Entrepreneur and Energage are searching the nation for high-performance cultures to be part of their third-annual Top Company Cultures list. Winners will be featured on Entrepreneur.com and in Entrepreneur magazine. To qualify, candidate companies must be headquartered in the U.S.; employ at least 35 people; have been founded before February 2016 and be currently led by a founder who has at least 10% ownership the company.
If you believe your employer provides an amazing workplace, here are five reasons to consider submitting a nomination by April 20 for Entrepreneur’s 2018 Top Company Cultures list.
1. Awards help retain top talent. Eight out of ten U.S. adults who are open to a new job or are actively seeking a job say that they are at least somewhat more likely to apply at an organization that has recently won a great workplace award, according to recent Gallup research.
2. Workplace awards aren’t about free lunches or reward trips. It’s all about whether or not employees feel inspired and empowered to do amazing things. Employees who are inspired and given the room to work on great things typically accomplish what no one thought they possibly could. Their output could be anything from a technological breakthrough to streamlining what was once an arduous process.
3. Asking the right questions gauges overall employee engagement. Entrepreneur’s Top Company Cultures list represents organizations that excel in four integral business areas: the basics (including work-life balance, training and expectations), engagement, leadership, and the health of the organization. Companies are evaluated and chosen based on the results of employees’ responses to a survey which addresses those business areas.
Companies cannot measure any levels of improvement without beginning with a baseline. Dale Carnegie said, “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” All participating companies will benefit from a complimentary Survey SnapShot which includes a summary of the organization’s overall health, high-performance culture highlights and improvement suggestions. Acquiring a snapshot of how the company is performing in key areas is a valuable consolation prize should an organization not rank initially. Identifying where performance is weak will enable the prioritization of critical efforts to improve the overall level of engagement and ultimately, productivity and performance.
4. Recognizing top talent complements all recruiting and retention efforts. Workplace awards send a strong and indirect message to prospective employees about what it’s like to work at the organization by promising a positively differentiated employment experience. They also remind current employees that they’re part of a strong, award-winning organization.
5. Dale Carnegie research studies have identified the specific behaviors required to create an engaged workforce. Engaged employees outperform the competition by as much as 202% according to Gallup. The good news is that the behavioral tools necessary to increase employee engagement and ultimately outperform competitors are taught in many courses offered by Dale Carnegie. Check out current course offerings and consider enrolling based on your unique needs and goals.