As workers express growing levels of anxiety about the economy, the 13th edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune Top Workplaces survey can provide an effective way for companies, employees and potential job seekers to gain insight into the best businesses in the area.
“It’s more important than ever that employers understand what their employees are going through and what concerns people have,” said Bob Helbig, spokesman for Energage, the Union-Tribune’s research partner that conducts and compiles the results each year. “We feel our survey is a great way to capture all of that sentiment.”
The Top Workplaces survey consists of 25 statements that employees read — such as, “I feel genuinely appreciated at this company — and rank them on a scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”
The survey takes only about five minutes to complete. Responses remain anonymous to protect employee confidentiality and give companies unfiltered . Energage shares the results with each organization privately.
The top-performing companies will be featured in a dedicated section of the Union-Tribune that will be published in the latter part of this year.
There is no cost for organizations to take part in Top Workplaces and anyone can submit nominations — employees, management and even people who don’t work at the business.
Nonprofits, companies in the government sector and private businesses are all eligible. The only restrictions are the organizations must be located in San Diego County and employ at least 50 people.
Companies are broken down by size, from small (50 to 149 total employees), midsize (150 to 499 total employees) and large (500 or more total employees).
To participate, all it takes is to nominate a particular organization by going to sandiegouniontribune.com/nominate or calling 619-780-3999.
The deadline for nominations is June 20.
This year’s edition of Top Workplaces comes as Energage just wrapped up a survey that asked thousands of employees nationwide about economic conditions.
The study showed the percentage of some 125,000 respondents who agreed with the statement, “I feel confident in the current state of the economy” dropped from 40% in January to 32% in April.
“There’s certainly nervousness about where things are going,” Helbig said.
But in a twist, the study also showed that over the past six months, at least 78% of the same respondents said they agreed with the statement, “I believe my company will achieve its goals in the months.”
Helbig interprets that to mean that “companies that listen to their employees, communicate well, have honest conversations about challenges and really encourage people to problem-solve are going to do well,” even if economic sentiment varies.
“The best way to face challenges is to do it together, to do it openly and candidly,” Helbig said. “And what Top Workplaces does is provide an opportunity to capture all that sentiment.”
One of the more insightful aspects of the survey, Helbig said, is employee reaction to statements about opportunities to learn and grow.
“That is a big reason why people choose to stay at a company,” he said. “Or the flipside is if people feel pigeonholed, they get restless and they look elsewhere. Employees want to learn. They want new skills, they want to feel valued and they want to know that over time, there’s a chance to learn and grow.”
Last year, 121 organizations in San Diego County took part in Top Workplaces. More than 21,000 employees completed the survey.
Nationally, Energage queried some 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in 2024.
Top Workplaces media clients cover 65 markets that include the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News and the Denver Post.
