To determine the 2020 Best Workplaces in Chicago, Great Place to Work® analyzed confidential survey feedback from over 27,000 employees in the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Employees responded to over 60 survey questions describing the extent to which their organization creates a Great Place to Work For All™. Eighty-five percent of the evaluation is based on what employees say about their experiences of trust and reaching their full human potential as part of their organization, no matter who they are or what they do. Great Place to Work analyzes these experiences relative to each organization’s size, workforce make up, and what’s typical in their industry and in the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The remaining 15 percent of the rank is based on an assessment of all employees’ daily experiences of innovation, the company’s values, and the effectiveness of their leaders, to ensure they’re consistently experienced.
To be considered, companies had to meet the Great Place to Work-Certified standard. To ensure companies had a sufficient presence in the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, at least 4% of the survey respondents at large companies and at least 20% and a minimum of 10 of the survey respondents in small and medium companies needed to be from the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area. Companies with 10 to 999 people were considered for the small and medium category; companies with 1,000 employees or more were considered for the large category.
This ranking was finalized prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and does not reflect companies’ roles or responses to their people or communities in addressing the impact of the coronavirus.