For the past 12 years, RMS has partnered with The Central New York Business Journal to conduct the CNY Best Places to Work competition (see winners’ profiles in the special section in this issue). This year was one of the most competitive years ever. We had a record number of submissions, which resulted in high employee participation. The results provide a great snapshot of what it’s like to work in Central New York and current trends in the local workforce.

The data confirms what you would expect — a shift is occurring regarding workplace management and employee expectations. The data also shows the importance of supervisors and their role in employees’ day-to-day satisfaction. Throughout the survey, the winning companies had highly rated supervisors. In addition, many winning companies scored high on having clear direction and aligning work to their mission, values, and goals.

Work/life balance was another major theme this year. Employees felt that having balance is critical to their happiness and satisfaction in the workplace. Closely related, there seems to be an interesting finding around the need for connection in the workplace. The winning companies tended to have higher scores in the connection dimension, which suggests that more engaged employees tend to rate their satisfaction higher. We know this is the case from other RMS research — and when organizations can connect purpose and passion, employee satisfaction skyrockets.

As RMS analyzed the data, five key recommendations emerged for organizations looking to make the winners’ list.

1.​ Customize your training for supervisors and leadership.

Beyond the Best Places to Work Survey, RMS has designed and customized countless employee-engagement surveys. We see a common refrain of individuals wanting to be valued and heard. These findings are often found in comments such as, “My supervisors didn’t listen to me when I voiced concerns about department productivity” or “My ideas are never taken seriously.” One strategy is to help supervisors identify their “blind spots” to help improve management and leadership skills. Working closely with their next-level leadership, they can find resources and training to build their supervisory skills.

2.​ Champion and implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs

This year, RMS added a new set of questions around DEI initiatives (we pilot tested these in 2023). Organizations across CNY scored well when asked questions exploring how their organization embraces, acts, and incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion. The evidence was clear that DEI policies and programs are crucial to being named a Best Place to Work.

3. ​Be intentional about building connections among staff

The data suggests a strong desire for increasing connections with staff. Organizations need to think critically about new ways to build connections with their team and understand the best ways to make everyone feel engaged. We often hear, “We have a rewards program, but no one participates.” Or, “We have social events, but it’s always the same 10 people who go.” Organizations should spend the time to identify strategies and motivational tools that will resonate with staff. What is the best way to do this? Ask. Best Places to Work is an excellent indicator of employee satisfaction, but you can go deeper by conducting focus groups, interviews, or short, targeted surveys with staff.

4.​ Provide clear direction on work-from-home policies.

Flexible work schedules continue to take shape and evolve. We are seeing a variety of work-from-home models. Generally, the data suggests that the flexibility many of us have been afforded over the last three years is now commonplace. Similar studies that RMS has conducted find that employees want clarity on work-from-home policies and implementation of these policies consistently and fairly.

5.​ Analyze your pay, benefits, and assess market rates — then adjust if feasible.

If you can, re-think your pay structures and benefits to remain competitive. Even better, do some research to ensure that your salaries are competitive. We know from other RMS research that people want a roadmap or a growth plan to gain clear expectations for advancing. We have also found that paying people competitively typically removes a major stressor and those who feel they are compensated fairly score other dimensions in the Best Places to Work survey higher.

These are just a few of the recommendations from the 2024 Best Places to Work survey. Many winners already incorporate these activities, so if you implement these recommendations, perhaps you’ll find your organization on the winners’ list next year.        

Patrick Fiorenza is director of research analytics at Research and Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS), a nationwide market-research firm based in Baldwinsville.