Workforce Services names best companies to work for

In one of the most difficult economies in history, there are still some great places to work. The state Department of Workforce Services on Monday announced its annual list of Utah's best companies to work for, the winners of the 2009 Work/Life Awards.

The award recognizes firms that are "creating exceptional workplaces," according to Utah Work/Life Awards manager Tara Connolly. She said the 25 winners this year are companies that are "addressing their employee needs" and "have a good culture of equity and opportunity."

"The majority of the award is based upon, how do employees feel, what's day-to-day life like for them as they work there and what's their day-to-day reality of working for the company," Connolly said.

Companies can be nominated by someone, or they can nominate themselves during the January submission period. During the review process, employees are surveyed for their comments and winners are eventually chosen based on their overall rating.

Connolly said this year's recipients received average scores of 80 percent or higher, with more than 200 applicants participating.

"The cool thing is it's what the employees say," she said.

"Every year, this award gets harder and harder to win," Lynette Rasmussen, director of the Department of Workforce Services' Office of Work & Family Life, said in a news release. "The success of Work/Life Award winning companies shows up in many forms, including improved productivity, customer relations, retention, recruitment and marketing."

The Utah Work/Life Awards showcase best employer practices and provide an ongoing forum for outstanding companies to exchange ideas and collaborate on challenges, the release said.

"It's really, for them, a great opportunity for them to market their company," Connolly said.

This is the 11th year of the awards program, with 10 companies repeating as winners, including Futura Industries, a 10-time recipient; ARUP Laboratories, a nine-time recipient; and Nicholas & Co., an eight-year recipient.

Each winning company will be recognized at an awards presentation in June at the Sheraton City Center Hotel.

E-mail: jlee@desnews.com