Is your business one of the best places to work?

AKRON — Chances are, you feel pretty good about your business.

Your employees seem happy. Business is solid. You feel proud of the team you've built, the workplace you've helped create and the customers who are loyal to you.

So why not share that news with your peers as well as your community?

Tire Business is giving you that chance. We invite you — and most any business that sells tires — to enter our inaugural Best Places to Work survey competition.

Tire Business, in conjunction with Best Companies Group (BCG), an independent research firm specializing in identifying and recognizing great places to work, will be seeking the best employers our industry has to offer.

Being named a "Best Tire Dealerships to Work For in the U.S." is significant because you are selected based on feedback from your employees, as well as from management.

The rules are simple. In order to participate, the business must:

• Be a retail, commercial, OTR, retread or wholesale tire Have a minimum of 15 full or part-time permanent employees working in the U.S.; and
• Be in business a minimum of one year.

It's that simple. And the best part? It's free for a business to participate.

Among companies eligible, in addition to those listed above, are online tire businesses (such as Tire Rack, Simple Tire, etc.); franchise tire businesses (such as individual Tire Pros, Big O Tires franchisees); mass merchandisers with tire stores (such as Walmart Tire & Lube Express, Sears Tire Centers [individual stores not eligible]; and wholesale clubs that sell tires (such as BJ's or Costco) [individual stores are not eligible].

The process is simple. Each business is asked to fill out two surveys.

In Part 1, the Employer Benefits and Policies Questionnaire, the owner or representative of the tire dealership must fill out an online survey detailing the company policies, practices, benefits and demographics.

In Part 2, the Engagement and Satisfaction Survey, the dealership's employees are asked to complete a survey that asks a series of questions, using a scale of 1 to 5, ranging from "agree strongly" to "disagree strongly."

The survey also includes seven demographic and two open-ended questions. Employees can fill out this survey online or on paper, if a full company employee email list is unavailable.

It should take an employee only 10 to 15 minutes to complete the survey.

To sign up, visit tirebusiness.com/bestplaces.

The deadline to register to participate in the Best Places to Work survey is May 17. The questionnaires will be available May 24 and must be completed no later than June 7 (for the Employer Benefits and Policies Questionnaire) and June 28 (for the Engagement and Satisfaction Survey).

In order for the survey to count, organizations with 25 or more employees must have a response rate of at least 40 percent, which means it isn't necessary for every employee to participate. However, the higher the response rate, the more representative the analysis will be.

Organizations with 15 to 24 employees must reach an 80-percent or higher response rate in order to be considered for recognition.

Tire Business will announce the winners in a special report in a September issue. BCG is managing the program for Tire Business.

So what are the benefits of taking the survey?

First off, participating businesses may purchase the employee feedback report, detailing the company's employee responses. The early-bird cost for the report ranges from $720 (for businesses with 15 to 20 employees) to $1,005 (for business with 2,500 employees or more), as well as a 30-minute consultation call with a BCG survey specialist.

The report includes industry benchmarks for employee engagement and benefits in order to help a business identify its strengths and find opportunities to continue building a better workplace.

According to BCG, companies named to the list gain increased company pride as well as improved employee morale and retention. Businesses can purchase signage and other marketing tools to share the good news with their customers and their community.

Companies that don't receive recognition are not revealed.

For more information, including a list of frequently asked questions, eligibility, timeline and report details, visit tirebusiness.com/bestplaces.