Hawaii’s Top Workplaces share employee appreciation

The best places to work in Hawaii include a widely diverse group of businesses and nonprofits but share one common trait — employee appreciation and loyalty.

The Honolulu Star- Advertiser’s first Hawaii’s Top Workplaces program, run in partnership with the Exton, Pa.-based workplace research and consulting firm Energage, chose the top five large and small employers based on an in-depth employee survey that elicited their opinions on everything from training and leadership to company values and direction.

“The Star-Advertiser is happy to honor these businesses that have thrived in one of the most challenging economic times in modern history,” Star-Advertiser Publisher and President Dennis Francis said. “These winners show that the most-successful organizations know how to recruit, nurture and appreciate their most-valuable asset — their employees.”

Energage divided the employers by those with 150 or more employees in the region, and those with 149 workers or fewer. Anonymous employee feedback was the sole basis for determining which employers make the Top Workplaces list.

The Hawaii’s Top Workplaces winners in the large- employer category are:

1. Travel + Leisure Co., a publicly traded resort company with 14 locations and 665 employees in the Hawaii region. The worldwide membership and leisure travel company has nearly 20 brands in the resort, travel club and lifestyle industries. The corporate culture has fostered community service, and the company’s Hawaii region employees have coordinated virtual food drives with the Hawaii Foodbank. It also created its Hui Lau Lima committee to celebrate Hawaiian culture among its associates and guests.

2. Hawaiiana Management Co., an association management company with 242 employees. Hawaiiana has more than 750 properties under contract, representing over 120,000 units statewide. The company enjoys an impressive employee- longevity rate, with over a third of its workers having more than 10 years with the company, and many employees awarded by the company for service of 40, 35 and 30 years.

3. Blue Hawaiian, a helicopter tour business with 150 workers. In the survey, employees of the Kahului- based company lauded their co-workers and managers, and the positive work environment that enables them to help customers get the best vacation experiences.

4. Kama‘aina Kids, an education nonprofit organization with 653 employees. The nonprofit’s leadership says their employees come from all walks of life, but all share a commitment to excellence in serving the educational needs of Hawaii’s children. Kama‘aina Kids provides preschool, A+, day camps, summer and intersession programs, and a range of other services throughout the islands.

5. Lanakila Pacific, a nonprofit senior meals and disability services organization with 160 employees. Lanakila’s leadership says their workforce is empowered to help build independence and quality of life for people with cognitive, physical, social or age- related challenges

The Hawaii’s Top Workplaces winners in the small-employer category are:

1. The Parrish Collection, a Kauai-based vacation rental company with 70 workers. The independently owned company, which manages over 300 luxury vacation condominiums and homes on the Garden Isle, says its team has worked effectively together for many years to provide high-quality service.

2. American Floor & Home, a Honolulu-based flooring company that has 127 employees. In the survey comment section, many respondents from the company mentioned their fellow co-workers as the key reason why they enjoy working at American Floor.

3. DataHouse Consulting Inc., a Hawaii technology company with 86 workers. Company executives say they are always looking for professionals with the intellectual capability, technology skills and emotional maturity to embrace “our never normal” reality. Employees praised Datahouse for embracing new ideas and providing the training and resources to act on those ideas.

4. Decision Research Corp., a Honolulu software development and information technology company with a staff of 88. DRC’s community activism includes working with the Hawaii Foodbank and participating in The Nature Conservancy’s Hawaii Corporate Council for the Environment. Workers praised DRC for promoting a positive work-life balance and adhering to core values.

5. La Pietra — Hawai‘i School for Girls, the independent college preparatory school for girls in grades 6-12, founded in 1964, with a workforce of 74. La Pietra employees gave the school high marks for having a positive culture that allows them to make meaningful change in their students’ lives.

Energage said employers were divided based on the number of employees in the region to compare feedback of similar-size groups. Organizations that exceeded benchmark scores for each size group made the winners list. Within those groupings, organizations were ranked by the aggregate score based on the employee feedback — the more positive the employee responses, the higher the score and the higher the rank.

“The employee experience needs to be on the mission-critical list,” Energage CEO Eric Rubino said. “By giving employees a voice and showcasing an authentic culture, organizations can attract those job-seekers who complement their culture. Culture drives performance.”