Not hearing our name called right away was worth the wait.One by one, the businesses participating in the Wichita Business Journal’s Best Places to Work competition were called during a December 5 luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Wichita. Companies were announced in descending order based on their scores. Numbers 17, 16 and 15 were called. No Syndeo.The countdown continued, and we still didn’t hear our name. Then came the announcement of the top 10 scores. Still nothing, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The anticipation builds, and the likelihood of finishing better than we did in the 2018 competition seems imminent. But how much better would we fare?When our name was finally called, we learned Syndeo finished runner-up in the medium-size businesses category for this year’s competition, a pleasant surprise and an eight-spot improvement over finishing 10^th last year and 18^th in 2017.Companies are nominated for the Best Places to Work Awards. Employees of those businesses then complete a survey from Quantum Workplace Inc., a company that provides employee-engagement software.The surveys score companies on aspects such as benefits, policies and workplace culture. Scores are tabulated to determine the overall winner in each category.Syndeo was one of 17 finalist companies in the medium-size category. We were up against other Wichita businesses with 25-99 employees. The WBJ also honored businesses with 10 to 24 employees and larger companies with 100 or more employees. All told, 45 Wichita-area companies were finalists in this year’s competition.[caption id="attachment_6141" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Syndeo finishes second in the 2019 Best Places to Work competition, an improvement from 10th in 2018 and 18th in 2017.[/caption]Finalist companies are profiled in a special publication.We were asked to highlight what makes our company a best place to work.Our response: Striving for excellence in everything we do. Our people and a client-first mentality built on service.We care about each other and our clients and go the extra mile to provide them service that is second to none.We describe our culture as collaborative, fast, fun, hard-working and family-oriented. We also describe how having a great place to work can lead to added success.When employees are valued, treated with respect and see a future with the organization, they tend to be more loyal to our mission. Turnover is lower, productivity is higher and our culture is reinforced throughout the organization.The entire profile can be viewed online.Best Places to Work is our third company award of 2019, following the Innovation Awards in November and Best in Business in June.About us: As the Heartland’s leading employer services company, Syndeo partners with local business owners to help them minimize risk, improve efficiency and maximize profitability allowing them the freedom to focus on growth and fulfilling their mission. Syndeo fulfills its mission by taking on all of the HR responsibilities for our clients’ workforce, including employee relations, benefits, risk management and payroll.