Best Places to Work Awards

Your company can be recognized as a leader in developing a quality workplace!

Polk Works WorkForce 2020 is seeking applications for it Best Places to Work Awards to recognize and honor employers who exemplify best practice workplaces who are committed to improving the quality of life for their employees. This prestigious award not only offers businesses insight into their organizational strengths, but also excellent advertising and promotional opportunities of their excellent status.

The Polk Works WorkForce 2020 Best Places to Work Award application is now available.  A $150 application fee that includes online application, online surveys, and a participation report.  Click to apply.  Once payment of the application fee has been made, applications will be sent out.

Polk Works WorkForce 2020 recognizes companies in Polk County with the Best Places to Work Award who are taking the lead in developing quality workplaces that allow their employees to work at their very best. Award-winning companies are the most innovative in the areas of motivating and retaining employees, training and development initiatives and workplace practices that promote a healthy work/life balance.

The application must be completed in one setting. Before beginning the online application, please email workforce2020@polkworks.org to receive a blank application and start the Employee Satisfaction Survey portion of the application process. Print the blank application, answer the questions on your printed copy, and then transfer those answers to the online application.

Application Process: The application is a two-part process designed to gather detailed data about each participating company. The employer completes the on-line application in part one. Part two is an employee survey completed by employees of the participating company.

Information from the two parts will be combined to produce a detailed set of data enabling the analysts to determine the strengths and opportunities of the participating companies. The workplaces will be ranked based on this data and a complimentary report will be returned to each participating company.

Survey Process: The Employee Satisfaction Survey consists of approximately 10 statements that employees respond to on a 5-point satisfaction scale and 3 open-ended questions.  This survey is done online or by paper? While the online survey process is part of the application fee, a processing charge will be applied to registrations that require paper-based surveys. For the online version, each employee will receive a unique web-link via email to complete the survey. Companies choosing the online version of the survey will be asked to submit a list of randomly selected employee email addresses. All employee data is submitted anonymously and will be kept strictly confidential.

Polk Works WorkForce 2020 will survey up to 600 randomly selected employees per participating business, depending on the company size. We encourage all companies to use the online survey process; however, if the online survey process will not work for your company, we offer a traditional paper based survey option. The chart below lists the fees for the paper survey evaluation process (Companies will be invoiced separately for paper surveys).

Results: The two data sets are combined and analyzed to determine the rankings. The online application and the employee satisfaction survey are equal in value. The maximum points available are equal on the application and the employee survey. Additional points is given for the larger percentage of employees that participate in the Employee Satisfaction Survey.

The judges then review the application and the surveys before deciding on the winners. All participating companies will receive a Participation Report as part of the application fee. Deadline: The Application and Survey parts both must be completed by:  TBD.

Begin Application: Applications will be available by March 15, 2010.  Link to application will be placed on this page or will be emailed to applicant.

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Benefits of Being a Winner

Improved employee morale
Improved recruitment and retention
Increased visibility of company among job seekers and industry peers

2008 Award Recipients

American Compliance Technologies; Ascent Healthcare; BCI Engineers & Scientists; Bunch & Associates; Clark Environmental; Coca-Cola North America; Cross, Fernandez & Riley, LLP; DSM Technology Consultants; Ferguson Enterprises; Lanier Upshaw; and Southern wine & Spirits.

Applications for the 2010 Best Places to Work Award will be available in early 2011. Companies will be recognized at the Polk Works Annual Meeting in August 2010.

For more information on the awards application process, please email  workforce2020@polkworks.org.

Employers of Distinction

The “Employer of Distinction” designation was created by Polk Works to recognize companies in Polk County that have shown consistent commitment to improving the quality of life for their employees. These companies are leaders in developing a best-practice workplace that encourage employees to work at their very best.

Bright House Networks
Keith & Schars, P.A.
Lakeland Regional Medical Center
Marriott Vacation Club
Polk County Board of County Commissioners
Polk County Clerk of Courts
W.S. Badcock Corporation
Winter Haven Hospital

The above businesses will have the opportunity to work with Polk Works' Business Services as mentors to another company in the community which strives to improve their practices in motivating and retaining their employees.