The survey is voluntary and free of charge. Participating private and public companies, nonprofits and government agencies must have at least 15 Oregon employees.

Size categories

Companies are categorized as SMALL if they have 15-34 Oregon employees; MEDIUM with 35-99 Oregon employees; and LARGE companies are those with a total of 100 or more Oregon employees.

Employee survey

For the 2012 survey more than 14,000 Oregon workers rated their satisfaction with 263 employers in 35 workplace qualities — 5 in each of the first five categories below, and 10 in Sustainable Practices.:

1. Work Environment: flexibility and work/life balance, diversity, teamwork and fun, workspace technology and efficiency , policies and procedures. 
2. Management & Communications: employee treatment, performance feedback, communications, discipline, rewards and acknowledgement. 
3. Decision-Making & Trust: shared accountability, trust in management, collaboration and involvement, community and charity, workplace pride. 
4. Career Development & Learning: on-the-job training, educational support, growth opportunities and promotions, job goals and expectations. 
5. Benefits & Compensation: compensation fairness and adequacy, health wellness plan, retirement plan,  paid time off, raises and bonuses. 
6. Sustainable Practices (Used for 100 Best Green Cos. List): sustainable progress and goals, recycling, water and energy onservation, renewable energy, transportation, facilities, purchasing policies.

Employer benefits survey

Company representatives answer more than 57 questions covering a comprehensive set of benefits including health and wellness plans, time off, family-friendly policies, work scheduling, incentives, retirement plans, corporate culture and sustainable practices (used for 100 Best Green Cos. List)

Scoring

The employee survey counts for 5/6 of a participating company’s 100 Best Cos. score. For each company, the average employee rating is calculated in each of the first five categories of the survey on a scale of 0-100. The benefits survey is also scored on a 100-point scale, accounting for the remaining 1/6 of the overall score, resulting in a total possible score of 600. Satisfaction and Importance ratings from the final Sustainable Practices count for 2/3 of the 100 Best Green Cos. score, with questions from the Employer survey counting for the remaining 1/3.

Ranking

The 2011 100 Best Cos. list were composed of the Top 33 Large, Top 34 Medium and Top 33 Small Companies based on the scoring formula above. In 2011, we will score and rank companies according to our new size categories above to create a list of 100. The 100 Best Green Cos. was simple a list of the Top 100 participating companies and nonprofits based on employee satisfaction and importance, and  employer benefits survey answers.