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HAHARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 18, 2024 3 BEST PLACES TO WORK MEET CT'S 2024 BEST PLACES TO WORK M ost workplaces in Connecti- cut and across the country have been impacted by workforce shortages. In fact, Connecticut companies reported about 94,000 job openings at the end of 2023. Talent attraction and retention are top issues facing many employ- ers, which have had to rethink how they do business, from the types of benefits they offer to the amount of flexibility afforded to workers. Today, we are revealing our 2024 Best Places to Work rankings, and if you read the winner profiles you'll better understand the company cultures, perks and benefits that engender employee loyalty and appreciation. Our winners this year were vetted and chosen by Workforce Research Group, a third-party research firm led by President Peter Burke. In addition to choosing the win- ners, Workforce Research Group pro- vided survey results that show some of the perks most commonly offered by the companies that make our Best Places to Work list. Of the 40 compa- nies that qualified as honorees for this year's competition, the survey found: • 63% offer an employer match or oth- er formal contribution to an employ- ee's retirement savings plan account; • 90% have employees who work from home at least part of the time, and 57% of their overall employee population telecommutes; • 70% offer fitness and/or wellness programs within the workplace; • On average, they cover 84% of the health insurance premium cost for employees, and 64% for dependents. Beyond the perks, our Best Places to Work also had employees who prized their work environment. Of the employees surveyed from this year's winning companies: • 90% said their organization's long- term plans seem sensible; • 91% said they are satisfied with where they work; • 86% said they have fun at work; • 92% believe in their company's leadership; • 90% said their company's benefits package is satisfactory. As much as this special section aims to celebrate this year's group of winners, it's also meant to be a training tool for other employers to learn new ways to create a loyal and engaged workforce. We hope you find it informative. Greg Bordonaro Editor A message from Peter Burke, president of the I t's such a thrill to honor 40 orga- nizations that were good enough to be considered the "Best Places to Work in Connecticut" for 2024. is is the 18th year that we have recognized the best employers in the state, and 2024 did not disappoint. In this crazy post-pandemic time, we are now realizing the perma- nence of the changes we were forced to make during the public health cri- sis, in many instances, just to survive. Many of those changes are now the norm. Employees have re-calibrat- ed their lives and now want flexible schedules and work-from-home arrangements. Others have left their jobs to pursue new passions. is shift continues to present huge labor force challenges. But, the Best Places to Work have addressed them all, keeping their employees interested, engaged and balanced. Our firm, Workforce Research Group, was again the research part- ner conducting the two-part work- place assessment to determine who was good enough to make the list, and where all the winners rank. Part one was the employer as- sessment, which was worth 20% of the evaluation. We wanted to know what employers are doing for their employees. We saw that food trucks and coffee carts stopping by for employees is a growing trend. ere are a lot of com- pany outings to Hartford Yard Goats baseball games at Dunkin' Park. Other fun things included ax-throwing experiences, go-cart outings, Halloween parties, and des- ignated "wear your favorite team's gear" days. One company participates in "bring your child to work day," and also of- fers Wednesday "wine" day. I wonder if those happen on the same day? e other 80% of the evaluation came from an 80-question employ- ee feedback survey. e percentage of employee engagement, or what we call the "core employee experi- ence," was 94% for this year's group of winners. at's amazing considering the national average is right around 35%. We were also able to determine the top five factors that drive employee engagement: 1. Employees believing they are valued. 2. Employees liking what they do. 3. Employees believing in the leadership of the organization. 4. Organizational commitment to producing quality products and/or services. 5. Employees knowing what is expected of them. Whether an organization made the list or not, all participants receive ac- cess to the employee feedback data dashboard, which provides insights to help organizations get better. As we celebrate the 2024 winners, we realize they didn't get here by ac- cident. ey have all been intention- al and committed to efforts to create great places to work. And they have had a huge impact on their employees, employees' families, customers and the commu- nities they serve. For more information about this year's program and to register for the 2025 program, please visit www. BestPlacesToWorkConnecticut.com. Subscriptions Annual subscriptions are $132.00. To subscribe, visit HartfordBusiness.com, email circulation@hartfordbusiness.com, or call (845) 267-3008. Advertising For advertising information, please call (860) 236-9998. Please address all correspondence to: Hartford Business Journal, 100 Allyn Street, Suite 3, Hartford, CT 06103 Stay Connected For breaking and daily Connecticut business news go to: www.HartfordBusiness.com HBJ on Twitter: @HartfordBiz HBJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HartfordBiz HBJ on Linkedln: www.linkedin.com/ company/the-Hartford-Business-Journal Daily e-newsletters: HBJ Today, CT Morning Blend: www.hartfordbusiness.com/enewsletters Access Health CT ............................................ 14 Adams & Knight ..............................................10 ADNET Technologies LLC .............................. 15 Associated Construction Co. ........................ 15 Bradley, Foster + Sargent Inc. ......................10 Burns + McDonnell......................................... 22 Charles IT .......................................................... 13 Child Health and Development Institute ...10 Connecticut Carpentry Corporation .......... 13 Connecticut Wealth Management .............. 12 Consigli Construction .....................................17 Comcast Western New England Region ... 23 Cooperative Systems ....................................... 8 CT Ear, Nose & Throat Associates PC........ 16 CT Trial Firm LLC .............................................. 5 Diray Media .......................................................11 Downes Construction Co. ................................ 9 Edward Jones.................................................... 21 Flow Tech Inc. .................................................... 8 GO Agency ...........................................................7 Habitat for Humanity ....................................... 6 Hinckley Allen ................................................. 20 HNTB ................................................................. 20 Inspira Marketing Group ............................... 18 Interscape Commercial Environments ....... 13 Johnson Brunetti ............................................... 4 MicroCare LLC ................................................. 14 Mintz + Hoke .....................................................11 NBT Bank ......................................................... 24 One Digital ........................................................ 19 Olsen Construction Services .......................... 5 Reid + Riege P.C. ............................................. 14 Robinson + Cole LLP ....................................... 21 Saisystems International ................................ 6 Scient Federal Credit Union ......................... 12 SIMPSON Healthcare ..................................... 15 The Walker Group ..............................................7 UHY LLP ............................................................ 19 USAAAW Waste & Recycling...................... 22 VACO LLC .......................................................... 18 Contents