CHICAGO, IL, November 20, 2009 – MSDSonline, a leading developer of on-demand solutions for environmental, health and safety (EH&S) professionals, was recently named to Brill Street + Company’s list of Top 50 Generation-Y Employers in the Chicago area.
Brill Street, an online recruitment agency, collaborated with NYC-based research firm GfK Custom Research North America to identify and recognize those companies with best practices that attract, retain, and leverage the Generation-Y (workers age 28 and younger) workforce.
“We pride ourselves on the culture that we’ve built here,” said Glenn Trout, president and CEO of MSDSonline. “It’s an honor to be recognized alongside of so many blue-chip Chicago companies. As a developer of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, we’ve found that this generation not only brings creativity and a strong work ethic, but they are very tech savvy, which is important in every facet of our business.”
To qualify for the list, employers had to have at least 10 percent of their workforce composed of Generation-Y employees in 2009. Businesses, including for-profit companies, not-for-profit companies, and government employers were eligible to nominate their organization through a detailed survey assessing their workplace. A proprietary mathematical model developed by GfK, ranked candidate companies on a 300-point scale determined by key attributes that Generation-Y employees said were most important in the workplace.
Finalists were selected for on-site interviews to verify the survey data, hear first-hand from employees what makes their workplaces unique, and experience a day in the life within the organization. Final scores and rankings were compiled based on the following criteria:
- • Percentage of workforce comprised of Generation-Y talent
- • Position on social media use in the workplace
- • Overall environment
- • Advancement potential
- • Nature of day-to-day work
- • Work/life balance
- • Social responsibility
- • Benefits package, including vacation time and salary package
- • Flexible working hours
- • Employee voice in pitching new ideas
- • Training and development programs
“Generation Y makes up more than 50 percent of our workforce,” said Trout. “We talk openly about our culture with our employees, and they’re pretty open about sharing their thoughts on making it better. It’s truly a family atmosphere, and because of that we’ve been able to attract and retain some great young talent,” he said.
“That foundation has really been the driving force behind our great growth track record,” Trout continued. “We’ve been able to sustain nearly 30 percent year-over-year growth for the past several years. And it all starts with the energy and commitment of our entire team.”
MSDSonline ranked 36th on Brill Street’s list of the Top 50 Chicago Generation Y Employers. A complete list of the top 50 companies is available at http://brillstreet.com/p/generationy50. Specific information about MSDSonline’s ranking is available at http://brillstreet.com/p/generationy50/msdsonline.
About Brill Street + Company
Brill Street, a leader in the human capital space, connects corporate America to Generation Y. Brill Street equips employers with the tools they need to hire and manage talent more effectively, while scientifically matching candidates with the perfect job and providing the tools they need to excel once they're there.
About MSDSonline
Founded in 1996 and based in Chicago, MSDSonline is a leading provider of on-demand EH&S compliance solutions, offering products and services for managing material safety data sheets (MSDSs), reporting workplace incidents, training employees and administering other critical safety information. The company's mission is to help its customers improve employee safety, streamline compliance recordkeeping and reduce potential exposures to workplace hazards and risks. MSDSonline has been recognized for the last three years on Inc. magazine’s list of America’s 5000 fastest-growing private companies. More information is available online at www.MSDSonline.com.
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