At Sunnyside Communities, we have always believed that a thriving community begins with a thriving team. That belief was reaffirmed this fall when Sunnyside Communities officially earned Great Place to Work® Certification.
The Great Place to Work® Institute has spent more than three decades studying what makes an organization a truly great place to work. Founded over 30 years ago, Great Place to Work® is a global people analytics and consulting firm that helps organizations build high-trust, high-performance cultures. Its Trust Index™ employee survey — the most widely used workplace survey in the world — measures five key dimensions of organizational culture: trust, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.
Over the years, Great Place to Work® has partnered with companies like Marriott, Wegmans, Scripps Health, and Salesforce to help them strengthen workplace culture. For Sunnyside Communities, earning Certification means joining an international network of mission-driven organizations recognized for valuing people first.
To achieve Certification, organizations must meet strict benchmarks: at least seven out of ten employees must say their workplace is great, and participation must meet statistical confidence thresholds. This year, more than sixty percent of Sunnyside Communities team members completed the survey. The results reflected a culture built on trust and mutual respect, with especially high marks for safety, pride in work, and feeling welcomed — each scoring above eighty-five percent.
For more than 113 years, Sunnyside Communities has been guided by compassion, connection, and purpose. That legacy continues through our SHINE Program, which celebrates the qualities that define who we are and how we serve:
Service before Self
Hospitality with Heart
Inspiring Excellence in Each Other
Nothing Less than the Best
Enjoy Your Journey
These values are more than words — they are lived daily in the way our teams support residents and one another.
“This recognition means so much because it comes directly from our team,” said Josh Lyons, President and CEO. “Culture does not happen by accident. It is something we build together every day. The compassion, collaboration, and sense of purpose our staff bring to their work are what make Sunnyside truly special. This certification reflects who we are today and who we aspire to continue to be.”
Earning Certification is not a finish line — it is a meaningful milestone. Sunnyside Communities will continue investing in our people because, at the end of the day, being a Great Place to Work® is about more than a certificate. It is about continuing to build a culture where people love where they work and love where they live.
