Here's how Bay Area Top Workplaces are determined

Top Workplaces don't happen by accident. They are created through a people-first approach to workplace excellence.

This is the first year Energage has partnered with Axios to share the results.
The award is verified and earned through an employee survey process. Workplaces where employees offer positive feedback about their experience make the winners list.

Energage, an employee survey company based in suburban Philadelphia, analyzes feedback based on responses to 26 questions. The survey asks employees for their feedback on such factors as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaningfulness, and appreciation. Energage scores companies based on the responses.

The award cannot be bought; it is earned. There is no cost to employers to survey their employees. If they choose, organizations can purchase the survey data from Energage. There is no obligation for winners to purchase any product or service.

For the 2026 winners list, 9,374 organizations were asked to survey their employees, and 127 agreed to do so. Based on the survey feedback, 105 have earned recognition as Top Workplaces in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Earning a Top Workplaces award is a celebration of excellence," Energage CEO Eric Rubino said. "It serves as a reminder of the vital role a people-first workplace experience plays in achieving success."

To qualify for Top Workplaces recognition, employers must have at least 35 workers in the region. Beginning this year, employers are grouped by the overall size of their organization, and the number of employees invited to survey, which might include employees outside the San Francisco Bay Area. Employers are grouped into similar sizes to best compare similar employee experiences. They are ranked within those groups based on the strength of the survey feedback.

Employers earn Top Workplaces recognition if their aggregated employees feedback score exceeds national benchmarks. Energage has established those benchmarks based on feedback from about 30 million employees over 20 years.

Survey results are valid only if 35% or more employees respond; employers with fewer than 85 employees have a higher response threshold, requiring responses from at least 30 employees.

Why might a particular employer not be on the list? Perhaps it chose not to participate, or perhaps it did and employee feedback scores were not strong enough. Energage also runs tests on survey feedback and in some cases may disqualify an organization if, for example, a high number of employees said they felt pressured to answer positively.

To participate in the 2027 Top Workplaces awards, or for more information, go to the nominations page at topworkplaces.com/nominate/bayarea.