Nominations deadline for 2025 Chicago Top Workplaces is Friday
This is the final week to nominate organizations for recognition as a Top Workplace in Chicagoland.
For the 16th year, the Chicago Tribune will honor outstanding workplace culture in the region. Any organization with 75 or more employees in the region is eligible to compete for a Top Workplaces award. Standout companies will be honored this fall.
The final deadline for nominations is Friday, June 6. Anyone can nominate any organization, whether it is public, private, nonprofit, a school, or even a government agency. To nominate an employer or for more information on the awards, just go to chicagotribune.com/nominate or call 312-878-7356.
There is no cost to participate. To qualify as a Chicago Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a 25-question survey that takes just a few minutes to complete. Companies will be surveyed through June.
Energage, the Pennsylvania-based research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 65 markets nationwide and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year.
For the 2024 awards, 158 Chicagoland employers earned recognition as Top Workplaces.
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Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What Do Employees Really Want Instead Of Pizza Parties?
'Overworked and underpaid employees don't want pizza parties and team-building exercises,' he said. His eyes looked strained, and I couldn't tell if he had a headache or was exhausted… I guessed both. 'What's wrong with pizza?' I joked, trying to lighten the mood. 'Nothing. I like pizza. But when you're stressed about finances, have to fight for every penny you make, juggle more responsibilities than you have time, and doing everything you can to exceed expectations to the point of burnout… well, what you need is to feel valued, have opportunities for growth, a wage and a title that reflects everything that you're doing, some help, strong support and a good work culture… some freakin' hope… something that has more of a lasting impact than a slice of pizza.' I remained silent. I couldn't decide if I was allowing him more space to think or if I was thinking to myself how much I agreed with him. 'It's almost insulting,' he continued. '99.9% of the time, they act like they don't even recognize our existence, and now they want to throw us a party? No thanks. Having a party is great, but first, let's get your team healthy enough to enjoy it.' He paused. 'They're panhandling a superficial solution to a real problem.' 'And what's the real problem?' I asked. 'They aren't investing in people — they're investing in results. They don't realize that the results will exceed their expectations if you authentically invest in good, hardworking, talented people. Despite the lack of meaningful appreciation and resources, we have a great team. Think what it could be if they added the missing components.' He removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. He stared at me with a tiredness that went well beyond the moment. 'Wouldn't it be nice to have an environment where employees are invested in so much that they could find another job but don't because they love where they work?' he asked. 'That would be nice,' I said. 'What do you think is going to happen?' 'We are woefully under-supported, yet the expectations keep rising. Essentially, we're being set up to fail… either by failing to reach their unattainable bar or by failing our health and family in thinking that we must continue without setting realistic boundaries. Heck, it could end where I cannot meet their increasing expectations, get let go, and cannot even use them as a reference. That would be ridiculous, as I'm a great employee. I feel destined to fail, and that's a horrible feeling.' 'Sounds like fear is playing a role, too,' I said. 'You bet it does! They have me: I am too strapped for time and finances to even look for another job. By the end of the workday, I'm beyond exhausted, have headaches, can't sleep, and am barely present for my family. Yet, I'm doing this for my family. That's messed up. Worst, I actually like my job. Heck, I'm great at it. But who cares? They'd rather put money into hiring other positions and socials than caring for the few doing the bulk of the work. Where does that leave me? Seriously, where? It leaves me angry because I CARE.' I didn't say anything. 'Right… you're lack of response has been my answer for a long time. I can't do a damn thing, and they know it. But you know what?' 'What?' 'Even more than what I know about them, I know me,' he said. 'I've been in much worse situations than this one. I'm accustomed to survival mode. The difference was that I was fighting for something worth the sacrifice. Here, I am fighting to take care of my family in an environment that isn't fighting for me. The sacrifice, as it stands, is not supporting my why… if I am too sick or strained to be available to my family, why am I giving my limited energy to a job that would soon forget me the moment I'm gone?' 'Very true,' I said. 'I have two months of savings in my account. If I quit today, I would have two months to look for a job. Imagine what I could do with two months of actual rest and serenity. Granted, it would be stressful, especially since I'm already familiar with the devil I know. But, as it stands now, eventually, my body will force me to take two months off to recuperate from whatever condition I'm bringing upon myself. So, if I have to be down and out, wouldn't it be better to be down and out to find a job — rested and fed — than sick?' 'Sounds like you lack work-life balance because you fear losing your job if you speak up, fear failing their continued rising expectations, and fear of an eventual health prognosis of keeping your job if nothing changes,' I said. 'I'm afraid either way, I'm going to lose everything,' he said. 'Let's play that out. What if you lost your job today for whatever reason? What horrible thing could happen?' I asked. 'I could have a hard time finding another job due to the economy, I could be forced to sell our home, I would default on some loans, I would….' He stopped. 'I would fail my family.' 'Of all you just said, you didn't mention losing your family,' I said. 'Oh, I would never lose them. They are my life, and I know my wife and kids are always beside me,' he said. 'Always.' 'So, you'll never lose what is most important because you won't lose them, right?' I asked. 'Right,' he said. For the first time, his eyes looked like they had just read a hopeful line in a sad book. 'You're not letting your family down by acknowledging your worth, recognizing where you're most needed, and adjusting accordingly,' I said. 'What are you suggesting?' he asked. 'I would never tell you what to do, as that is between you and your family. I would recommend you take it to prayer with your wife. I would caution you not to allow this to continue for much longer, as you will eventually begin to harbor resentment and anger toward your employer and yourself for putting up with it. And I would stop having so many passive boundaries.' 'Passive boundaries?' he asked. 'Yes. You know you are a valuable employee. You mentioned to me earlier that you've been a stellar employee in every job you've had. Guess what? You will be again if you choose to get another job. Stop allowing others to pacify you with empty promises and pizza parties. Speak to what you want, whether a promotion or help … whatever you know to be true. If they don't see your requests as valid, that doesn't make them false. It just means they don't know your worth… make sure you do.' 'I know my worth, but I also know my responsibilities,' he said. 'That's fair. Often, we do things as adults because we 'have to' more than 'want to.' Responsibility isn't meant to be taken lightly or shirked. Over time, however, we must pay attention to patterns, noticing when individuals consistently demonstrate that they are not going to change and when it is upon us to change.' 'I get that. I'm just terrified of letting my family down,' he said. The weight upon him was suffocating, and I could tell he was carrying a burden that would eventually break him. 'That's speaking from a position of self-loathing and shame. Such thinking keeps you stagnant in areas where God has gifted you and given you talents to grow. There is nothing shameful about taking care of your health, not diminishing your value, and moving forward in full faith that God is opening doors you haven't even seen.' 'Opening doors I haven't even seen,' he repeated. 'I like the sound of that.' 'All I'm saying is keep your options open… you've convinced yourself that you're trapped. You're not. Even if things change for the better in your current job or it all falls away, the most important things will remain. And God will eventually position you on higher ground. He knows your needs. He knows you. Believe this. Trust God. And move forward, being okay with whatever outcome God provides.' 'Whatever outcome God provides. Yes,' he said. For the first time, he offered a faint smile. God, be with us as we make difficult decisions. Help us to simply be obedient to You, trusting that You will either change our situation or change us. May we use the skills and talents You have blessed us with to serve You with joy, knowing that You will provide for us and sustain us well beyond any earthly position. You are stronger than our greatest fears, and in Your strength, and in Your name, we move. Our true position is in You alone, Christ Jesus. Lead us, guide us, and take us from fear to faith in Your presence and peace. This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Weber Grill Restaurant to be first tenant in Orland Park downtown development
Weber Grill Restaurant will open a location in Orland Park next year, becoming the first tenant announced for the village's downtown development project northwest of La Grange Road and 143rd Street. The company is owned by the same family that makes the grills, which are used to prepare meals at the restaurants. Weber Grill will build an 8,500-square-foot space at the southwest corner of La Grange and 142nd Street, said Ramzi Hassan, president of Edwards Realty Co. Orland Park-based Edwards was selected by the village to develop that has been called the Main Street Triangle project. 'This is exactly the type of tenant we envisioned when we first imagined downtown Orland Park,' Hassan said in a news release announcing the restaurant's plans. 'Weber Grill represents a high-quality, experience-driven restaurant that aligns perfectly with our vision to create a dynamic, walkable destination for the community.' Planned to open next spring, the restaurant will feature indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a hands-on cooking school offering both public and private cooking classes, according to Weber Grill Restaurants. The company also has restaurants in downtown Chicago and suburban locations in Lombard and Schaumburg. 'We're thrilled to bring the unique Weber Grill experience to the new downtown Orland Park,' Jon Crost, chief operating officer of Weber Grill Restaurants, said in a news release. 'This location allows us to connect with a vibrant and growing community while being part of a visionary redevelopment that emphasizes both quality and community.' Hassan said Friday that Weber 'is a really good brand that's a household name,' and its decision to open in Orland Park could attract other tenants. He said that Weber was looking to the Orland Park market for a restaurant, but 'they were more interested in the type of development they are joining.' 'They had to find the right fit,' Hassan said. He said Edwards has been very selective about the users and businesses coming in to the development, and said the Weber Grill Restaurant could be destination drawing customers from beyond the Orland Park area. 'It's not like they have 300 restaurants all over the country,' Hassan said. Edwards plans to develop more than 140,000 square feet of entertainment, retail and office space. No residential space is planned. An expansion of Crescent Park, to be renamed Heroes Park, is included, and what is now a stormwater detention pond in the northeast corner of the triangle would be enhanced with fountains. The company and village held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the downtown project in March. Edwards owns and operates Orland Park Crossing, a retail center northeast of La Grange and 143rd, directly to the east of the downtown development. The downtown development would be situated around the Ninety7Fifty on the Park apartments, University of Chicago Medicine Center for Advanced Care, a parking garage and the 143rd Street Metra station. Hassan said he expects Edwards to break ground in spring on space for a second tenant, which would be on a site west of La Grange on the south side of 142nd.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
CEOs Using AI to Terrorize Their Employees
As artificial intelligence becomes the corporate buzzword du jour, executives are finding more and more ways to shoehorn the trendy tech into their everyday business operations. That has a lot of workers anxious about automation, income inequality, and increased workloads — something c-suite bigwigs are all too happy to take advantage of. Though AI — really just a fun name for large language models (LLMs), or predictive chatbots — in its current state isn't likely to bring a labor revolution anytime soon, CEOs find that the threat of AI automation works just as well. As Axios highlighted this week, CEOs are increasingly using AI adoption as a cudgel to justify layoffs, or to manufacture consent for layoffs in the future. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, for example, recently said AI is likely to "reduce our total corporate workforce," while JPMorgan executives told investors that AI will allow for a "10 percent headcount reduction." Others, like Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke, are threatening workers directly, saying that AI is now the "baseline expectation." Per Axios, Shopify managers hiring human workers now have to explain to top brass why AI wouldn't be a better choice for any given job. This kind of doomsday messaging goes hand in hand with increased expectations for workers' productivity. A recent survey found that 77 percent of workers reported that AI adds to their workload. Of that, a staggering proportion — 39 percent — involves fixing the buggy tech's sloppy mistakes. While AI is a pretty recent phenomenon, these kinds of scare tactics aren't new. "Disciplining labor" is a concept that occasionally gets thrown around discussions of supply side economics. It's a term used to describe broad economic measures that keep workers in line, in order to keep corporate profits high — suppressing unions, keeping wage growth low, and dangling the threat of unemployment over their heads. In this sense, AI in its current form is simply a new whip for CEOs to use on their employees. It's having what Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management, calls an "inculcation effect" on workers. It's a "warning with an anticipatory alert that preempts later trauma going viral," he told Axios. Plus, now that the job market has been devastated by AI spambots, finding a new gig is harder than ever. With AI, workers are forced onto their back foot as their corporate overlords demand more productivity for less pay. If the choice is to either work harder or clear out their desk, employees are then less likely to ask for quality of life improvements, or to organize for unions that could win them. And that, of course, means corporate honchos get an even bigger piece of the pie. More on Labor: CEO of Anthropic Warns That AI Will Destroy Huge Proportion of Well-Paying Jobs
