Engage Me

Employee engagement. It’s a term that has always played a significant role in attracting and retaining employees, and its importance has recently skyrocketed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. As has been widely reported, in the era of the “Great Resignation,” U.S. businesses especially are faced with increased challenges retaining and hiring employees. And employee engagement has taken center stage as people search for work that brings a sense of satisfaction to their lives.

In essence, the term means just what it sounds like: how engaged employees are with the companies for which they work, measured by their job satisfaction, pride in their companies, how valued they feel by their companies and managers, and the like.

This concept is reflected in the benchmarking data compiled by Cannabis Business Times and its research partner Best Companies Group (an independent research firm specializing in identifying and recognizing great places to work) in this year’s Best Cannabis Companies to Work For - Cultivation ranking.

For example, one of this year’s Best Cannabis Companies to Work For - Cultivation does not offer medical benefits to its employees, while all companies that applied for the list but didn’t rank offer this benefit. In fact, in several areas in the Employer Benefits and Policies Questionnaire (where corporate executives report the benefits the company offers), Best Companies’ averages were slightly lower than non-ranking companies. (See p. 38 for the Employer Benefits and Policies benchmarking data.)

The reason these Best Companies made the list, despite lacking in some company benefits, is the level of employee engagement they offer. Employee feedback, obtained by surveying employees of every company that applied for the list, comprises 75% of the total score for each company. The Best Companies Group places such emphasis on employee feedback because it’s easy for company leadership to say how great the company is or that it provides great benefits, but in order to rank as a Best Company, the employees need to agree.

As an example of the higher employee engagement among ranking companies, an average of 95% of this year’s Best Companies employees say they are proud to work for their organization, compared to an average of 82% at non-ranking companies. Another example: An average of 85% of ranking Best Companies employees feel they are valued by their organizations, compared to an average of 72% at non-ranking companies. (See Employee Engagement & Satisfaction benchmarking data here.)

And, as you’ll see in the profiles on each of the ranking companies on the pages that follow, this year’s Best Companies offer other benefits that create positive work cultures that employees value.