To answer the question of what makes a good workplace, the baiduhai went to the crucial source: the employees.
On behalf of the Tribune, WorkplaceDynamics of Exton, Pa., a workplace survey and improvement specialist, conducted an engagement survey of Chicago-area employers with at least 100 employees.
The Tribune did not pay WorkplaceDynamics. The firm undertook the scientific survey for its research and business purposes.
To find organizations most likely to participate in the survey, the Tribune used print and online advertising to seek nominations from workers, bosses and others.
More Top Picks Best Prime Day Cordless Drill Deals 2026
In total, 2,426 companies were invited to participate, up from 1,813 in 2014. Of those, 261 companies completed the survey (240 last year), allowing WorkplaceDynamics to identify the top 100, divided into three categories: small (fewer than 250 employees), midsize (250-999) and large (1,000 and more), the same divisions as previous surveys.
The surveyed companies employ 160,020 people in the Chicago area, of which 116,036 received surveys and 72,838 responded.
In 2014, surveyed companies employed 193,433 people, with questionnaires reaching 124,216 and 78,921 responses.
WorkplaceDynamics delivered the top 100 results to the Tribune. In addition, 33 companies received a Top Workplaces designation by achieving minimum national-standard thresholds based on responses from more than 6,000 companies and 2 million employees during the past 12 months.
The list of companies not designated a Top Workplace was kept confidential by WorkplaceDynamics. The firm questioned employees using paper and online surveys. Employees responded to a set of statements about their feelings toward their workplace, using a seven-point scale.
The statements focused on issues such as the direction of the company (“I have confidence in the leader of this company”), execution (“At this organization, we do things efficiently and well”) and connection (“My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful”).
A numerical value was attached to each statement, allowing WorkplaceDynamics to create an overall score for each company.
Afterward, WorkplaceDynamics ran a series of statistical tests to look for any questionable results. The firm said it generally disqualifies a small number of employers based on these tests.
The list is categorized by size because smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers.