Employees at T-Mobile can unwind at work, one of the pluses that made the company a Best Place to Work in 2011. T-Mobile is also on the list for 2012. Photo by Brad Talbutt

Many Idaho workers consider themselves lucky just to have work.

But the ones who consider themselves really lucky can’t wait to clock in.

“I love working here – it’s a fantastic place to work,” said Lael Uberuaga-Rodgers, who works at MetaGeek, a Boise company that makes tools to help businesses optimize wireless networks. It’s a job, “but you don’t really get that corporate feel,” said Uberuaga-Rodgers, whose job title is “office assistant geek.”

MetaGeek is one of the 20 Best Places to Work in Idaho for 2012. Idaho Business Review teamed with Populus, a nationally recognized marketing research company headquartered in Boise, to identify the best places to work in Idaho.

Any Idaho company with 20 or more employees is eligible to participate in the annual survey. This year, 49 companies signed on and Populus collected voluntary, confidential information from thousands of employees. The companies were scored in five categories:

1) Compensation and benefits

2) Work environment

3) Company management

4) Employee growth and development

5) Work-life balance

The 20 companies named should be proud, said Sean Evans, IBR publisher and vice president. “It is increasingly important for Idaho businesses to compete effectively for qualified and motivated employees.”

The stories of the companies will be featured in the April 27 IBR supplement and they will be acknowledged at an event at Stueckle Sky Center April 26. The ranking order from No. 10 to No. 1 in two categories – small and large organizations – will be announced during event. For more information or to reserve individual tickets or tables for the event, click here:

http://idahobusinessreview.com/events/bptw/

2012 Best Places to Work in Idaho (in alphabetical order)

Small organizations (less than 100 employees): Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce, CBH Homes, D.A. Davidson & Co., Fisher’s Document Systems, Inc., Grubb & Ellis Catalyst, Lochsa Engineering, MetaGeek, Moneytree, Inc., Thornton Oliver Keller, TitleOne Corporation.

Large organizations (100 or more employees): Alliance Title & Escrow Corp., Bodybuilding.com, D.L. Evans Bank, Edward Jones, Idaho Central Credit Union, Idaho Housing and Finance Association, MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc., Primary Health Medical Group, T-Mobile, West Valley Medical Center.