It’s that time of year again to begin nominating your favorite businesses for the annual Central Indiana Top Workplaces award.

In its 16th year, the award allows employees to nominate their workplaces for being happy and healthy environments to work.

In 2023, Bailey & Wood Financial Group took home the award for top small employer — those employing 150 people or fewer. This is the fourth consecutive year the company has been in the Top 5 for the award for smaller businesses.

“They make me feel like family. I know I can go to anyone for anything and they’ll have my back,” said Operations Manager Tawn Hensley after their third consecutive in 2022. “I think that makes it a great company because we feel that way about our realtors and our customers, too. We want everyone to succeed.”

If this sounds like your company, be sure to make your voice heard.

How to submit a nomination

To submit a nomination online visit this link: indystar.com/nominate or call this number: 317-288-3410.

Check out the past winners: Here are your 2023 Top Workplaces in Central Indiana

Any organization with 50 or more employees in Central Indiana is eligible, regardless if the organization is public, private, a nonprofit or a government entity. Participation in the process is also entirely free.

The evaluation process consists of a 24-question survey, which will be given out to employees to nominated companies. Employees rate short statements about their companies as part of the survey, according to The Dallas Morning News. An example statement is: This company operates by strong values and ethics. My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful.

Energage is the research and survey partner in the project with IndyStar. They have surveyed more than 2 million employees just in the past year.

After surveys are complete, workplaces are then ranked in three categories: large organizations with more than 400 employees, mid-sized organizations with 150 to 399 employees and small organizations with 50 to 149 people.

Last year, 164 organizations were surveyed, with 40,859 responses from employees. There were 124 winners recognized.

The initial nomination deadline is Oct. 27, 2023, but companies will be surveyed September through December.

There are 23 county regions in central Indiana where workplaces can be nominated, which include the following: Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clinton, Decatur, Delaware, Grant, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Putnam, Rush, Shelby, Tippecanoe and Tipton County.

What matters in the nominating process

Typically, organizations that score highly for the award have a strong workplace culture and allow flexibility for their employees.

As COVID-19 has reshaped some American business practices, such as working from home, employees appreciate having options. This plays into workplace culture, affecting how much each employee feels valued.

“The companies that are best at retaining and attracting talent, for starters, they have a great workplace culture that they have nurtured and really focused on and they are recruiting people who they feel will fit into that culture,” said Bob Helbig, media partnerships director for Energage.

Investing in employees, of course, also is a crucial element that shapes a top workplace.

“If people don’t have a sense that they’re valued for what they’re doing, why stay? They’re going to go look for it somewhere else,” Helbig said. “And if they can get better pay and better benefits, so much the better.”

Contact IndyStar reporter Nic Napier at nnapier@gannett.com