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A Challenge for the Fortune 100 Best Employers

Posted on Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 06:54PM by Registered CommenterRobert Cenek | Comments2 Comments

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Fortune’s annual 100 Best Employers issue always presents me with the same perennial set of questions:

Can we assume that employees in these firms are more happy – and more importantly, more engaged with their work than the average employee in the U.S economy; and

If so, are these employees’ happiness being fueled by the “deep pockets” of the typical firm in the listing?

Monolithic bureaucracies in oligopolistic or regulated industries seem to be prime examples of firms with the financial wherewithal and competitive means to fund a spiffy array of workplace pleasantries, such as on-site pet day care centers or free espresso, without having to fret much about the bottom line.

Wouldn’t it be great to see firms of all sizes in the annual parade, or better yet, to base inclusion on third-party survey data, say from JD Powers, that validates the level of employee engagement (and not just satisfaction)in their workplaces?

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Reader Comments (2)

Wow, that's a very powerful idea. Those reviews can be skewed, and it would be cool to see a large sample size (not 162 people) from each company asked about engagement. THAT would be interesting!
May 8, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterFrank Roche
Frank:

Yes, while I think that many on the list would remain under such circumstances, it would be interesting to see a listing of the Top 100 firms based on employee engagement. A workforce that's showered with goodies, which many on the list can afford, will naturally be HAPPY with their surroundings. But....are they engaged??
May 8, 2007 | Registered CommenterRobert Cenek

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