Business & Tech

Plainfield's Diageo Ranked Among Best Places to Work in Illinois

The multinational company recently expanded its Plainfield plant.

Diageo's Plainfield plant was named one of the 2014 Best Places to Work in Illinois by the Daily Herald Business Ledger, in partnership with the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago, the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Boards of Metropolitan Chicago as part of a program managed by Best Companies Group.

Diageo is one of the world's largest spirits, beer and wine companies. The Plainfield location, 24440 W. 143rd St., is home to the company's largest bottling facility in North America. In 2013, the company was named among the Best Multinational Workplaces, ranking among companies like Google, Microsoft and American Express.

The Plainfield site is the primary manufacturing location for Diageo’s range of Smirnoff brands, according to a release from the company, and has also played a key role in the Illinois community for many years and seen a number of expansions and upgrades since its opening in 1966, including a $120 million enhancement completed last summer.

“At Diageo we want our people to thrive,"  said Steve Harris, senior vice president of technical operations. “We’re committed to making Diageo a great place to work for our employees because, after all, happy employees are more engaged and productive – it makes good business sense. Being selected for the Best Places to Work in Illinois list is a fantastic recognition for the company.”
In a press release, Diageo said it offers employees a range of benefits, including recognition and rewards for effort and performance; product and brand giveaways; educational activities about the company’s collection of world-leading brands; and events supporting a range of community, environmental and well-being initiatives. In the last year alone, the site has supported its annual United Way and Toys for Tots programs, a site-wide weight-loss and fitness challenge, and an Earth Day recycling competition, among other initiatives. Diageo’s Plainfield facility has a number of employees with more than 35 years of service, whose contributions are recognized at a celebration with the site’s senior management.

Companies from across the state participated in a two-part process to determine the Best Places to Work in Illinois. The first part, worth 25 percent of the total evaluation, consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, and demographics. The second part, which accounted for the remaining 75 percent, consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Illinois and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings. 

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“Creating a culture where people love to come to work is not an easy task, but the Best Places to Work in Illinois have been successful in doing just that," Best Companies Group President Peter B. Burke said. " I am sure that these great companies know what we know, which is that high employee engagement has a huge impact on morale, turnover, customer service and profit."

Diageo will be recognized and honored at the Best Places to Work in Illinois awards ceremony coordinated by The Daily Herald Business Ledger on May 12, and will be profiled in a special publication by The Daily Herald Business Ledger on June 23. The final rankings will be announced at the event.

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For more information on the Best Places to Work in Illinois program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkinIL.com .

 


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