The best around

This is the third year we’ve done our Best Places to Work contest where we work with a third-party survey company, Best Companies Group, to survey participating companies and their employees on all aspects of their landscaping company.

It’s one of my favorite projects we do here at Lawn & Landscape because it gives some insight into how these companies operate to keep customers and employees happy. We also get solid data that shows the different areas where companies that make the list score better than companies that miss the mark. I perused the data and pulled out some items I found interesting.

• Almost 40% of the companies who made the list offer a flexible spending account versus 9% who didn’t make the list. Every little bit helps when it comes to medical expenses, but it’s understandable that not all companies can offer this as a perk.
• One area I’ve always struggled grasping in the industry is remote working. I know labor has to be in the field, but do back-office people get that perk? Of companies that made the list, 78% offer remote work as an option versus 36% who didn’t make the list. But only 7% of employees from companies who made the list exercise the opportunity to work remotely versus 4% who didn’t make the list.
• When it comes to financial perks, 74% of companies who made the list offer a 401(k), 403(b) or a 457 versus 56% who didn’t make the list.
• 87% of employees from companies who made the list agreed with the statement “This organization provides as much ongoing training as I need” while only 74% said the same from companies not on the list. A lot of industry executives I’ve spoken with over the years stress that consistent training is vital to keeping employees engaged and interested in growing with their company.

We will once again run the contest in 2025, so keep an eye out around January for the next time the contest is open. The contest is free to enter, so I hope you all will consider it next year. In the meantime, turn to page 29 for survey results or visit, bit.ly/LLbestplaces to read stories on winners in 2022 and 2023.