Once nonexistent, workplace awards are now plentiful and highly sought. In fact, I remember when the Great Place to Work Institute and Fortune magazine launched their first Best Places to Work program in the 90s. Many HR leaders, myself included, were elated by the creation of these programs – others were finally recognizing the strategic differentiation in creating meaningful employee experiences!
Certainly, these awards have been good for the workplace. At the very least, countless organizations have paid attention and learned they could no longer wing it when it came to workplace culture. And over time, the bar for people-centric organizations has risen.
IMO is thrilled to be named to Built In Chicago’s 2023 Best Places to Work List and be an example of the power of putting your people first. Of course, we are also humbled by the company we keep with the amazing Chicago technology employers on that list. This feeling of accomplishment is no less than when we were named to Inspiring Workplaces’ Most Inspiring Companies in North America in 2022. I must admit, it is extremely rewarding to receive external validation that we’re doing a lot of good stuff for IMO’s workforce.
Workplaces, like people, are unique
I’d like to exercise some caution here because while I’m grateful for this award, I am continuously perplexed by claims to isolate the best workplaces. What does “the best” really mean? Something that qualifies as a top choice for me may not be the same for others – it’s all quite subjective.
But what I can say with certainty is that IMO focuses all our efforts on creating experiences that speak to our employees as individuals. For this reason, we don’t try to solve workplace culture at the enterprise or programmatic level. Rather, we do our best to customize it for the needs of individuals, teams, and distinct segments of our workforce. For us, creating a great workplace is about strengthening relationships and human connections. These efforts require a lot of attention and intention, and I believe that is what makes IMO a Best Place to Work – not ticking the right boxes on an application.
Thanks again, Built In Chicago, for the recognition, and thanks to each of our 300+ employees for their unique role in creating a workplace that’s best for all of us.
