The QCBJ will uncover and honor the Quad Cities’ coolest workplaces with a new survey and awards program.
Coolest Places to Work will showcase employers in the Quad Cities region that are making their workplaces great. The program is open to any business or workplace with at least 15 employees and a physical presence in the greater Quad Cities.
“There is such a challenge to hire and retain workers. Being a Coolest Places to Work is a great way to have a company stand out in this competitive environment,” said John F. Lohman, CEO and founder of the QCBJ, a publication of the Corridor Media Group.
The project is a collaboration between the QCBJ and Workforce Research Group, which conducts the surveys and determines the list of the Coolest Places in the QC.
To participate, employers must complete an assessment of their workplace. The application deadline is Friday, June 30. Researchers then will conduct employee surveys asking the employer’s staff to share opinions about their work experience.
Employers must self-nominate their workplaces, and the deadline to register is Friday, June 30.
After the surveys are completed and data compiled by the research team, employers will be notified if they have made the Coolest Places list. The rankings and winner will be announced in December when the QCBJ spotlights them in a special publication.
The Coolest Places to Work also will be honored at a dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Waterfront Convention Center in downtown Bettendorf.
Coolest Places is sponsored by Davenport-based Russell, the Silver Sponsor.
This marks the inaugural Coolest Places to Work program and event for the QCBJ, which is now in its second year of publication. It is a sister publication to the North Liberty, Iowa-based Corridor Business Journal (CBJ).
“We have been hosting these awards in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor for the past 10 years, and it is interesting to learn about the competitive edge some of these cool companies have with their emphasis on creating a great culture within their companies,” Mr. Lohman said.
Any Quad Cities business interested in participating should meet this criteria:
- Be publicly or privately held.
- Be a for-profit, not-for-profit or a government organization.
- Have a physical operation in the QCBJ’s coverage area, which includes Scott, Clinton and Muscatine counties in Iowa and Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties in Illinois.
- Employ a minimum of 15 full- or part-time employees in the Quad Cities.
- Have been in business for at least one year as of the registration deadline.
The data collected from the Employer Assessment and Employee Feedback Survey are combined to determine the Quad Cities’ Coolest Places to Work. All the employee feedback data will be presented in an online interactive reporting tool called the Employee Feedback Data Dashboard.
The data is available for purchase for $785 from Workforce Research Group and discounts are available for pre-purchases. The dashboard allows employers to view data by graphs, charts and tables. Standard downloadable reports containing responses by demographic, employee comments and benchmarks also are available.
While there is no cost to register for the QCBJ’s Coolest Places, there are fees for those who choose to complete a paper version of the survey (the online version is free). To register, visit www.CoolestPlacestoWorkQC.com.
For more information on the program, contact Jenni Hatz at (563) 234-7225 or [email protected].
For sponsorship opportunities for Coolest Places and other QCBJ events, contact Dayle Hall at (563) 345-7225 or [email protected].
