Minnesota Hospice lands another Top Workplace honor

Minnesota Hospice was named a Star Tribune Top Workplace for the second straight year, placing in the top 10 small business employers in Minnesota and standing out as the only hospice-specific organization on the list. The award is based entirely on confidential employee surveys, underscoring how staff view the organization’s culture and leadership. Why it matters: - Minnesota Hospice’s back-to-back Top Workplace ranking signals strong employee buy-in in a field where retention, trust and team culture directly affect family care. - The recognition also gives the Lakeville-based hospice another recruiting tool as it continues to grow across the Twin Cities southern metro. - The honor is especially notable because Minnesota Hospice is the only hospice-exclusive organization to make the list. What happened: - Minnesota Hospice was named a Star Tribune Top Workplace for the second consecutive year. - The organization ranked among the top 10 small business employers in Minnesota. - The recognition was announced as Minnesota Hospice marked its 10th year serving families in the Twin Cities southern metro. - The company is independent and locally owned. The details: - The Top Workplaces program is based entirely on confidential employee feedback collected by a third-party survey company. - Employees are asked about how they are treated, how well leadership listens and whether their work feels meaningful. - Minnesota Hospice leaders framed the result as a reflection of internal culture and employee choice. - Founding CEO Ken Haglind said the company’s original vision was to build the best place to work and the best place to receive care. - Haglind said the team’s vote mattered most because the recognition came from employees themselves. - Employees describe the work as a calling, not just a job. - Several long-standing team members say they stay because they feel listened to and valued. - Families often praise the people who care for them. - Minnesota Hospice says patients are supported by a full care team that includes nurses, aides, chaplains, social workers and bereavement specialists. - The organization says families are cared for as a whole, including after a patient dies. - Team members say many joined hospice after caring for their own family members through hospice. - Minnesota Hospice says that shared purpose helps explain the company’s growth and the honor it received two years in a row. - Haglind said caring for employees leads to better care for families. - Minnesota Hospice also says it was voted Best Hospice by local communities for six consecutive years. Between the lines: - The award helps validate a workplace model built around mission-driven care rather than traditional employer branding. - In hospice care, employee experience can be closely tied to patient experience, so a strong internal culture may have outsized impact. - The combination of survey-based recognition and local community awards suggests the organization is trying to compete on both workplace reputation and family trust. - The company’s messaging points to a broader strategy: keep caregivers engaged to support expansion without losing the culture that earned the recognition. What’s next: - Minnesota Hospice is directing people interested in working there to the company’s website . - The organization says it will keep growing across the communities it serves while maintaining its focus on comfort, dignity and quality of life. - Energage will continue running the Top Workplaces program using employee survey data and culture research. The bottom line: - Minnesota Hospice turned employee feedback into a public endorsement of its care model, and it now has a second straight Top Workplace title to show for it.