China 
—Leo Linder, CEO”
The process
Open to all publicly or privately held organizations, profit and non-profit, companies must have been in business for at least one year to apply. They also are required to have a facility and 15 or more employees in New York state. That is the easy part—the real work starts with the rigorous two-part survey process.
Part one of the assessment is an employer survey that collects information about each company’s benefits, policies, practices and other general data. Part two, 75% of each company’s score, is a confidential and extensive employee survey that evaluates the employees’ workplace experience.
Participating companies receive an Employee Feedback Report that summarizes the employee data collected. It includes information about how employees are feeling, along with averaged benchmarking data from other companies that made the list. It’s an invaluable tool that helps each company understand its workforce and provides guidance for improvement.
The feedback
An amazing 100% of our eligible employees responded to the confidential survey, well above the 80% response rate required. Questions included satisfaction with benefits, working environment and organizational practices. Employees were encouraged to write further feedback, and we were thrilled by what we read in our report:
“Emerge first and foremost is focused on its employees and their well-being. The culture allows employees to express themselves as individuals and provides a constructive and open working environment. We focus on quality not quantity, and that helps both internally and externally with our clients.”
“I’ve found Emerge to be dynamic visionaries that are flexible in the wake of change…The core values are modeled from the top down. Friendly, helpful colleagues, great work environment. Work is fun and I look forward to a great future here.”
Every year, an event celebrating the winners is held in Albany, NY. Leo Linder, CEO, Kara Roth, VP Brand Engagement, and Vicki Alva, Marketing Manager took the 3.5 hour drive from Rochester to accept the award for Emerge. Attendees had the opportunity to network while videos submitted by the applicants played before dinner. Check out Emerge’s video here. The crowd was very enthusiastic and engaged.
The next morning a breakfast celebration was held back at the newly updated Rochester office, and a big thank you was given to all the employees who participated. We are all looking forward to participating in the Best Companies to Work for NYS program next year. Go Emerge!
About Best Companies to Work for NYS:
Created in 2007, this highly anticipated annual award celebrates workplaces that exemplify exceptional policies, practices, employee satisfaction and engagement. The Best Companies to Work for in New York State program is a partnership between the NYS-SHRM, The Business Council of New York and Best Companies Group. For more information on the Best Companies to Work for in New York State program, please visit www.BestCompaniesNY.com.
