Erickson Living, the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living, Capital One, Cushman and Wakefield, and Walker and Dunlop are five of 150 companies and organizations named to the Washington Post’s “Top Workplaces 2018” list, which recognizes Washington, D.C.-area employers, the media outlet has announced.
Erickson Living, based in Catonsville, MD, and operating in 10 states, was listed in the nonprofit sector and ranked 28th among large employers. The organization has appeared on the list several times in the past.
“Employees say they love the residents and the work environment. ‘I get paid to help people in the next stage of their lives and improve their quality of life,’ one employee wrote in a survey,” the media outlet noted.
Erickson has 14,000 employees, 2,090 of whom work in the Washington area, according to the Washington Post.
AHCA/NCAL, with 72 of its 82 employees working in the Washington area, was listed in the trade association sector and ranked 41st on the list of small employers. The 2018 list represents the fourth consecutive year that AHCA/NCAL has been recognized on the list.
“The company offers each employee a Fitbit device to monitor their physical activity, with financial incentives tied to meeting fitness goals,” the media outlet noted.
“I’m proud that our organization has once again been selected as part of this elite group of companies,” AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson said. “Our employees work hard every day to establish a mission-based culture. Their opinion of our workplace is incredibly valuable and it’s reflected in this selection.”
Capital One was listed in the financial services sector and ranked 19th on the list of large employers. Based in Virginia, 7,400 of the company’s 49,300 employees work across 12 locations in the Washington area.
“In recent years, the company has set up seven employee-led ‘business resource groups,’ designed to support specific employee groups as the company becomes more diverse,” the Post said. “One such group for LGBTQ+ employees recently held a panel discussion for transgender employees to share their stories.”
Commercial real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield was listed in the real estate sector and ranked 22nd on the list of large employers. Headquartered in Illinois, 759 of the company’s 45,000 employees work in one of three Washington locations, according to the Post.
“The firm’s 759 local employees rally around the vision statement, ‘Alone we are good, together we are great.’ ” the media outlet said.
Commercial real estate finance company Walker and Dunlop was listed in the real estate sector and ranked 35th on the list of midsize employers. Headquartered in Maryland, 185 of its 623 employees work in the Washington area.
“In recent years, the company has been getting creative with its benefits packages,” the Post said. “Its paid parental leave, maternity leave and disability leave can add up to a total of 12 weeks of paid leave for new mothers. The company also paid out $266,425 last year in various types of subsidies.”
The Top Workplace list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a survey administered by Energage (formerly WorkplaceDynamics), a provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. Survey-takers remain anonymous. The survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, among them alignment, execution and connection.
“Becoming a Top Workplace isn’t something organizations can buy,” Energage CEO Doug Claffey said. “It’s an achievement organizations have worked for and a distinction that gives them a competitive advantage.”
