Best Companies: TestOut Does It Again

TestOut Continuing Education is a subsidiary of TestOut Corporation, which means that all of us here work for a pretty incredible company. You don't just have to take our word for it, either, because we've got the hardware to back up that claim. Not the computer hardware — there's plenty of that around here, too, but what we're actually talking about is the kind of hardware that goes on the trophy shelf.

Earlier this month, TestOut was recognized as being one of the best companies to work for in our home state of Utah by Utah Business, the leading regional business publication. We are a past winner from 2016, and before that in 2015, and before that in 2014. It's always nice to receive external recognition. The award from Utah Business is particularly meaningful, however, because of how it's determined.

Quite often such awards are handed out by editorial staffs based on whatever nebulous metrics and measures the staff has drawn up by itself, for its own use. Sometimes businesses don't even know they've been considered for an award until they receive it. Utah Business, on the other hand, gets its information about how a company values and treats it employees from a more concrete source: the employees themselves.

Utah Business conducts an open survey every year and invites Utah workers to provide direct feedback about the companies they work for. In order for an employer to qualify for Best Company consideration, 80 percent of its employees have to participate in the survey. So in a very real sense companies are weighed and measured not by some arcane formula, but by the very individuals most familiar with their culture and practices.

That's why it means so much to TestOut executive leadership to win this award, and keep winning it, year after year. The people who are in the trenches, hour-by-hour and day-by-day, driving the success of the company, are the ones who determine whether that company, warts and all, gets recognized by Utah Business. It's the best kind of feedback that any employer could receive.

TestOut really does have a great culture, and there's strong camaraderie among employees. Management consistently recognizes and celebrates business milestones, inviting all workers to share in the rewards of success. There are excellent benefits, regular bonuses, and consistent attention to employee wellness and fitness. The TestOut calendar is littered with parties, special days off, friendly competitions, holiday bashes, and more.

As the saying goes, it's an honor just to be nominated: It says something about a company just that 80 percent (or more) of its employees are willing to step forward and share their impressions about anything, let alone complete a survey. It's an even bigger honor to actually be named one of Utah's best companies to work for. Thanks to the voters, and here's to another excellent year in 2018!