Austin Utilities was recently awarded the 2019 Best Places to Work in Southeast Minnesota in the Mid-Size Employer range (75-200 people) by the Workforce Development Inc. at an awards banquet held in Rochester on April 25.

This is the second year in a row the organization has won the award.

“It is an honor to receive this award two years in a row,” said Austin Utilities General Manager Mark Nibaur. “Being a Best Places to Work is an important goal for us. We plan to celebrate receiving this recognition with our staff.”

In addition to a good benefit package, active employee committees for safety, wellness, and community engagement have helped Austin Utilities earn this award.

The “Best Places to Work” awards program is a study which has been commissioned by Workforce Development, Inc. for the past nine years. The purpose of the program is to recognize some of the best employers in our local area and provide vital information to companies about the practices they use to attract and retain employees.

Each company participating was required to complete a 40-question survey that allowed their employment practices to be analyzed by the consulting firm of Personnel Dynamics Consulting of Florida.

The data was measured on such parameters as: turnover, rate of growth, promotion rates, employee evaluations and feedback, percentage of employee injured, diversity of management, benefits offered, training expenditures, paid days off and increase in pay.

“We applied for the award program hoping to learn about what others are doing to make their workplaces better,” Nibaur said. “It was great to see that we are creating a positive work environment for our employees.”