How the Journal Sentinel chooses southeast Wisconsin's Top Workplaces

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Top Workplaces 2018

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been identifying and honoring southeast Wisconsin’s best employers for the past eight years — and the nomination period for our 2018 Top Workplaces program is underway.

Here are answers to some common questions about the program.

Q. How can an employer participate?

A. It all starts with a nomination. Anyone can nominate an employer by going to jsonline.com/nominate or calling (414) 376-5560.

Q. How are Top Workplaces chosen?

A. Once an employer agrees to participate, employees are asked to respond to online surveys featuring statements such as “I feel genuinely appreciated at this company” and “At this company, we do things efficiently and well.”

The confidential surveys are administered by our partner, WorkplaceDynamics of suburban Philadelphia, which then analyzes the results to produce the list of 150 Top Workplaces, broken down by size: Large (500 or more employees), Midsize (150-499 employees) and Small (50-149 employees).

The groupings were developed because smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers. Companies with fewer than 50 workers are not eligible for that reason and because it is difficult to get statistically relevant rankings from such small samples.

Q. How many surveys are done?

A. Tens of thousands each year, making this by far the most credible and prestigious ranking of Wisconsin employers. Businesses and organizations that participated last year employed 110,650 people in the region. Of those, 69,204 responded to the surveys.

Q. How much does it cost?

A. There is no cost to employers who participate in the online survey process.

Q. Who is eligible?

A. Any employer — privately held and publicly held businesses, government agencies, schools and nonprofits — with at least 50 employees in the 10-county southeast Wisconsin region can participate. The region includes these counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Sheboygan, Jefferson and Dodge.

Q. Do you release the names of all participating employers?

A. Only winning employers — those named to the Top Workplaces list — are disclosed. The program is designed to facilitate a sharing of best practices and to celebrate great employers.

Q. When will the results be released?

A. The 2018 Top Workplaces will be honored at an awards breakfast and in a special section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and JSOnline.com in the spring.