Central Indiana Top Workplaces value employees beyond just pay

Michael Schroeder, Indianapolis StarThu, May 7, 2026 at 10:02 AM UTC

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Central Indiana Top Workplaces value employees beyond just pay

In today’s working world, Trey Hunt might seem like a bit of a throwback.

Having worked for five years and interned for two years before that at The Peterson Company, the project manager makes no secret of his desire to stay with the company for the long term. Still, he is hardly alone at the Top Workplace.

Hunt says the pay he receives is more than competitive, but his loyalty was not purchased. Instead, he and his fellow employees at the construction firm are much likelier to say what they love about their job is the appreciation they feel from leadership; the support for work-life balance; and its focus on learning, growth and development, among other prized aspects of the workplace culture there.

Top Workplaces compete on far more than compensation and benefits

“Especially in the construction industry, people can (always) chase more money,” Hunt says, but he and other self-proclaimed “lifers,” as he put it, feel no such tug. “We joke about the headhunters – none of us actually take it seriously.”

In fact, at workplaces across Central Indiana and across the country, pay and benefits – while certainly important – are typically not the key determinants of whether employees report feeling satisfied with their employers, according to extensive survey data collected by Energage for Top Workplaces.

Instead, other factors that define workplace culture are. Whether employees feel the company is going in the right direction or they have confidence in leadership; the ability to work to one’s potential; being a part of something meaningful; prioritizing employee well-being; and feeling appreciated all have much more to do with how employees rate their workplaces, explains Bob Helbig, media partnerships director at Energage.

That certainly squares with the experience of employees like Olajumoke Shokunbi. A community mentor at New Hope of Indiana, she assists individuals with disabilities in venturing out, whether to go to the library, get a meal together or attend a sporting event. She helps them to be as independent as they can be in engaging the world around them.

“We just go to fun places and have fun together,” she says. “That’s what we do.”

Certainly, she has a heart for the work. But her job satisfaction is also tied to how she is supported by coworkers and management at New Hope. Shokunbi says she loves how compassionate her company is, not just in the way it advocates for clients but in the way employees are treated.

“You can feel the love around you,” she says. “They care about you – not just the individual, they care about the staff, too.”

The other side of the coin: money can’t buy workplace culture – or employee satisfaction

Just as contented, cared for employees want to stick around and do their best work, employee survey responses speak to the inherent risk employers take when they do not prioritize a positive workplace environment. Data strongly suggests that just throwing money at a culture problem will not erase employee dissatisfaction – and does not guarantee retention.

“If you are paid really, really well and you are treated lousy, you are not going to want to stay there – or you’re not going to want to give your very best,” Helbig emphasizes. “You’re going to look for ways to get out of work and probably get out of the organization.”

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While Top Workplaces check the boxes that reliably increase overall employee satisfaction, not all employers are doing the same. Notably, in Central Indiana surveyed employee positivity – based on agreement with certain statements related to key aspects of the work experience – declined compared to the previous year.

For example, many agreed with the statement: “I believe this company is going in the right direction.” But the positivity rating of 76.4%, while still seemingly high on its face, was down from 79.8% the previous year. The same was true for agreement with the statement: “My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful,” where positivity fell to 76.8%, down from 80% the previous year.

Helbig says the 3-plus point percentage drops are significant; and there were two more areas that saw that kind of decline as well.

Employees were less likely to agree that they “feel genuinely appreciated” at the company where they work – 77.6%, compared to 80.8% the previous year; and for the statement “This company does a great job of prioritizing employee well-being” – the positivity score was 72.8% percent, down from nearly 76% the previous year.

Central Indiana employee survey response positivity numbers were also below national positivity numbers in nearly all categories. While the survey responses did not answer the why question – or what is behind the dip – employers should not just shrug off what Helbig described as a concerning decline.

“What it suggests to me is in the Indy market there’s some frustration and challenges and issues that companies need to address,” Helbig says. “Now hiring being what it is, maybe people don’t feel like they have a great opportunity to move. But if the economy improves and hiring increases, likely you’ll see a lot of movement.”

Conversely, a lack of movement where employees truly feel loyal to their employers, not just “stuck,” speaks to what many Top Workplaces in Central Indiana are doing right.

Nothing makes it clearer that an employee loves their job – and feels appreciated – more than a desire to go over and above in fulfilling their responsibilities. When employees enjoy their work and feel cared for, they show up and show out.

“I love what I do,” says Shokunbi at New Hope. “I love to be at work.”

Back at The Peterson Company, Selena Lerma, senior project administrator, echoes Hunt in his zeal the company. Lerma says that, of course, as a paid employee, she meets her responsibilities. But it goes beyond that.

“I’m a loyal person,” says Lerma, who has a 4-year-old son that everybody always asks her about at work. “So, if you’re going to check in on me on my family’s well-being, I’m going to make sure that I’m doing my work to the best of my capability.”

In short, Lerma adds, that means bringing her “A-game” to show her appreciation for a company that does the same for her.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why employees stay at Central Indiana Top Workplaces: Not just pay

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Source: “AOL Money”