How do you judge the quality of a workplace? Ask the experts: The employees.

For the sixth year, employee survey firm Energage has partnered with the Orlando Sentinel to determine the best places to work in Central Florida. It’s not a popularity contest, and not everyone gets a blue ribbon. A select few are honored based on a scientific survey process.

Energage administers an employee survey that covers 24 factors and takes just a few minutes to complete. The survey asks employees to offer feedback about such things as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaningfulness, and appreciation. Energage crunches the feedback data and scores companies based on the responses.

There is no cost to participate in Top Workplaces and no obligation to purchase any product or service. For 2024, 3,193 organizations were invited to survey their employees, and 164 agreed to do so. Based on the survey feedback, a record 129 have earned recognition as Top Workplaces in Central Florida.

“Being honored with a Top Workplaces award is a distinctive mark of excellence, setting companies apart in a recognizable way,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “Top Workplaces embody the highest standards, and this award, rooted in authentic employee feedback, is a point of immense pride for company leaders.”

The award is open to any employer with 35 or more employees in Central Florida. Survey results are valid only if 35% or more employees respond; employers with fewer than 85 employees have a higher response threshold, requiring responses from at least 30 employees.

Employers earn Top Workplaces recognition if their aggregated employees feedback score exceeds national benchmarks. Employers are grouped into similar sizes to best compare similar employee experiences. Energage has established those benchmarks based on feedback from about 30 million employees over 18 years. They are ranked within those groups based on the strength of the survey feedback.

There are a few reasons why you might not find a particular company on the list. Perhaps the organization chose not to participate. Or, the employee survey feedback might not have been strong enough to merit recognition. It also might not have been large enough to meet participation standards, or not enough employees responded.

Energage runs tests on survey feedback and in some cases may choose to disqualify organizations, for example, if a high number of employees said they felt pressured into answering positively.

To participate in the 2025 Top Workplaces awards, or for more information, go to the nomination page at https://www.orlandosentinel.com/nominate.