SAGU ranks 8th in midsize companies in The Dallas Morning News’ 2011 Top 100 Places to Work

Waxahachie, TX – November 14, 2011 – Southwestern Assemblies God University (SAGU) ranked 8th in midsize companies in The Dallas Morning News’ Top 100 Workplaces in DFW on Sunday, November 13, 2011. Additionally, SAGU won “Best Managers” category competing against all 100 winners including the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, The Container Store and Baylor Healthcare system.

Vice President of Business and Finance Jay Trewern shares, “We hope to model a healthy Christian environment where everyone is respected and valued for who they are. We hope our team members take those lessons to their future positions of leadership, and apply them there."

For the third consecutive year, Dallas Morning News held it’s Top 100 Places to Work competition. In their research, they found that there is a correlation between happy employees and successful companies. Anyone can nominate a company for the list, but the company must allow employees to anonymously take part in a third party survey by WorkplaceDynamics. Out of 1,149 companies nominated, 215 were surveyed about pay, benefits, managers and more. 62,459 individuals received surveys, and 42,369 responded.

Winners were selected based upon survey results. This year, Dallas Morning News ranked winners by small (less than 150 employees), midsize (150-499 employees) and large (500 employees or more) companies.

SAGU ranked first for the statement “My manager listens to me,” and third for “My manager helps me learn and grow,” “I have confidence in my manager,” and “My manager makes it easier to do my job well.” In all of these categories, SAGU exceeded the average by 10% or greater.

For the statements “My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful,” “I am confident about my future,” and “My manager listens to me,” SAGU exceeded the average by at least 30% and ranked first in each category.

Trewern continues, “I think this is a real milestone for us. We know that we still have areas to grow in, but this recognizes the significant improvements that have taken place over the last several years. This drives me to want to try even harder to improve the work environment for all our staff and faculty.”

One SAGU employee commented, “My manager is clear when giving direction and provides opportunities for me to give opinions regarding policy change and implementation.” Another said, “When I suggest new ideas, they are listened to and many times implemented, which makes it encouraging to offer other ideas in the future.”

SAGU has implemented two incentives to increase productivity. When students are on summer vacation, employees are allowed 30 minutes of exercise time at the Garrison Wellness Center during their 8-hour work day. Additionally, half of the employee’s sick hours that are not used by the end of the year can be converted to vacation for the next year.

Overall, those surveyed in the DFW area rated their jobs 8.2 percent higher than the national average on two statements: “I feel genuinely appreciated at this company” and “My pay is fair for the work I do.” DFW employees strongly agreed with positive statements 64 percent of the time, compared to the national average of 58 percent. The national average is calculated by surveys taken in 28 U.S. metropolitan areas, including Austin, Houston, Chicago and Minneapolis.

Click here to see who else made the Top 100 Places to Work.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The University was established in 1927, and now offers more than 60 associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.