Here’s how the top 150 workplaces were chosen

For the ninth year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Energage have partnered to determine the Atlanta area’s Top Workplaces.

For the 2019 rankings, 4,343 companies were nominated or asked to participate after metro area employees responded to print and online solicitations that began appearing in September.

Energage, a Philadelphia-based employee research and consulting firm, then surveyed 255 metro companies that agreed to participate in the no-cost program. More than 48,837 metro workers participated in the survey.

Any public, private, nonprofit or governmental employer with a minimum of 50 employees in metro Atlanta was eligible.

The top 150 — ranked based on employee feedback scores — consists of:

■ 20 large companies (500 or more employees)

■ 55 midsize companies (150-499 employees)

■ 70 small companies (149 or fewer employees)

Forty-three additional Atlanta-area companies were chosen as Top Achievers for scoring above the national benchmark.

The survey gathered responses to 24 factors covering seven areas, including organizational health factors relating to workplace culture. Employee engagement, company leadership and the basics (pay, benefits, flexibility, training and expectations) were among the questions.

Employers were ranked in groups of similar size, and those that scored high enough were recognized as Top Workplaces. In addition, special award winners received standout scores on specific survey areas.

A response rate of at least 35 percent of a company’s employees based in metro Atlanta was required. In addition, employers with 85 or fewer metro Atlanta workers had to have at least 30 responders. Energage also ran statistical tests to identify questionable results and disqualify any employers.