October 2005
Hermanoff & Associates Named Cool Place To Work
Hermanoff & Associates was named one of 60 "Cool Places to Work" in Michigan in a first-of-its-kind competition jointly held by Crain's Detroit Business and the Grand Rapids Business Journal.

"We are very honored," said Hermanoff & Associates president and CEO Sandy Hermanoff. "I've always known that my team was the best and now everyone knows we're pretty darn cool, too!"

Selection was based both on employee nominations and on numerical scores on a survey created by Southfield-based American Society of Employers, a membership organization that collects workplace data and offers training in human resource issues. Points were awarded based on responses to individual questions. Total survey scores were then derived by totaling the weighted scores in eight categories.

The 60 companies have "created work environments that attract and retain quality workers, especially younger workers," Crain's Publisher Mary Kramer said.

"It's very clear that employees prize a workplace that recognizes a balance between 'work' and 'life,' as well as one that offers training and opportunities to advance."

John Zwarensteyn, publisher and CEO of the Grand Rapids Business Journal said, "It was important to include nominations from companies throughout the state of Michigan, and the result certainly shows that 'cool companies' exist in every quadrant of the state. This effort also underscores that cool businesses are of many sizes, and include what we think of as 'traditional' types of businesses as well as those considered to be 'information age' businesses."

Kevin Marrs, director of survey services at ASE, said the competition showed that even small companies, with fewer than 50 employees, can do "small things" that make a big difference in attracting and keeping good employees.

A thank-you note from an executive, an afternoon off with pay, a show of concern when a relative is ill, and trips, picnics and parties to recognize quality work are prized by employees. The competition also discovered that some of the smaller technology- and media-related companies credit team building as one of their greatest weapons to keep talent.

"One of the things we saw a lot was an emphasis on work/life. Companies are realizing that there's got to be a better balance. The good companies are leading on these types of features," Marrs said.

Both Crain's and the Grand Rapids Business Journal have been involved in "best places to work" recognition programs in the past.

But the "cool places" effort was tweaked to garner nominations from employees who were asked to succinctly state why they liked working for their employer. More than 400 people nominated their workplaces. When duplicated nominations were culled, 285 companies statewide were nominated, and executives at 205 completed an exhaustive on-line survey to provide an objective benchmark of how companies handled work/life initiatives, talent management, organizational communication, total rewards, corporate citizenship and leadership, work environment and recruitment activities.

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth also promoted the competition to support Gov. Granholm's "Cool Cities" initiatives.