Daily Herald Suburban Business honors 2023 Best Places to Work in Illinois winners
Managers and employees from Oakbrook Terrace-based The Salem Group left Thursday's 2023 Best Places to Work in Illinois luncheon with another victory to celebrate.
"Our people are so crucial to our success." said Ashley Millan, The Salem Group vice president of operations. "We're a company that likes to have fun, work hard. We're committed to excellence. And of course we love to celebrate our wins."
The Salem Group got another win at Abbington Distinctive Banquets in Glen Ellyn, taking first place in the small companies division, for businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
The Salem Group, an independent, multi-divisional strategic staffing and workforce management company is a certified woman-owned business. The average tenure of its employees is 12 years.
The company offers mini-parties throughout the year with contests for prices, and all or part of an employee's full- or part-time child care is paid. It also has a President's Club, in which select employees get a three- to five-day trip to any destination, all expenses paid.
The annual Best Places to Work in Illinois contest was hosted for the 18th year by Daily Herald Suburban Business in partnership with Workforce Research Group. It was sponsored by Shaker Recruitment Marketing and Signature Bank. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce and GOA Regional Business Association were marketing partners.
The program honored 57 companies from around the state.
Winners are determined based in part on what employers are doing for employees, including diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and work-life balance, said Peter Burke, president of Workforce Research Group. That comprised 20% of the evaluation. The remaining 80% was determined by an 80-question survey of employees.
The companies that were rewarded for their efforts saw a 92% response rate to that survey, Burke said. The national average is a 35% response rate.
Performance Services of Lombard took the top spot in the midsized companies division, for businesses with 100-499 employees based in the United States.
The company, which delivers high-performance buildings, boasts a zero-cost benefit plan for employees and their families, a peer-recognition program, and a $3,000 HSA contribution for participation in a wellness program.
Performance Services has a turnover rate of less than 6% over the last 22 years.
"It boils down to two issues fundamentally: One is the business itself and being able to deliver exceptional value for customers. This is what enables us to fund such a happy and healthy work environment, pay our people well, provide all the benefits, do all the fun team-building events," said Performance Services General Manager Brian Ondyak, noting it was the company's third year participating in the contest.
"The second of course is culture."
Burns & McDonnell finished No. 1 in the large companies group, for businesses with 500 or more employees. Located in Chicago, Burns & McDonnell is a 100% employee-owned company with a focus on power generation, transmission, transportation and facility design.
"Employee ownership is really the heart of what drives Burns & McDonnell, it's the real key to our success," said Bill Fleury, department manager at Burns & McDonnell, noting the company is celebrating its 125th year in business.
Burns & McDonnell offers a wellness incentive program for which employees can earn a discount up to $80 a month. It also hosts holiday events, summer picnics and potlucks for employees.
In the Best Places to Work for Hispanics subcategory, Level 10 placed first.
Action Health was first among the Best Places to Work for Millennials.
The top place to work for women was Radio Flyer, which placed second among midsized companies a year after taking the top spot in that category.