WestEd Recognized as One of the Top 10 Best Places to Work in the Greater Bay Area

Education and healthy human development nonprofit, WestEd, has been named one of the 10 Best Places to Work in the Greater Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, and Deloitte.

(PRWEB) April 7, 2004 -- WestEd, a nonprofit research, development, and service agency, has been named one of the 10 Best Places to Work in the Greater Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, and Deloitte. The prestigious award recognizes the agencys achievements in creating a positive work environment that attracts, retains, and engages high-quality employees through a combination of benefits, working conditions, and company culture.

It is an honor to be selected one of the Bay Areas best places to work," said Glen Harvey, WestEds Chief Executive Officer. Our success as an agency in delivering high-quality work that makes an impact on education and human development is the result of the outstanding work and commitment of our staff. We recognize our employees talents and contributions through our benefits, policies, and working conditions. Together, we have created a supportive, innovative, and rewarding agency culture built on collaboration and respect."

The inaugural awards program for the Bay Area was announced in December 2003 and attracted over 200 entries. Companies were split into three categories based on size: those with more than 500 employees in the region, those employing between 100-500 employees in the region, and those with fewer than 100 employees. WestEd ranked number eight in the 100-500 category.

Companies were evaluated on two types of information gathered. First, each company completed a questionnaire about their retirement plans, health insurance, performance-based reviews, employee training, tuition and transportation reimbursement, how management communicates with employees, and other benefits and policies.

All Bay Area-based employees of participating companies were then given an opportunity to respond online and anonymously to questions about the company. Employees responded to questions addressing pride in the company; whether and how the company encourages, supports, and recognizes achievement; open communications; fairness of compensation; and relationships with coworkers and immediate supervisors. To be eligible for the Best Places to Work list, at least 20 percent of a companys employees had to respond to the survey. Thousands of employees took part in the survey, and their responses carried 60% of the weight in the final tally of scores.

During even the most challenging times, some companies never forgot the importance of investing in their most valuable assets -- the ones who walk out the door at 5 oclock (or later) every evening," said Mary Huss, Publisher of the San Francisco Business Times. These outstanding companies set the standard in creating a workplace that engages the hearts and minds of employees."

About WestEd
WestEd, a nonprofit research, development, and service agency, works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults. WestEd serves the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah as one of the nation's Regional Educational Laboratories, but its work extends throughout the United States and abroad. WestEd has 17 offices nationwide, from Washington and Boston to Arizona, Southern California, and Oakland. Its corporate headquarters are in San Francisco.