In its 12th year of identifying the Atlanta area’s Top Workplaces, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and its employment research partner are recognizing 49 companies as first-time winners and three 12-time ranked winners.

The winners were recognized at a virtual event hosted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on March 10.

Earning titles for the 12th consecutive year are Smith & Howard P.C., Transwestern Commercial Services of Georgia Inc., and Woodward Academy.

Newcomers to the list of 175 Top Workplaces include Georgia’s Own Credit Union, Jim Ellis Automotive Group, Meridian Cooperative, White Cap, Ally Financial, Fathom Realty and United Way of Greater Atlanta.

Bob Helbig, media partnership director for research partner Energage, said the pandemic has only heightened the challenges that constantly face employers when it comes to meeting the needs of employees and customers.

“Top Workplaces celebrates the companies that are getting it right,” Helbig said. “Some have decided to put themselves to the test with Top Workplaces for the first time to show how well they are navigating those challenges. And others have been adapting for a long time. What they have in common is a culture of seeking feedback from employees, listening to that feedback, and taking action. We know culture drives performance.”

Bob Helbig, Energage media partnerships director

Credit: spe

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Credit: spe

For the 2022 rankings, 4,583 companies were nominated or asked to participate. Philadelphia-based Energage surveyed 305 of those companies, a record in the 12 years of the no-cost program.

The surveyed companies employ 73,135 people in metro Atlanta. Of the 72,546 employees who received the survey, 42,698 responded.

Based on an analysis of surveys responses, the top 175 workplaces are composed of:

  • 22 large organizations with 500 or more employees in the region
  • 66 midsize organizations with 150-499 employees in the region
  • 87 small organizations with 149 or fewer employees in the region

Employees who participated in the survey were asked to read statements and rank them on a 7-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

Included were statements such as:

  • “I believe this company is going in the right direction.”
  • “My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful.”
  • “This company operates by strong values.”
  • “My pay is fair for the work I do.”
  • “I have the flexibility I need to balance my work and personal life.”
  • “New ideas are encouraged at this company.”

Each of the statements has a positivity score, showing its overall percentage of positive responses.

The employers were broken into size bands because smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers. The employers are then ranked within their size band solely on the employee responses to the survey statements. The company in each size band with the best score were then selected as the Top Workplaces in metro Atlanta for 2022.

Companies were required to have at least a 35% response rate from employees based in metro Atlanta.

For companies with 85 or fewer metro Atlanta employees, there had to be at least 30 employee responses to the survey. Employers were encouraged to survey all employees, but large companies could choose to randomly sample their metro Atlanta employees.

READ MORE ABOUT TOP WORKPLACES:

Brasfield & Gorrie thrives on repeat business

The next four large companies

Supreme Lending leaders put people above profits

The next four midsize companies

Motivated, ambitious staff helps Crisp, Inc. grow

The next four small companies

Workers did more soul searching in 2021 than in the previous year

Special awards: top large workplaces

Special awards: top midsize workplaces

Special awards: top small workplaces