From the Editor: Choice Employers salutes work-force support

Awards are not new to us here at Springfield Business Journal. We've been recognizing employees and companies in our readership area for a decade - dating back to our first 40 Under 40 event in 1999.

But we're never content to rest on our laurels, so in each awards cycle, we closely examine what worked, what didn't and how we can make each competition better.

Choice Employers is no different. This year's class of honored companies is the third to be recognized in this event, formerly dubbed Best Places to Work.

Though the new name for this SBJ award is perhaps the most recognizable change, there have been others. For instance, the sister publications of SBJ Publishing Inc. - Springfield Business Journal and Joplin Tri-State Business - now have their own, separate events to recognize workplaces with the best benefits offerings in their respective markets.

Instead of printed surveys, this year, Springfield Business Journal enlisted the help of online tool Survey Monkey, which enabled us to send digital surveys directly to leaders at nominated companies in order to ensure the most accurate answers to our questions. We asked about everything from health insurance to continuing education and corporate culture.

Once judging firm Whitlock, Selim & Keehn LLP crunched the numbers to show us which companies are this year's Choice Employers, our contributing writers - Carol Cook, Clarissa French and Tresa McBee - were charged with contacting company leaders so that the honorees' stories could be told in this booklet.

While employee benefits might seem cut-and-dried, the interesting thing is that time and again, when employees were asked by our writers what they liked best about their workplaces, the answer came back to the people with whom they work.

It makes sense, I suppose, given that many of us spend more of our waking hours with co-workers than we do our own families. Clearly, being able to fit in with fellow staff members, and to be able to communicate well with them, is important.

But also important to Ozarks professionals is how their employers feel about their families.

In the Family Friendly category of the Choice Employers survey, we asked local companies about such things as maternity and paternity leave, dependent insurance coverage and support for employees who are caring for elderly parents.

Among companies with 25 to 100 employers, Springfield Business Journal ranked No. 2 in the Family Friendly category. Having been on staff here for nearly nine years, that doesn't surprise me one bit. But neither does it surprise me that for SBJ and many companies, support of families - from family time to scholarships and other offerings - goes well beyond the standard benefits we asked about in our survey.

As an example in our shop, the week we went to press with this publication, the SBJ staff held a baby shower for the latest addition to Editor Eric Olson's family. I have been on the receiving end of such generosity by colleagues, and others could talk to you about wedding showers, Trick-or-Treat activities and game nights at co-workers' homes.

Though we recognize 20 companies a year with Choice Employers, we know that there are many more places in the Ozarks that are terrific places to work. It is not too early to start thinking about whether your company should be considered for 2009 Choice Employers honors. Award nominations can be submitted any time at www.sbj.net/events.

In the meantime, please join me and the entire SBJ staff in celebrating the successes of the 20 companies that are the 2008 Choice Employers.

Maria Hoover is features editor of Springfield Business Journal. She may be reached at mhoover@sbj.net