JA Benefits takes top award for Best Places to Work in Indiana

For the fourth straight year, JA Benefits, a Bedford-based employee benefits company, has been named the No. 1 company in the Indiana Chamber's Best Places to Work rankings.

JA Benefits took the top spot in the small business category (between 15 and 74 employees). CEO Chris Johnson said the company makes it a priority to create a culture where employees can thrive and being recognized for those efforts never gets old.

Bedford Parks Department: Pool will open May 28.

"We're incredibly proud of the recognition we've received," he said during an interview with the Times-Mail.

JA Benefits, corner of 17th and H streets, employs about 30 people and was established in 1988.

Johnson said creating the culture begins with a team that is committed to taking care of one another and taking care of JA Benefits' clients.

"If we're going to continue to be the best place to work for every single person, it's not about being the best place in Indiana," Johnson said. "It's about being the best place for each individual person. So we've looked at what does that mean for everyone and what we're committed to doing is finding new ways to facilitate an environment where each person withdraws when they need to and deposits when they can into our culture."

Such a culture where employees are excited to come to work isn't something that managers can mandate. Johnson said what managers and CEOs can do is facilitate such a work place by finding employees who believe in the company's mission and articulating expectations.

"Once you get that established and look for ways to improve on that, then you're letting people become their best version of themselves," he said.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce honored 125 companies from across the state Thursday at the 2022 Best Places to Work in Indiana dinner celebration, sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College.

Other top-ranked companies were:

• TrueScripts, a prescription benefit management service in Washington – medium category (between 75 and 249 U.S. employees)

• CAPTRUST, a financial advisory firm that recently acquired Lakeside Wealth Management in Chesterton – large category (between 250 and 999 U.S. employees)

• Jackson Lewis, P.C., a national law firm focused on labor and employment law with a local office in Indianapolis – major category (1,000 or more U.S. employees)

Honorees and rankings were determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys.

“Imagine springing out of bed every morning excited to get to work. The 125 companies on the 2022 list have created an environment where that is as close to the case as possible,” said Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar in a press release.

Local news: Needmore Robotics honored at school for top 10 finishes at world championship.

“For our top winners, I’m so pleased to see a small business like JA Benefits consistently engage its employees and put them first. The way the other three leading companies have used survey results in the program to keep improving and ascending is also so impressive. Leveraging this contest to enhance the workplace is really what the program has always been about and why we encourage organizations to take part.”

The past few years, the American workforce has experienced what has been called "the Great Resignation" spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson said it's a subject he's thought a lot about.

He said one of the keys to JA Benefits' success is its focus on people as it relates to relationships, purpose and growth.

"In the Great Resignation, priorities got realigned by these external factors and when that happens you prioritize things like health and family," Johnson said.

Companies that don't find ways to align where they're going with doing things that allow employees to find personal and professional growth, will be challenged to retain their people.

"As a company, if we can be a conduit for team members to get to their next level, then you're resignation proof," he said.

In addition to the awards, winners will be recognized via a special section of the Indiana Chamber’s BizVoice® magazine and through Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick – both of which reach statewide audiences. Additional program partners are HR Indiana SHRM, Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Wellness Council of Indiana and Workforce Research Group.

Contact Times-Mail Staff Writer Carol Johnson at cjohnson@tmnews.com or 812-277-7252.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: JA Benefits takes top award for Best Places to Work in Indiana