By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Fortune Magazine's annual "Best Companies to Work For" list hasn't hit the news stands just yet. But for the seventh year in a row, Wegmans has been named to the Top 100 list for 2004.
Not only did the Rochester-based supermarket chain make the top 100 list -- it is in the top ten and received its highest ranking yet. This time, Wegmans moved into ninth place, up a notch from last year.
In Buffalo, Wegmans spokeswoman Ann McCarthy says employee benefits are one reason the company lands in the top ten. But McCarthy says it is really employee satisfaction that has given Wegmans the edge. "One of the things that I understand this year's article talks about is trust in the workplace and the ability of employees to not only trust the employer, but co-workers," McCarthy said. "That contributes to a very satisfying work environment. So benefits are certainly one part of it, but atmosphere and attitude contribute to it as well."
The Great Place to Work Institute researches and complies the list for Fortune Magazine. It says this year's results indicate that workers are looking for the basics -- such as the truth. And while another supermarket chain, Quality, closed all but two Buffalo-area stores because its owner, Penn Traffic struggles through bankruptcy, McCarthy says as a family-owned company, Wegmans is driven to remain passionate about its workforce and customers.
"As a family owned business, we have the flexibility to do that," McCarthy said. "I think our climb on this list is recognition that we are not happy to settle for status quo. We always want to raise the bar, not only in terms of what we offer our customers, but also in terms of what our employees are experiencing everyday when they work at Wegmans."
More than 46,000 employees were randomly selected from 304 companies for the best places to work survey.
Paychex, another Rochester-based company owned by businessman and Sabres owner Tom Golisano, also made this list. But this year Paychex dropped five spots -- now ranked 93 on the list.
The full magazine listing will be hitting the news stands January 5th.