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From Home Furnishing Business
Malouf Awarded Inc. Magazine’s Best Work Places of 2019
May 24,
2019 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Utah-based bedding supplier Malouf has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Work Places of 2019, the publication’s fourth annual ranking in the fast-growing private company sector.
The award is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of private American companies that created exceptional workplaces through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement, and stellar benefits. Collecting data on nearly 2,000 submissions, Inc. singled out 346 finalists.
Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Omaha’s Quantum Workplace, on topics including trust, management effectiveness, perks, and confidence in the future. Inc. gathered, analyzed, and audited the data. Then they ranked all the employers using a composite score of survey results. This year, 74.2 percent of surveyed employees were engaged by their work—besting last year’s 72.1 percent.
The strongest engagement scores came from companies that prioritize the most human elements of work. These companies are leading the way in employee recognition, performance management, and diversity.
“Happiness at work is critical to our success, both as people and as a company. When founding Malouf, we didn’t set out to be benefit-driven. It happened organically. We’re all about a group of people getting along, caring about each other and caring about what they’re doing,” said Sam Malouf, CEO.
All companies had to have a minimum of 10 employees and be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent—that is, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies. While researching the finalists, Inc. and Quantum saw distinct themes:
- 99 percent provide health insurance—and some cover the cost.
- 49 percent allow employees to bring pets to work.
- 65 percent take employees to offsite retreats to relax and recharge.
- 16 percent offer paid sabbaticals to reward length of service.
"With today's tight labor market, building a great corporate culture is more important than ever,” says Inc. magazine editor in chief James Ledbetter. “The companies on Inc.'s Best Workplaces list are setting an example that the whole country can learn from."