Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay was again named to the Maine State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management's (SHRM) “Best Places to Work in Maine” program. Bigelow also made the list in 2012. SHRM announced Wednesday, Aug. 21 that a record-breaking 60 companies have been named in the eighth annual program. No other businesses in the readership area were on the list.

The 2013 Best Places to Work in Maine program recognizes companies that have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace environments. Partners endorsing the program include: Best Companies Group, Maine HR Convention, The Maine State Chamber of Commerce, The Maine Department of Labor, The Department of Economic and Community Development and Mainebiz. The premier sponsor is Bernstein Shur of Portland.

The assessment process, administered by the Best Companies Group, evaluates each company’s employee policies and procedures as well as responses from the company’s employees. The program is part of a long-term initiative to encourage growth and excellence throughout all Maine companies.

The program also helps companies that want to improve their scores. The Best Companies Group “Employee Feedback Report” is presented to each participating company, even if it did not make the list. The report summarizes employee engagement and satisfaction data, the “Maine Benchmark Report,” and the transcript of employee written comments. The report is used by many organizations to make significant improvements in their workplace culture.

Each winning company in both the Small/Medium and Large categories will find out how it ranked at an awards banquet October 10 at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland.

For more information about the “Best Places to Work in Maine” program and the awards banquet, go to www.bestplacestoworkinme.com or contact Kelly Nelson at 207-784-5441 or Jessica Palladino at 207-784-1145.