A Phoenix-based company was recognized today as one of the 50 recipients of the “Society for Human Resource Management Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America” award. The company was selected by the Great Place to Work® Institute (GPTW) in its ranking of the nation’s top 25 small & 25 medium-sized employers. Winners received their awards in Chicago at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 60th Annual Conference and Exposition.
The winning company is:
· McMurry (5th of the small-sized employers), Phoenix. In tune with their corporate promise of ‘A better place, a better way’, McMurry has 8 living values that are integrated into every facet of the company. One of which is ‘Help One Another’, & is evident in their domestic violence assistance program that gives extra PTO, legal services, & safe housing to staff members in need. The CEO & Founder chose not to attend the 2007 SHRM conference (as is customary) so the VP of the “Tremendous People Team” could receive all of the recognition for her hard work in helping to make McMurry a great workplace.
“Top U.S. companies succeed by using smart people-management strategies to develop highly productive & satisfied workforces,” said SHRM President & CEO, Susan R. Meisinger. “Particularly in times of economic instability, knowing how to best manage your employees is an essential part of keeping productivity high & your organization open for business. That’s why these companies deserve our applause, now more than ever.”
“The ranking of these 50 top organizations is based upon a random survey of their employees, who send GPTW answers to a detailed questionnaire about workplace culture,” said Hal Adler, GPTW president. “We then analyze those responses in conjunction with other factors to create the ranking. It’s the same approach we use in creating our ’FORTUNE's 100 Best Companies to Work For®’ list.”
The Society for Human Resource Management 50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America winners range in size from 50 to 999 workers, with “small” being a workforce of 50-250 & “medium” employing from 251 to 999. This year, 321 companies participated in the selection process. That process included distribution of a 57-question survey to each organization’s workforce & a separate questionnaire for management. The Great Place to Work Institute then reviewed each company’s annual reports, employee handbooks & other materials.
Employee-survey responses (a total of 44,258 this year) counted for two-thirds of each organization’s score. The remaining one-third came from GPTW’s evaluation of the company in 5 areas: credibility, respect, fairness, pride & camaraderie. This year’s top winners are Dixon Schwabl in the small category, & Ultimate Software in medium-sized.
· Dixon Schwabl is an advertising firm from Victor, New York. The tagline "We make it happen" reflects the positive, proactive nature of life at Dixon Schwabl, & they hire people committed to the cause. The design of the facility is aimed to inspire creativity & be conducive to brainstorming & team activities. New employees are placed in rotating teams of 5 to 8 employees who create fun & meaningful monthly events for the entire agency, to keep the creative culture top-of-mind. Team meetings are daily; agency meetings are weekly - so at least 6 times per week information is routinely shared, both good & bad.
· Ultimate Software is an information technology company based in Weston, Florida. Two of the main themes at Ultimate Software are employee recognition & sports - CEO Scott Scherr sees himself as the “coach” & his employees as “first round draft picks.” This theme plays out at all levels of the organization - from dinner with the senior executive team on a new employee’s first day of orientation, to employee ”MVP” jerseys hanging in the custom-designed basketball atrium (dubbed the ”UltiCourt”), which was built after an employee suggested it as a way to celebrate reaching the goal of $100 million in revenue. Each MVP employee is nominated by peers for representing "the passion, dedication, personality, attitude & work ethics that everyone at Ultimate should possess" & is awarded 2 first-class tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. & Mexico, plus $500 cash.
The Top 5 Small Winners:
1. Dixon Schwabl Advertising of Victor, NY.
2. Badger Mining Corporation of Berlin, WI.
3. SnagAJob.com of Glen Allen, VA.
4. Heinfeld, Meech & Co., P.C. of Tucson, AZ.
5. McMurry of Phoenix, AZ.
Full coverage of the award ceremony & other details are available online at, shrm.org. Stories about the winning organizations will appear in the July issue of HR Magazine, SHRM's flagship publication with a circulation of 210,000. The organizations will also be listed at, greatplacetowork.com.