Colorado Best Companies to Work For Announced...

This morning I had the opportunity to attend a session sharing best practice information and recognizing the Best Companies to Work For in Colorado. Sponsored by Jobing.com, Colorado Biz magazine, the Colorado Human Resources Association, and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment among others, the event recognizes companies who really take to heart the value of their own employees in their organization's success.

60 companies submitted for recognition this year and the winners are ranked by size (small, medium, and large employers). The process involves each company's employees being surveyed on more than 60 questions as well as a formal application being completed. Pinnacol was recognized as the #1 Best Company to Work For in Colorado last year, so we were not anticipating a repeat in 2010. So we were thrilled to be recognized this year in the number two spot behind this year's winner: Edward Jones. The reality though is that all the employers on this year's Best Places to Work list are truly special places to work. Edward Jones and Pinnacol fall into the large employer category. Here is a list of our peers on the list:

1. Edward Jones
2. Pinnacol Assurance
3. PricewaterhouseCoopers
4. CoBank
5. DaVita Inc.
6. Quest Diagnostics
7. Merrick & Co.
8. Omni Interlocken Resort
9. Alpine Bank
10. T-Mobile USA and Cheyenne Mountain Resort (tied for 10th)

I'd say congratulations to these companies, but I would be remiss in doing so. Instead, congratulations to the employees of these organizations - they are what really make these companies the great places to work that they are. I'm a little biased so I'm saving a special Thank You! to all of our Pinnacol employees for this year's recognition. For those of you who have followed Pinnacol in the news you know its been a challenging year for us with an unusual amount of legislative and media attention. The fact that our employees, through their survey responses, still see the company as a wonderful place to work speaks volumes about the culture they are a part of.

One thing I noticed is that how different the cultures of the recognized companies are. There is no secret formula, no one roadmap on how to make a great place to work. Some of the things that Pinnacol employees rave about might not fit another company and vice versa. For example, one of the award winning companies teaches employees how to do doggie CPR and another one stocks their refrigerators with beer! The latter will likely never happen at Pinnacol (unless perhaps its root beer - a cold, frosty mug of A&W is my particular favorite!) but that's ok. We have our own special blend of benefits, traditions, perks, and culture that works for us in our quest to deliver top-notch service to our customers. I've blogged on this before, but as a job seeker its critical that you find the organization that best fits you and allows you to be the best you can be. We think Pinnacol is certainly worthy of your consideration as a potential employer, but given the caliber of the companies on the Best Places to Work In Colorado list, we have some stiff competition!