Procrastinators rejoice! Journal Sentinel Top Workplaces nomination deadline extended

It may not be on your calendar, but rest assured, this is not fake news. Today is Procrastinators' Day!

Not really. But if you missed last Friday's deadline for nominating your employer for the Journal Sentinel's ninth annual Top Workplaces program, here's the good news: To make sure every worthy company gets a chance to be recognized, we're extending the nomination deadline through Nov. 17.

For those who don't know the details of the program, it's southeastern Wisconsin's most prestigious celebration of the region's best employers. Among other benefits, being included on the list is a tremendous recruiting tool, particularly in times like these, when unemployment is at historic lows.

Each year, our partners at Energage, formerly known as WorkplaceDynamics, survey tens of thousands of employees at nominated companies and organizations so we can recognize employers who take pride in providing work environments that give each employee the greatest opportunity to succeed.

Companies and organizations — public, private, nonprofit or government — that have 50 or more employees in the 10-county southeastern Wisconsin area — Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Sheboygan, Jefferson and Dodge — are eligible.

Anyone can nominate a company or organization, and those nominated will be asked to have their employees participate in the confidential online surveys at no cost.

Energage then analyzes the results and does the rankings. Employers are ranked within three categories based on size: small (fewer than 150 employees), midsize (150-499 employees) and large (500 or more).

Workplaces are grouped into size bands because smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers.

For last year's Top Workplaces awards, 1,350 companies were invited to participate, and 245 ultimately chose to be surveyed. Those companies employ 110,650 people in the region. Of those who received surveys, 69,204 responded.

A total of 150 employers were recognized as Top Workplaces.

Nominating an employer is easy: Just go to jsonline.com/nominate or call (414) 376-5560.

Results will be released in the spring in special sections of the Journal Sentinel and JSOnline.com.