Forbes lists UAB among America’s best employers

In Forbes’ 2016 report of America’s Best Employers that examined 1,900 companies with more than 1,000 employees to identify factors that influence employee satisfaction, UAB ranked in the top 25 among America’s best midsize employers.

forbes graphic 2016Forbes has ranked the University of Alabama at Birmingham among the best 25 midsize employers in the United States. UAB is the largest single employer in Alabama with more than 23,000 employees and an annual economic impact exceeding $5 billion in the state.

Forbes America’s Best Employers report examined 1,900 companies with more than 1,000 employees and identified the factors that influence employee satisfaction, and UAB ranked 24 in the list of America’s Best Midsize Employers. The ranking was based on precise employer-specific data, surveys of more than 30,000 employees, and “detailed analysis of the drivers of the employer’s attractiveness from the perspective of their employees and the impact of each driver.”

L.L. Bean (1), The Container Store (2) and Novo Nordisk (3) topped the list of midsize employers. Other notable organizations recognized included Yelp (20), AVON (38), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (47), Mount Sinai Health System (93), Cleveland Clinic (112), New Balance (117), Mercedes-Benz (135) and Chick-fil-A (191).

Other universities on the list included Boston College (5), Oregon (16), Johns Hopkins (18), Princeton (29), Baylor (30), UConn (61) and DePaul (82).

UAB Chief Human Resources Officer Alesia Jones says it is rewarding to score so highly among well-respected organizations in a process that explored employee benefits, services, perks and satisfaction.

“Birmingham is experiencing an exciting renaissance, and UAB is a very special place, changing the world for the better across all areas of our multifaceted mission in education, research, health care, community service and economic development,” Jones said. “We support our faculty and staff with resources, facilities, learning opportunities, and an array of benefits including multiple choices in health insurance plans and paid parental leave. UAB employees invest themselves in their work and take pride in UAB’s continued ascension, and we invest in their success.”

Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, UAB is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center.

The five pillars of UAB’s mission deliver knowledge that will change your world: the education of students, who are exposed to multidisciplinary learning and a new world of diversity; research, the creation of new knowledge; patient care, the outcome of ‘bench-to-bedside’ translational knowledge; service to the community at home and around the globe, from free clinics in local neighborhoods to the transformational experience of the arts; and the economic development of Birmingham and Alabama.

“UAB is a special place having a positive impact on our world, and our people are our greatest asset to that end,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts. “This recognition is important because it shows we’re doing the right things to make their time as employees rewarding, and we will continue to work earnestly with our faculty and staff to enhance their experience.”

Learn more at www.uab.edu.