LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – With traditional offices empty, and the home office now the norm, prioritizing connection, communication, and care for employees can go a long way to strengthen companies.
Earlier this year, before the novel coronavirus outbreak, nearly 3,000 businesses, with these priorities in mind, competed for the honor of Best Places to Work in 2020, but only 395 finalists were selected. AVIAN was among those selected.
The strongest engagement scores came from companies that focus on the most human elements of work. These companies are leading the way in employee recognition, performance management, and diversity.
“Connecting in a meaningful way with our employees is what our culture of care is all about,” Switick said. “That has its challenges in the current work from home environment, but we strive to let our teammates know that we’re there for them and that we’re still a family despite our temporary separation. Being part of the Best Places to Work list this year demonstrates our commitment to fostering an environment where people love where they work and truly care for one another.”
Hitting newsstands May 12 in the May/June 2020 issue, and as part of a prominent Inc.com feature, the list is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of private American companies that have created exceptional workplaces through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement, and stellar benefits.
Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, on topics including trust, management effectiveness, perks, and confidence in the future. Inc. gathered, analyzed, and audited the data.
“Building a great corporate culture comes only from strong leadership,” says Inc. magazine editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “The companies on Inc.’s Best Workplaces list are setting an example that the whole country can learn from, especially now, when company culture is more important to the workforce than ever.”
This is the second time AVIAN has made the Inc. Best Places to Work list. The first time was the spring of 2018, which was right before AVIAN became 49 percent employee-owned by adopting an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP. Using the Congressionally authorized ESOP program, AVIAN created a plan to provide employees with a retirement incentive in addition to its AVIAN 401k.
AVIAN’s decision to sell part of the company to an ESOP is rooted in its commitment to its corporate value – we take care of each other.
“We’re doing what we can to take care of our employees today and in the future the best way we know how,” Switick said. “We’re in this together and we want to keep it that way.”
About AVIAN
AVIAN (pronounced *a-v-yin*) is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2020.
AVIAN is a 10-time honoree on the Inc. 500 | 5000 lists of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies. AVIAN ranked No. 230 in 2010, No. 267 in 2011, No. 660 in 2012, No. 1675 in 2013, No. 2630 in 2014, No. 2417 in 2015, No. 3599 in 2016, No. 3764 in 2017, No. 4878 in 2018 and No. 4496 in 2019.
AVIAN believes talent and passion generate solutions to today’s business challenges. We understand that these characteristics thrive in a business culture that embraces innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit.
We are resourceful, responsive and reachable for our clients in program, financial, and logistics management; engineering and systems engineering; test and evaluation of manned and unmanned aerial systems; workforce development and training; communication strategy and graphic design.
AVIAN is headquartered in Lexington Park, Maryland with hundreds of employees located across the county. Overall, AVIAN provides a broad range of niche expertise to organizations such as the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR); the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA); the Office of Naval Research (ONR); the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) and a variety of commercial clients.
About Inc. Media
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
About Quantum Workplace
Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.
