteenth as an official company holiday.

The company has continued to emphasize the importance of DEI in the years since.

“We’re hearing other companies in this space kind of pull back a bit, or deprioritize the DEI efforts,” McAdams said. “Rather than (our CEO) following suit, he’s doubled down and said, ‘No, this is something that is really core to our culture.’’’

The company regularly holds virtual Basis Conversations, companywide discussions that often address diversity issues. One held recently focused on how to talk to your kids about race.

While hiring for new positions, Basis also focuses on seeking out and recruiting talent from diverse communities.

“We never are going to just search for talent within who comes to us,” Douglas said. “Who might be out there that could be the perfect hire?”

The company also has several employee resource groups, some of which are focused on racial and cultural identities. Bellel, who is part of the Black Excellence resource group, says she appreciates having safe spaces for employees to get together.

“We might talk about music one time, we might talk about our favorite recipes,” Bellel said. “And they’re not exclusive. They invite everyone.”

Bellel said Basis was implementing DEI initiatives before it became popular to do so.

“Even if we didn’t call it (DEI), we always believed in that,” she said. “I hope we continue doing this forever, even if we call it something else.”

Jenny Hellwig is a freelance writer.

For the past 15 years, Energage, formerly Workplace Dynamics, has been ranking workplaces in the Chicago area and the nation through employee surveys, assessing everything from work-life balance to confidence in company leadership.

Winners from previous years are available here.

• Employees are the unhappiest they’ve been in years — and workplaces are responding
• Fellowes Brands looks to revitalize office spaces while bringing its employees back in person
• Shared love of music and audio fosters a positive workplace culture at Shure
• At Basis Technologies, a ‘people-centric’ culture is key
• Training and development are emphasized at @properties, which is constantly looking to improve
• Family-owned 1st Ayd, which sells safety and janitorial supplies, focuses on empowering employees
• How the Top Workplaces winners were selected

Top Workplaces 2024 rankings

The sturdy cardboard boxes were widely adopted across the business and legal fields for their usefulness in storing documents. They also became fixtures in movies and TV shows, as characters leaving an office holding bankers boxes became symbolic of getting fired or laid off.

Fellowes still produces the boxes, which lost popularity when record-keeping largely moved online. But in the 1980s, the company expanded to manufacture new office products like paper shredders and changed its name from the Bankers Box Company.

The company continues to evolve. Fellowes, a private, family-run company that ranks No. 45 among midsize employers on the Tribune’s Top Workplaces list, as measured by consultancy Energage in Exton, Pennsylvania, sells a variety of products that help revitalize office spaces even as in-person work has declined in recent years.

Many of Fellowes products are designed to improve the “wellness of the workspace,” said Mitch Rydholm, director of training.

That’s crucial for Fellowes as the company itself transitions to more in-office work. The company, which went fully remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, has increased the time its employees are required to spend in the office from three to four days a week.

“I think a lot of them prefer that, ” Rydholm said. “Because you and I can speak together, right? We get so much more done in less periods of time.”

Fellowes, which sells office furniture and supplies, took an initial hit when most workplaces went remote. But sales of some products actually increased during COVID.

“We manufacture moving boxes with the same technology, same tools, same equipment (as the bankers boxes),” Rydholm said. “Everybody moved during the pandemic, so our sales just exploded during that time.”

Sales of Fellowes’ air filters also spiked, particularly its commercial High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters designed to capture harmful, microscopic air particles.

Though the company released its first version of air purifiers in 2008, Rydholm said companies increasingly realized the importance of air quality because of the pandemic.

Many of Fellowes’ filters include monitoring systems that measure air quality on an online dashboard.

“The systems tell us at any time how our air quality is within our space, down to actual rooms. We also can check across the world,” Rydholm said. “For an international company, that would be very helpful — you can pick out where you’re having issues.”

Fellowes is also employing new technology to keep workers healthy. Earlier this year, Fellowes started manufacturing far-ultraviolet light machines. A study by Columbia University’s medical school found these machines could be effective in reducing the transmission of airborne diseases like COVID-19.

All of this technology can help companies clean up their air and meet higher air-quality standards, Rydholm said, which is particularly useful in case of a future pandemic.

Fellowes also sells ergonomic office furniture such as computer monitor arms that can hold between one and six screens. The height and distance of these monitor arms can be easily adjusted to “custom fit a workspace” for individual employees, Rydholm said.

Fellowes produces desks that can be easily converted between sitting and standing positions. Working at a standing desk offers numerous health benefits.

“These [products] are critical, frankly, to any workspace if you’re sitting for a very long period of time,” Rydholm said.

Many Fellowes employees work out of its headquarters in Itasca. But the company wanted to build a new space to showcase its newest furniture and technology. In June 2023, it opened a 12,000-square-foot Design & Experience Center in Fulton Market.

Jami Bruno, a marketing manager who oversaw the space’s design, described it as a “working showroom.” It features a rounded bar, plenty of open seating and a balcony overlooking the city. The large entertainment space is useful for employee training and events, she said.

“We wanted to make it a place where people would want to stay, not just come in and see the products,” Bruno said. “Our employees come in and out to work.”

Fellowes gives weekly showroom tours to clients who come from across the country and the world.

Throughout the space, clients see firsthand what an office fully outfitted with Fellowes products looks like. The showroom also has a new virtual experience called PORTRAY. Using video game technology, clients can customize and project an office space on a 27-foot display screen.

PORTRAY helps clients make design decisions that can be stressful, Bruno said.

“(Using the virtual system), the person making the decision has confidence — yes, this is going to look amazing,” she said.

Revitalizing offices could be helpful in attracting employees to work in-person, Rydholm said.

“Obviously, a lot of organizations want to get more people back to work where they were,” he said.

Jenny Hellwig is a freelance writer.

But @properties Christie’s International Real Estate stayed true to the goal it established when opening its doors 24 years ago — to create a place where people are excited to come to work and feel valued for their contributions and who they are.

Co-CEO Thad Wong said steadfast adherence to that goal is one reason the company remains a top workplace. Chicago-based @properties is ranked No. 2 among large employers on the Chicago Tribune’s list of Top Workplaces, as measured by the consultancy Energage in Exton, Pennsylvania. The real estate and technology company has nearly 3,700 agents and staff members in the Chicagoland region and says it is the nation’s eighth-largest brokerage by sales volume.

The company’s core values — relationships, innovation, excellence and impact — are key factors in its success, along with open communication, said Joni Meyerowitz, chief operating officer.

The company prioritizes hiring good fits — people who will be good colleagues, who will be professional and excited to come to work, and who will challenge each other in a healthy respectful way.

Meyerowitz also said the company is constantly looking to improve, and training and development are emphasized.

“We do a good job of training our managers who are training their team members and really keeping everybody in the loop of what’s going on,” she added. “The changes in the industry that have happened in the last six months are a perfect example.”

One of the industry changes that took effect this year was a requirement that agents who use a Multiple Listing Service enter into written agreements with buyers before touring a home. Those agreements must include disclosure of the amount or rate of compensation agents will receive or how the amount will be determined. It must also include a statement that broker fees and commissions are fully negotiable. The agreement stemmed from the settlement of a lawsuit against the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors.

“We have an incredible coaching and training team that has gone out and made sure that everyone in the company understands the changes, how it impacts them and what we’re doing to support them,” Meyerowitz said. “That’s critical for agents growing their business but also for our employees to understand what their role is and how they play a part in the entire ecosystem.”

Ted Pickus, a senior broker who has worked for @properties for 12 years, said the company stayed out in front of the changes and provided the team with information on what was going to transpire so that they could prepare.

Pickus said the company’s training and the tools it provides agents help make it a top workplace. The company offers proprietary career development resources through live and on-demand courses. Agents and brokers also have access to marketing programs and the company’s proprietary technology, which helps agents manage all aspects of real estate transactions and client relationships in one place.

“They are always providing us ways to make ourselves more successful,” Pickus said.

Korey White has worked at the company for eight years, first as front desk administrator before moving into office management and landing in his present role as business analyst. He’s involved with getting input from agents on how to improve the company’s tech platform.

“It’s fun to be a part of the team that is helping to keep the tech in the company up to date, knowing the thing I’m working on is helping make things easier for the agents,” he said.

What sets the company apart for him is his belief that the CEOs truly care.

“I truly believe they are interested in making sure the company is growing and staff are comfortable,” he said.

Fun and employee recognition have also helped create a top workplace culture, staff and brokers said. In May, the company held its annual “Timeless” event, which honored the company’s 36 top-producing agents and two employees. Those who achieved a minimum of $10 million in annual closed sales and $250,000 in gross commission income for the first time with the firm received their choice of a luxury timepiece at the event. In July, agents and staff members met at the Salt Shed in Chicago, where they enjoyed food, drinks and live music by local Chicago cover bands.

The company’s @balance wellness program has offered free wine tasting, cooking classes and yoga sessions for staff and agents, and financial counseling is among the company’s benefit offerings.

“I’ve been here 15 years” said senior broker Lisa Foster. “I’ve gone through a couple of recessions, a pandemic and now the NAR settlement. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. The leadership is approachable. If I have an issue, I can reach out directly to make sure my matter is heard.”

In fact, when Foster suggested the marketing team provide broader neighborhood descriptions, they responded, she said.

She also values the company’s charitable giving through its foundation @gives back, which supports local organizations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Foster serves as vice president on the foundation’s board. Since 2009, the foundation has raised more than $1 million for organizations dedicated to helping those in need, according to the company. The foundation has partnered with Free to Dream, a non-profit founded by rapper, actor and activist Common. Beneficiaries have also included Habitat for Humanity, Chance the Rapper’s SocialWorks and other small nonprofits.

Wong notes the company’s culture incorporates love, and in 2015, the company commissioned Chicago artist Matthew Hoffman to paint a mural on the exterior of its Bucktown office. The mural features the word “love” in Hoffman’s signature script font. Today that “love” script can be seen on billboards, magnets, t-shirts, and client appreciation gifts, Meyerowitz said.

Francine Knowles is a freelance writer.

Kasparcova, a professional blues guitarist who plays shows across Chicago, frequently used Shure’s wireless guitar pedal at her gigs.

So when she was looking to change day jobs, Kasparcova applied to work at Shure. She’s now been there 2 1/2 years, working as a financial analyst while also pursuing her passion for music.

Shure, a private electronics firm in Niles, employs about 1,000 people in Chicagoland and 3,000 total worldwide. The company is ranked No. 5 in the large employer category on the Tribune’s list of Top Workplaces, as measured by consultancy Energage in Exton, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1925, Shure designs and manufactures the audio equipment that powers some of the biggest athletic events and broadcasts in the world. The company’s products, sold online and at stores such as Best Buy, range from small lavalier microphones to fully wireless microphone systems.

Meg Madison, Shure’s chief human resources officer, says whether Shure employees are musicians, theater aficionados or news nuts, they’re all united by one thing — a love for audio.

“People live and breathe that here,” she said.

And at Shure, employees are encouraged to showcase their talents. They often form ad-hoc music groups for company events throughout the year.

“We lean into the amazing talent that we have here at Shure,” Madison said.

Kasparcova continues to pursue her music career while working full time at Shure. Last year, she asked if she could go on tour for three weeks.

“(Shure) said, yes, absolutely, you have to take an opportunity,” she said. “It’s a very flexible company.”

Kasparcova did some work while on the road, a transition made easy by her hybrid work arrangement. She typically works in the office once or twice a week, while working remotely other days.

One benefit for those who work out of Shure’s Niles office is access to its fully outfitted recording studio.

Kasparcova recently formed a blues band with other Shure associates. They used the space for lunchtime rehearsals ahead of their performance at the company’s fall festival for employees. That band “vibed very well,” she said, and they decided to keep practicing on a weekly basis.

“We’re gonna jam and start writing some original music,” Kasparcova said. “Just keep these good vibes going.”

Music also creates a positive culture among Shure employees.

“There’s so many music lovers,” she said. “It’s really nice to go into work and you already have a common ground with anyone that you meet or talk to.”

Similarly, Troy Farsakian’s passion for music has grown at Shure, his first job out of college.

Farsakian, who started drumming when he was 4 years old, rediscovered his love of percussion. The strategic planning analyst has performed at several employee events in the seven years he’s worked there.

Performing at Shure, including as a part-time DJ, helps Farsakian build connections with other employees. One even asked him to start playing with his band outside of work.

“Shure has been a great outlet for me,” he said.

Having musicians on staff also helps Shure in developing products.

“Our associates are our first testers,” Farsakian said. “It’s a big benefit to take a new microphone and use it at a concert or a show, and then come back to the team and say, ‘hey, I really like this about it, or maybe we could change this.’”

Shure employees are motivated to create audio products that get the job done during “high-stakes moments,” Madison said. One of those is the Super Bowl, which has used Shure microphones and equipment every year since at least 2017.

“(During) the Super Bowl or another large sporting event, all eyes are on the field, but people are experiencing that event through audio,” Madison said. “We know how important it is to get it right.”

But audiences tend to notice audio more if something goes wrong, she said, which explains why Shure might not be a “household brand name.”

“In a way, that’s probably a good thing, right?” Madison said. “Because it always works. (Shure) has been reliable, and it’s been around for the last 100 years.”

Shure is also working to enhance the audio experience for fans with new technology. Its array microphones — typically used to record audio in conference rooms — are increasingly being used in arenas, she said.

“They capture sound in new and different ways,” Madison said. “They pick up things like the sounds of the swish in a basketball game or shoes squeaking.”

Farsakian, a Bears fan, gets excited to see his company’s equipment at NFL games.

“During the Super Bowl, I (got) pictures from my mom of Usher holding our microphone, and she’s like, is this yours?” Farsakian said. “It makes me proud to see our products on the biggest stage in the world.”

“And as long as we continue to push ourselves and continue innovating, we will always be there,” he added.

Jenny Hellwig is a freelance writer.

Employee happiness has declined steadily since 2020, and is now even lower than it was during the darkest days of the pandemic. The one exception was the first quarter of this year, when workplace happiness edged up slightly before resuming its downward trend, according to a report from BambooHR, an HR software and services company with data from more than 1,600 companies.

Unclear return-to-work policies, the divisive political climate and worries about layoffs are all weighing on employees.

“Then there’s AI (artificial intelligence), which could be coming for your job,” said Johnny Taylor Jr., CEO of SHRM, formerly the Society for Human Resource Management. “You have a much broader swath of the population feeling career insecure or job insecure.”

The financial stress many employees are under is also contributing to the gloom.

“The prices of basic staples, food and fuel are higher. We know that financial stress leads directly to unhappiness,” Taylor said.

In addition to dealing with the high cost of everyday essentials, many who wanted to buy homes in recent years put off doing so because of high interest rates, he added.

And then there’s the overall economy. Worries that it could teeter, and wild swings in the stock market, haven’t helped, Taylor said.

Besides the psychological toll it can take, unhappiness in the workforce is bad for the bottom line. It makes employees more likely to change jobs and causes them to be less productive. Low employee engagement costs the global economy $8.9 trillion, or 9% of global GDP, according to Gallup’s 2024 annual State of the Global Workplace report. When employers increase the number of engaged employees, they improve profit, retention rates and customer service, Gallup’s report shows.

Top workplaces strive to support employee happiness through transparency, open communication, events that cultivate a positive workplace culture, and other strategies, human resources experts and employers said.

“Capable and transparent leadership, flexibility around return to office, whether hybrid or remote, having that flexibility is really important,” said Wende Smith, head of People Operations at BambooHR.

So are offering competitive pay and benefits, opportunities for skill and career development, and a strong sense of community, she said.

It starts with recruitment, “so that people can self-select with all information on the way in,” Taylor said. “They’re not just lured in by the money or by the employer brand. When you can articulate very clearly what your culture is, you are one of those organizations that people will want to come to work for and remain with.”

Vernon Hills-based companies hand2mind, a maker of education materials used in schools and at home, and Learning Resources, an educational toy maker, are among the employers on the Chicago Tribune’s 2024 list of Top Workplaces that showed the most improvement on measures of employee happiness and engagement.

Sybil Worden, vice president of human resources at both companies, which share a common ownership, said a focus on providing professional development and training opportunities for workers has been key. Those development opportunities have kept Crystal Carter, senior manager of sales operations and customer service at Learning Resources, happy. She has been with the company for five years.

“I just completed a 12-week management training series focused on key management skills like coaching, developing talent and communication, delivering feedback,” she said. “I also had peer coaching. I found so much value in those sessions.”

Worden said leadership is accessible and makes it clear they want to hear from employees. The companies host coffee and new hire lunches with the CEO and get feedback from workers through an annual engagement survey. Changes they’ve implemented have led to improvements in survey scores, she said.

The companies’ mission and values also factor into the positive way employees feel.

“We are looking to create learning for all kids across the nation,” Worden said. “We believe every single kid has the ability to learn, and we want to get them products in which they can continue learning.

“It’s a pretty noble cause,” said Larry Motzel, director of sales operations and customer centricity at hand2mind. “I love what we do. We believe in the mission. That makes us compatible to work together and very collaborative.”

Learning Resources, which has a new toy brand for pets, and hand2mind have also worked to create fun workplaces with Tail Waggin’ Tuesdays and Wet Nose Wednesdays, days once a month when employees can bring their dogs into the office.

“We have a lot of different events and activities throughout the year that keep the day fun,” said Samantha Adams, client service specialist at hand2mind. “We had a Super Bowl spirit week, a chili cook-off one day, a gingerbread house-making contest. You come to work to do your job, but our HR team does a good job of incorporating different theme days and events throughout the year to make it more fun here.”

Rick Woldenberg, CEO of hand2mind and Learning Resources, said the companies have succeeded in having a happy and engaged workforce because they put people first.

“The way we are able to create value, serve our customers and compete in a very competitive market is because of the people who choose to work here,” he said. “We value them. We appreciate them and we invest in them. It all starts with the people.”

Chicago-based technology consulting and implementation firm Spaulding Ridge also experienced an improvement in employee happiness scores even though the technology industry has seen some of the biggest declines in happiness amid industry layoffs and concerns about the impact of AI.

“We have been in business about six and a half years, and we have thrived through some unprecedented times due to the happiness and engagement of our employees,” said Cara Halladay, human resources vice president at Spaulding Ridge. “We started our company from ground zero. We’re about a $100 million company today and we’ve been able to grow because of the trust and community that we’ve been able to build within our workforce.”

Cultivating employee happiness, Halladay said, begins with the hiring process. “We’ve built our interview process here at HR to focus on culture alignment. Before we get into technical skills we really focus on our culture and that value alignment,” Halladay said.

The most important value: “All business is personal,” said CEO Jay Laabs.

Annika Olsen, a delivery senior associate, considers herself a happy, engaged employee and credits, in part, the company’s culture.

“We have a people-first attitude. People are very open and honest about what’s going on at the business, and you can pretty much talk to anyone,” she said. “I think having a culture of transparency and honesty does help those connections further.”

Olsen is not worried about job cuts or the company shrinking, nor does she feel threatened by AI.

“Spaulding Ridge is really on a growth trajectory, and they choose to embrace this uncertainty and change,” she said. “Against the backdrop of AI, we are a company that focuses on harnessing that instead of turning away from it. We look at ways we can use AI to our advantage instead of looking at it as a threat. We really do perceive it as an opportunity.”

Payton Ortiz, delivery manager, who previously completed two internships at Spaulding Ridge, said what keeps him happy are the “continual opportunities to grow and define my own role at the firm.”

At Oak Brook-based Inland Real Estate Investment Corp., another company on this year’s Top Workplaces list that ranked well for the happiness of its employees, a collaborative and team environment has resulted in an engaged staff, said Cassie Hrtanek, who oversees human resources at Inland.

“We are trying to nurture and empower all of our employees,” Hrtanek said. “We have an entrepreneurial spirit.”

That spirit stems from how the company got its start, she said. Inland was founded by four Chicago public school teachers, who started doing real estate on the side.

“That is where our entrepreneurial nature comes from, and all employees are encouraged to find that sense within themselves and help contribute to the company in that way,” Hrtanek said.

Investor relations manager Lorraine Bider, who has worked at Inland for a decade, likes the fact that an entrepreneurial spirit is a part of the company’s DNA. She said she thrives in an environment where employees can bring new ideas to the table and critical thinking is appreciated. The work/life balance she’s been able to have at the company as she raised her child, who is now a first-year student in college, also has been important.

Innovation is encouraged, and that has contributed to happiness and engagement while also helping the company grow and enter new market segments, CEO Keith Lampi said.

Inland’s commitment to helping staff advance in their careers and create a sense of belonging also helps breed happiness, Hrtanek said. She points to the Oak Brook-based company’s Women’s Initiative Network, where women across Inland’s various companies get together to network and for education.

“It’s a really great way to meet people in the company you wouldn’t otherwise have met,” she said. “It provides avenues to see women in management and see there’s a place for employees to advance in their careers and to see what other departments, other inland companies are doing.”

Karina Valencia, assistant controller at Inland, works a hybrid schedule that involves two days in the office each week and three days working from home. The schedule allows her to spend valuable time with her 4- and 6-year-old sons.

“I love to be able to work from home,” she said. “I live half a block from school. I love to be able to take them to school, walk them there. You work to be fed, but that feeds my soul.”

Valencia, who started off at the company as a staff accountant, said she feels valued, and that her contributions are recognized. She also said the company truly cares about staff.

She shared an experience of working in the office one day in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when she was eight months pregnant. Because of uncertainty about the emerging virus, Valencia was allowed to begin working remotely even before the widespread shutdowns were implemented.

“The controller of the company came up to me and said ‘we don’t know enough about what’s happening. I don’t feel comfortable about having you here,’” Valencia said. “It meant so much,” she shared. “They appreciated me. They wanted me to be safe. That was a great feeling. They cared.”

Having a caring workplace environment is important, Lampi said. “We want to make sure we serve our employees with the same care we do our investor base. If you take care of those two principles, it’s a recipe for success.”

Francine Knowles is a freelance writer.

Satisfaction and engagement among rank-and-file workers has been declining for several years, and many workplaces are, well, gloomy. Return-to-office mandates, cost-cutting and burnout are just a few of the reasons why some employees feel down, and their discontent comes with a cost. When employees aren’t happy, they aren’t as productive. Recruiting also becomes more challenging when your workforce is unhappy.

Our annual Top Workplaces report examines why employees are disenchanted. We also dig into what the most effective workplaces are doing to fight back against this trend. It’s probably not realistic for every member of your organization to be happy every day. But cultivating an environment where employees feel engaged and focused on growth is a big step in the right direction.

How did we select the top workplaces? On behalf of the Tribune, Energage of Exton, Pennsylvania, a workplace survey and improvement specialist, conducted a survey of nominated Chicago-area employers with at least 100 employees. Most of the surveys were conducted between April and July.

To determine the winners, Energage conducted a scientific survey. The Tribune did not pay Energage. The Tribune used news coverage as well as advertising to seek nominations. In total, 6,837 companies were invited to participate, compared with 6,995 in 2023. Of those, 231 companies completed the survey, allowing Energage to identify the top organizations, divided into three categories: small (fewer than 250 employees), midsize (250 to 999) and large (1,000 or more), the same divisions as previous surveys. Energage sent surveys to 116,651 workers in the Chicago area, and 65,201 responded.

Energage delivered the results to the Tribune. The list of companies not designated a Top Workplace was kept confidential by Energage. The firm questioned employees using paper and online surveys.

Employees responded to a set of statements about their feelings toward their workplace, using a seven-point scale. The statements focused on issues such as leadership of the company, execution and connection. A numerical value was attached to each statement, allowing Energage to create an overall score for each company.

Afterward, Energage ran a series of statistical tests to look for any questionable results. The firm said it sometimes disqualifies a small number of employers based on those tests. The list is categorized by size because smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers.

Today, that entrepreneurial venture has grown into 1st Ayd Corp., a business-to-business manufacturer and distributor of maintenance, safety and janitorial supplies. President Tommy Schreiner Jr. says the family-owned operation is now a $50 million business that sells more than 100,000 items and employs a staff of 155.

Elgin-based 1st Ayd, pronounced first aid, is ranked No. 9 among small employers on the Chicago Tribune’s list of Top Workplaces, as measured by the consultancy Energage in Exton, Pennsylvania.

Schreiner Jr., whose father Tom Schreiner founded the company, credits a culture of empowering employees with driving the success and making 1st Ayd Corp. a top workplace.

“We have decentralized authority as much as we can,” Schreiner said. “Our 120 salespeople have the ability to bring new products into stock. We put the power in the people’s hands, our salespeople and customer service people, who are on the front lines talking to customers.”

The company’s product line ranges from abrasives and anti-bacterial hand cleaners to liquid floor cleaners, personal protective equipment and vehicle maintenance chemicals. Customers include car dealerships, auto shops, food processors, factories and rental car companies. 1st Ayd distributes nationally, but mostly in the Midwest.

The company’s business model has a 50/50 shared profit and shared cost structure for the sales force. For any orders reps generate, reps earn half of the profit generated as commission. If a rep wants to attend trade shows or send samples, the company splits the cost of marketing efforts with reps, Shreiner Jr. said.

“We split the income, we spit the profit,” Schreiner said. “We split the cost for any new product they want to bring in stock or new vendors they want to set up.”

David Pool, sales manager, who has worked for the company nearly 20 years, appreciates not being micromanaged.

“You have the freedom to be successful,” he said. “They leave you alone. You have the ability to go out and do what you need to do. They give you the tools you need. The back-office support is great. The administrative functions are wonderful. Our warehouse is very quick. It’s really an efficient ship that runs well.”

Pool has been able to bring four new products into the company’s product line on which he is earning commissions. It is a company for salespeople by salespeople, where sales staff are viewed as revenue generators, not a cost center, Pool said.

As evidence, he points to Schreiner Jr., who also works directly in sales. Schreiner Jr. is one of the company’s top sales reps and built his book of business from scratch — 90% of his customers had never ordered from the company.

“Our president is out selling every day,” Pool said. “That says something. They understand what it’s like for the reps out there on the street, in the trenches, the trials and tribulations we go through.”

Flexibility has been important to Pool, who has two sons, one of whom just graduated from college. The other is close to graduating. When his sons were growing up, Pool coached baseball and soccer and was a cub master and scoutmaster.

“If I needed to be on a soccer field to run a practice at 3:30 or 4, I was there,” he said. “If I needed to take off on a Friday to prepare for a weekend campout with Scouts, I was able to do that, to be there for my kids as they grew up, which is so important.”

Another company benefit is access to training, which is incentivized. Staff have the option of  choosing from and taking advantage of more than 100 online training courses. They are quizzed after completing certain training and can earn up more than $2,000 for correct answers, Schreiner Jr. said.

“It’s a very cohesively run company,” said Kevin Kujala, who has been with 1st Ayd for six years and works in customer service.

“It’s a positive and motivated environment. Everybody pulls their weight but also helps out if someone gets behind.”

Julie Fitzgerald began her employment working in customer service and today is purchasing director at the company.

“If you work hard, you are rewarded, and the benefits, the vacation time and hours are great,” she said. “So far, I’ve recommended two of my friends who now work here, and my daughter just started.”

The company has created a workplace environment where everyone’s opinion matters, and employees feel valued, she said.

“They believe in their employees and treat you like that. It empowers you to do your job well every day,” Fitzgerald said. “Fifteen years ago, when I started it was a much smaller place and it has grown so. To be in a position to grow with the company and to see it doing well, everybody plays a part in that.”

The company’s sales and profits have been increasing 6% to 11% the past few years, and it’s positioned to double its sales in 10 years, Schreiner said.

He said the company prioritizes work/life balance and its sales team has unlimited vacation time tied to performance.

“We measure what they produce, not when they work,” Schreiner Jr. said.

He notes turnover is low, and many employees have been with the company for 15 to 20 years.

“That helps us, having that knowledge built up over decades,” he said. “When you have a lot of turnover, you lose that. It’s the team that keeps us growing strong, and I’m thankful for them.”

That team has a special connection to the truck repairmen, mechanics, janitors, and food processing and sanitation workers who use its products, and that’s something employees also appreciate, Schreiner Jr. said. They are helping people stay safe and clean at their jobs by giving them the supplies they need to do their work, which he calls a higher purpose.

“It’s a matter of shared attitudes and beliefs the way we think about our customers,” he explained. “The backbone of the economy are the blue-collar working people we are serving.”

Francine Knowles is a freelance writer.