Record 125 Companies Named Best Places to Work in Indiana

Best Places to Work in Indiana

A record number of Hoosier companies – 125 in total – have been named to the 2018 Best Places to Work in Indiana list.

“We have many tremendous employers in the state, so it’s great to see more and more companies take part in this effort to evaluate their workplace cultures and gain the recognition they deserve,” offers Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.”

“These organizations come from a wide variety of industries yet they all have a common thread. They continually demonstrate to their employees through their culture, communication, career opportunities, benefits and more how much they value their contributions.”

Read the press release here.

The actual rankings for the companies will be unveiled at a May 3 awards dinner at the Indiana Convention Center (Sagamore Ballroom) in downtown Indianapolis. Individual tickets and tables of 10 are available at www.indianachamber.com/specialevents.

Companies were determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. The Best Companies Group, which handled the selection process, oversees similar programs in 25 other states.

Winners were selected from four categories: small companies of between 15 and 74 U.S. employees; medium companies of between 75 and 249 U.S. employees; large companies of between 250 and 999 U.S. employees; and major companies with 1,000 or more U.S. employees. Out-of-state parent companies were eligible to participate if at least 15 full-time employees are in Indiana.

All companies that participated in the 2018 Best Places to Work program receive an in-depth evaluation identifying strengths and weaknesses according to their employees. In turn, this report can be used in developing or enhancing employee retention and recruitment programs.

Organizations on this year’s list that have displayed sustained excellence during the program’s 13-year history receive additional recognition.

Hall of Fame companies are those that have been named a Best Place to Work in Indiana at least 60% of the time in the program’s history; a total of 19 organizations on the 2018 list meet that criteria. Two companies – Edward Jones and Katz, Sapper & Miller – have made the Best Places to Work list all 13 years of the program.

For more information on the Best Places to Work program, go to www.bestplacestoworkIN.com.

The 2018 Best Places to Work in Indiana companies listed in alphabetical order, no ranking:

*Hall of Fame companies

Small Companies (15-74 U.S. employees) (57)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

Accutech Systems / Muncie
* Apex Benefits / Indianapolis
Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc.  / Indianapolis
Big City Cars / Fort Wayne
BLASTmedia / Fishers
Bloomerang / Indianapolis
BlueSky Technology Partners / Noblesville
Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) / Indianapolis
Brite Systems / Indianapolis
CENTURY 21 Scheetz / Multiple locations
CleanSlate Technology Group / Carmel
ClearObject, Inc. / Fishers
Clinical Architecture / Carmel
Community First Bank of Indiana / Kokomo
* Cripe / Indianapolis
DK Pierce and Associates / Zionsville
eimagine / Indianapolis
* FirstPerson / Indianapolis
General Insurance Services / Michigan City
Goelzer Investment Management, Inc. / Indianapolis
Greenlight Guru / Indianapolis
Grote Automotive / Fort Wayne
Guidon Design / Indianapolis
Hamilton County Tourism / Carmel
Hanapin Marketing / Bloomington
* Indesign, LLC / Indianapolis
Inovateus Solar LLC / South Bend
Insurance Management Group / Marion
JA Benefits, LLC / Bedford
Jackson Systems / Indianapolis
Lakeside Wealth Management / Chesterton
Leaf Software Solutions / Carmel
LHD Benefit Advisors / Indianapolis
mAccounting, LLC / Indianapolis
Magnum Logistics / Plainfield
Merritt Contracting / Lebanon
netlogx LLC / Indianapolis
Nix Companies / Poseyville
OfficeWorks / Indianapolis
OrthoPediatrics / Warsaw
Peepers by PeeperSpecs / Michigan City
Pondurance / Indianapolis
Probo Medical / Fishers
Public Safety Medical / Indianapolis
RESOURCE Commercial Real Estate / Indianapolis
RQAW  / Indianapolis
Sharpen Technologies Inc. / Indianapolis
Sigstr / Indianapolis
Springbuk / Indianapolis
T&W Corporation / Indianapolis
That’s Good HR / Indianapolis
The Garrett Companies / Greenwood
The Skillman Corporation / Indianapolis
University High School of Indiana / Carmel
Visit Indy / Indianapolis
VOSS Automotive / Fort Wayne
Wessler Engineering / Indianapolis

Medium Companies (75-249 U.S. employees) (30)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

American College of Education / Indianapolis
Blue Horseshoe / Carmel
Butler, Fairman & Seufert, Inc. / Indianapolis
CREA, LLC / Indianapolis
* E-gineering / Indianapolis
* Elements Financial Federal Credit Union / Indianapolis
Emarsys North America / Indianapolis
Envelop Group / Indianapolis
ESCO Communications / Indianapolis
First Internet Bank / Fishers
Formstack / Indianapolis
Fort Wayne Rescue Mission Ministries, Inc (DBA The Rescue Mission) / Fort Wayne
Gregory & Appel Insurance / Indianapolis
HWC Engineering, Inc. / Indianapolis
IDSolutions / Noblesville
J.C. Hart Company, Inc. / Carmel
Lessonly / Indianapolis
Merchants Bank of Indiana and PR Mortgage & Investments / Carmel
Midwest Mole / Greenfield
Morales Group, Inc. / Indianapolis
Moser Consulting / Indianapolis
Oak Street Funding LLC / Indianapolis
Parkview Wabash Hospital / Wabash
Peoples Bank SB / Munster
* Schmidt Associates, Inc. / Indianapolis
* Software Engineering Professionals (SEP) / Carmel
United Consulting Engineers / Indianapolis
United Way of Central Indiana / Indianapolis
Visiting Nurse and Hospice of the Wabash Valley / Terre Haute
Weddle Bros. Construction Co., Inc. / Bloomington

Large Companies (250-999 U.S. employees) (25)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

Aluminum Trailer Company / Nappanee
American Structurepoint, Inc. / Indianapolis
Appirio, A Wipro Company / Indianapolis
Bastian Solutions / Indianapolis
Blue 449 / Indianapolis
* Blue & Co., LLC / Carmel
* Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company / Fort Wayne
Carbonite / Indianapolis
* Centier Bank / Merrillville
* FORUM Credit Union / Fishers
Hylant / Multiple locations
IPMG / West Lafayette
* Katz, Sapper & Miller / Indianapolis
Kemper CPA Group LLP / Multiple locations
* Monarch Beverage / Indianapolis
MutualBank / Muncie
Onebridge / Indianapolis
Ontario Systems / Muncie
Pacers Sports & Entertainment / Indianapolis
Parkview Huntington Hospital / Huntington
Parkview Noble Hospital / Kendallville
Parkview Whitley Hospital / Columbia City
Sikich / Indianapolis
The Kendall Group / Fort Wayne
* WestPoint Financial Group / Indianapolis

Major Companies (1,000+ U.S. employees) (13)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

Aerotek / Multiple locations
Ameristar Casino + Hotel East Chicago / East Chicago
* Capital Group / Carmel
CareSource / Indianapolis
Colliers International / Indianapolis
Comcast Corporation / Indianapolis
* Edward Jones / Multiple locations
First Merchants Bank / Muncie
* Horseshoe Casino / Hammond
Kronos Incorporated / Indianapolis
Perficient / Carmel
* Salesforce / Indianapolis
Total Quality Logistics / Indianapolis

Plagued by a Poor Attitude?

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If you’re channeling Robert De Niro’s defiant dialogue in the iconic “Taxi Driver” in the way you treat co-workers and handle projects, chances are you’ve got an attitude problem.

But maybe it’s not that blatant. What if you’re blissfully unaware of how you’re coming across?

This U.S. News & World Report article lays out several scenarios. Among them:

You’re grumpy. A lot. Everyone has occasional frustrations at work, but if your job and everyone around you regularly irritate you, and you’re not shy about letting people know it, people are going to dread working with you. If your frustrations impact you to the point that everyone knows about them, it’s probably time to decide whether you can find a way to be reasonably happy at work or whether it’s time to move on. Otherwise, you’ll do serious harm to your reputation and ultimately could even lose your job.

You never want to hear that you could have done something differently or better. If you get defensive when you get feedback on your work, you could be doing yourself serious harm. It’s tough to give feedback to a defensive person, and many people will simply stop trying. That means that you won’t get information that you need to grow professionally, which can significantly limit your prospects and your long-term success. Plus, people who do stick it out and keep giving you feedback anyway are likely to resent that you make it so unpleasant to do it.

You’re preoccupied with “what’s in it for you.” It’s reasonable to expect that over time, good work should pay off – with better assignments, raises and career advancement. But the key words there are “over time.” It’s not reasonable to expect special rewards every time you’re asked to go even slightly outside your routine responsibilities. Doing that is just part of being on a team (within reason, of course).

One pointer provoked a gasp: Don’t roll your eyes during meetings or have other visibly negative facial expressions. That’s beyond exhibiting a bad attitude – it’s insolence, plain and simple.

Making Diversity Work in the Workplace

fThe Successful Recipe for Disability Inclusion is a free, one-day training event for supervisors, hiring managers, HR professionals and business owners.

Guest speakers include Deb Dagit, former chief diversity officer of Merck & Co., and Marcy Hintzman, chairperson of ADA Indiana. They will provide common sense, easy-to-implement strategies for employing persons with disabilities. Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, disability etiquette, mentoring programs, hiring practices, employer resources and more are among the topics.

A working lunch and breakout sessions are included. The Palms Conference Center in Plainfield is the site for the March 24 event (8:15 a.m-4:45 p.m.). Advance registration is required. Learn more at www.makingdiversitywork.org. Contact Mary Ann Clark (mclark@hamiltoncenter.org) with questions.

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Potrait of a young multi-racial Business Group

The operative word in the headline above this post is ALL. With that being a factor, the answer is probably a resounding No. It’s just human nature.

A recent Ragan Communications’ article (based on a survey by Viking) identified lateness, whining and eating smelly food as office workers’ most annoying habits. Ragan reports:

More than 40 percent of respondents said the annoyances made them consider leaving their jobs — with a striking 5 percent having actually quit.

The top 20 most annoying habits by rank:

1. Being regularly late
2. Whining all the time
3. Eating stinking food
4. Taking lots of cigarette breaks
5. Deliberately taking a long time to do something/constant procrastination
6. Not replacing things that run out (e.g., printer paper, coffee)
7. Talking on the phone too loudly
8. Having bad hygiene (coffee breath, BO, visibly dirty clothes)
9. Gossiping
10. Spraying deodorants, aftershaves and perfumes at desk
11. Coming to work when very ill
12. Texting/using mobile phone all day
13. Having an untidy desk
14. Talking too much about private life
15. Invading personal space
16. Not making a tea round
17. Humming/whistling/singing
18.Constantly tapping/clicking pens/typing too loud
19. Stealing other people’s food/lunch
20. Using jargon

Only a third of respondents were prepared to try and solve a given problem, with a further 30 percent saying they avoided approaching the problem in order to avoid conflict.

Women are more likely to be riled by an empty toilet paper holder, whereas men ranked office gossip as a top bad habit. When it comes to confrontation, women are more likely to keep quiet to keep the peace.

Lessons Outside the Classroom Still Apply

I read a lot — too much for work and not enough for pleasure, but that’s another story. In fact, at least some of the “work” reading proves quite interesting, including this Ragan post on high school lessons that hold true in the workplace.

Here’s the intro, followed by the seven lessons. Click the link at the bottom of this post for the full story.

High schools get a lot of criticism for the way graduates are prepared (or not) for the rigors of the real world. Nowhere does that lack of preparation get highlighted more than in the workplace. But you’d be surprised how much happens in your average high school that’s related to the working world.

High school can teach us plenty of lessons about how to win friends and influence people professionally. Here are seven shining examples that prove what goes on in high school hallways isn’t that different from what’s happening around the water cooler.

  • Fake it until you make it
  • Tardiness isn’t tolerated
  • Don’t be a mean girl
  • Prank at your own risk
  • Where you sit matters
  • Jump in and have some fun
  • Focus on what you love

Intrigued? Check out the full explanations.

Findings in this G8 Study May Surprise You

One in five American companies allow pets in the workplace? Russia is the country most likely to have women in executive positions? See some of the interesting findings about workplace satisfaction in G8 countries in this article from The Guardian:

Canadian workers are the happiest in the G8, Japan has the oldest workforce and Russian companies are the most likely to employ women in senior management, according to data collected to mark the summit of rich nations beginning today.

The human resources body, CIPD, says its roundup of workplace statistics from around the G8 and the emerging BRICS economies highlight the stark contrasts in work and working lives around the world.

The UK is close behind Canada in the contentment rankings, followed by Germany, Italy and the US. In Canada 91% of those in work report being satisfied with life. At 81%, France was the lowest ranked in the G8 and India was bottom, at 39%, once the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are included. Unsurprisingly, the CIPD found a strong correlation between average pay and satisfaction with life, in its analysis of data from a variety of sources including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and International Labour Organisation.

Among the more wacky facts about workplaces around the world, it found that nearly one in five American companies allow pets in the workplace. In France, the average lunch break is now 22 minutes, compared with 90 minutes 20 years ago. In the UK, the average worker spends 29 minutes on lunch, with people in Birmingham and Coventry taking the shortest break, at 25 minutes.

The group also highlighted signs of growing pressures – both financial and physical – on UK workers.

One third of UK employers say they have seen more people coming into work sick in the past year. The proportion of the UK workforce who are "underemployed" – not getting as many hours of work as they wish – has risen to 9.9% in 2012 from 6.2% in 2008.

Against a backdrop of high unemployment and falling wages in many member states, CIPD is urging G8 leaders meeting in Northern Ireland to look at workers and ways to nurture talent alongside their talks on tax, trade and transparency.

CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese commented: "As we compete in an increasingly globalised economy, it's more important now than ever that we open our eyes to the enormous differences in the ways the world works. We need to see what we can learn from other countries, and think carefully about what we can productively contribute to a global economy."

He added: "Employers are increasingly seeing a mismatch between the skills available to them locally and the skills they need from a workforce: what skills do we need to be developing in our workforce to ensure that we're able to do productive work in the modern world?"

The analysis found that Russia topped the rankings for the percentage of senior management positions held by women at 46%. Italy was second with 36%, followed by South Africa, Brazil and Canada. The UK was 8th out of the 12 countries and the US was 9th.

Don’t Overlook Depressed Employees

Sometimes you just know it’s going to be “one of those days.”

You wake up, pour a fresh cup of coffee, raise it to your lips (that first sip always tastes the best) and … wham! It spills everywhere. Then traffic is unbearable and you’re late to work. Once you arrive, the day only gets worse.

For some people, however, every day is a struggle. Depression hinders their ability to function in the workplace and beyond. It’s an intensely personal condition for employees, but one that can have a profound – and harmful – impact on business’ bottom lines.

According to a compelling Forbes story, depression results in 200 million lost workdays in the United States annually. In addition, 9.5% of the adult population will experience a depressive illness in a given year. Your employees don’t have to suffer in silence. Watch for these symptoms:

  • Increasing frequency of sick days: Is your employee visiting the doctor more often but refuses to tell you the issue even under confidence? Does s/he seem to suffer from more than physical pains that you cannot see? Sometimes common colds, flu, stomachaches are symptoms of stress.
  • Loss of motivation: Does your employee look less enthusiastic at work or when completing his usual duties?
  • Changes in social behavior in the workplace: Those who are sociable withdraw from their friends and colleagues. Those who used to be passive could become aggressive and outspoken all of a sudden.
  • Incomplete duties or tasks: Depression sometimes results in memory loss. Is your employee forgetting some project deadlines or fails to accomplish assigned duties on time?
  • Fatigue, tiredness, excessive yawning: Lethargy is one symptom of depression.
  • Increasing number of absent days for other reasons: Is your colleague taking more leave days than usual with increasing frequency, citing other reasons than sick leave? Or does s/he call in the morning with an excuse they could not arrive at work that day? This could flag a possibility of disinterest in work.

Exercise Balls for Chairs (aka the 2011 Trend I’m Just Now Getting Into)

I’d like to introduce you all to my new friend, "Blue" — the exercise ball. Not a really original name, I know, because it happens to be the color of the ball, but I also feel weird giving a human name to anything I sit on.

I recently slept on an airbed for about four days during a “vacation” to Florida (I say it in quotes because I had my 13-month-old daughter with me and every parent knows you need a vacation from your vacation when they are done).

It did quite a number on my back, hips and knees. I should probably just head to the chiropractor soon, but I’m also on a budget and looking for a cheaper way to strengthen my back and alleviate pain.

When I was pregnant, I’d read that using an exercise ball for a chair was a great way to stretch out the hips and deal with pain, and at that point I was desperate for relief. It worked. The only place I felt comfortable sitting was on my exercise ball.

I’ve seen numerous articles about how American workers are sitting more than ever and that it’s awful for our health and that moving more throughout the day is one of the best things you can do for yourself. A few co-workers have been using exercise balls at work instead of (or in addition to) their chairs. So I’m jumping on that bandwagon.

There are a few exercises you can do on an exercise ball that are low intensity, but work your core (listen to me saying “core” like I’m an exercise enthusiast!) and strengthen your back. I’ve used a few of them since I started using my ball instead of a chair – alright, I’ve only been doing this for two days – but I can already feel the difference.

I’m finding myself able to concentrate longer on my work. Another bonus is that it requires me to get up a little more often. Anytime someone comes to talk to me, I have to turn all the way around, which isn’t really that easy on a ball. So, I stand up.

I can’t find much conclusive evidence of any potential negative impacts. It seems like the most worry surrounds safety: balls rolling away, people falling off of them, etc. Though, if fifth grade students in classrooms around the country are switching chairs for exercise balls and can safely sit, I’m assuming most adults shouldn’t have a problem.

Obviously, check with your doctor before starting any kind of exercise routine or switching your chair for an exercise ball. And at least do a little research into the types of balls available and the correct size for your frame. For example, since I am six feet tall, I need a 75 cm-sized ball – and I found one for $26 that came with a pump, exercise band and DVD of exercises.

Understanding Privacy in the Workplace

Patrick Devine recently penned the following column for Inside INdiana Business about privacy at the office. It's a worthwhile read for employers and employees alike, and may help you get a better understanding of where privacy begins and ends in the workplace dynamic.

My wife and I recently decided to complicate our daily routine by buying a puppy. The time came to pick up the adorable little nipper from the breeder whose location is about a two-hour drive from our home. The breeder generously offered to shorten our trip by meeting us at a highway rest stop. She included in her email that we could still opt to drive to her house as she "has nothing to hide." Did she really mean that? Being a curious and suspicious soul (aka an attorney), I chose to see the "kennel." My immediate thought after the visit was that when someone tells you they "have nothing to hide," they probably have something to hide.

When an employer is conducting an interview of a prospective employee, or a work place investigation, or simply monitoring the company’s email system, the employee may say: "Go ahead, I have nothing to hide." Does this "green light" change the equation for balance between the employer’s legal and the employee's privacy rights? An employee's expectation of privacy in the workplace can become a thorny issue. Most thorn-pricks can be avoided if the employer has well-written policies that are provided to the employee and are enforced consistently and are consonant with the employer's business interest, the type of information involved and the level of intrusion needed by the employer. This is referred to as managing the employee’s expectation of privacy.

The laws and regulations protecting employee privacy rights are too numerous to list here. One obvious example would be the expectation of privacy in certain employee medical information created under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Another example are the federal and state laws that address an employer’s right to access and monitor employees’ use of the company’s electronic communication systems.

With greater technological access to both work-related and personal information about their employees, employers should comply with any notice and consent requirements, and distribute policies consistent with the laws. A relatively recent issue is employee-owned tablets and devices connected or synced to the employer’s network. This creates a situation where the employee should be advised of the trade-off between expectations of privacy of their personal information on their devices and access to the employer’s network.

Again, the employer can limit the possibility of claims of invasion of privacy by properly managing employees’ expectation of privacy.

As for our puppy, I definitely "have nothing to hide" from the neighbors when I race out of bed in the middle of the night to take him outside to do his "business." The cold January wind whips right through what little I had time to throw on before puppy has a mistake on the floor.

Unexpected Germ Nightmare: The Office

You might think that because your office is professionally cleaned, dusted and swept regularly that it’s one of the cleanest places you could spend your day (that’s more cleaning than happens in my house, for instance, on a weekly basis…).

But, it’s not. It’s really, really gross.

Ragan Communications has posted an infographic from MASTER Cleaners Ltd, which points to just how dirty our desks, phones, and other work surfaces are – and no, I’m not talking about clutter on your desk, or even the pile of shoes under your desk (shoe graveyard, as I’ve affectionately called mine).

Be prepared: You’ll want to have your anti-bacterial wipes ready.

The dirty details:

  • Office phones have about 25,000 germs per square inch.
  • Cold and flu viruses can survive for up to 18 hours on hard surfaces; and bacteria actually increase by up to 31% per day on surfaces that aren’t regularly disinfected. If you’re sick, this just proves that you should stay at home until you are better.
  • Wash your hands – and then use antibacterial gel when you get back to your desk, because 75% of office tap handles are considered a serious risk for illness transmission.
  • I’ve saved this one for last: office desks have been found to be more than 400 times dirtier than a toilet seat. On average, about 10,000 bacteria reside around the area where your hands rest. Most keyboards contain 70% more bacteria than a toilet seat.

Alright, now that you are thoroughly disgusted, here are a few simple ways you can combat office germs as we head straight into cold and flu season:

  • I’ll say it again: Wash your hands. The same lesson that applied as children still applies now (though, as I witnessed a woman leave a library bathroom without washing her hands the other day, some people still don’t get this simple message).
  • Clean your stuff – disinfecting your phone, desk, door handles and other hard surfaces regularly and often will help keep bacteria at bay.
  • Take an actual lunch break and eat somewhere else – if you must eat in the office, absolutely don’t place the food straight onto the solid surfaces of your desk.
  • Do your coworkers a favor and stay home if you’re ill – there’s just no good excuse to come in to work if you’re infectious.

Of course, you can’t live life in a bubble. Germs and sickness are a part of life; but remember that there are a few easy things you can do to keep yourself and others around you healthy. We’re all in it together!