Do you think your employer provides a great place to work? You can show where you work a little love by nominating them as one of the best workplaces in the Colorado Springs area.

The deadline to nominate employers for The Gazette’s Best Workplaces programs is Aug. 31. The free annual program, now in its fifth year, recognizes public and private employers for creating strong healthy workplace cultures and environments. Employers can be nominated at gazettedev.gazette.com/best-workplaces/ and clicking on the Best Workplaces 2021 banner at the top of the page.

“More than ever, The Gazette’s Best Workplaces gives businesses an opportunity to showcase why they are a preferred employer in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas,” said Jim Broyles, vice president of sales for The Gazette.

The Gazette is sponsoring the program with the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC, employment website Monster.com and DataJoe, a Boulder data collection and analysis firm.

Employees, organization leaders or customers can submit a nomination — multiple nominations are not needed to qualify. The Gazette will contact the human resource department of nominated employers — private companies, government agencies and nonprofits — to ask them to participate in a survey of all employees from Sept. 10-24. Questions are included on leadership, culture, mission and values, benefits, training and social responsibility; there also will likely be one question related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employee responses are anonymous. Employers are required to have at least 10 employees, and a majority of employees must respond to the survey for an employer to be honored as a best workplaces. Employers are divided into four levels — small employers with 10-29 employers, midsize with 30-75 employees, large with 76-299 employees and extra large with more than 300 employees.

The number of employers recognized through the program has grown each year, with 110 recognized last year, headed by Hero Practice Services, which manages dental, vision and orthodontic practices that specialize in pediatric patients. Other winners were The Cutting Edge, Realtors, in the large category, Sellstate Alliance Realty & Property Management in the midsize category and The Treasure Davis Team in the small category.

Top employers  this year will be honored at a celebration Dec. 2 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Colorado Springs hotel. The Gazette will publish the results, including cumulative survey data and profiles of the top-ranked companies, on Dec. 5.