Wall Street Journal Lists the Top Small Workplaces 2008

It's never been harder to create a great workplace. With all the turbulence in the economy, business owners are spending more time trying to boost sales and cut costs than fretting about the well-being of their employees.

But creating a rewarding work environment has also never been more important.

The Top Small Workplaces awards showcase a diverse collection of businesses with a common goal to create happy customers through happy employees. We look at this year's winners and why they succeed.

Motivating and engaging workers -- and giving them opportunities for professional growth -- helps a business retain the best people and ultimately boost the bottom line. And don't forget, we're in a changing working world. New generations of workers expect their boss to respect their input and their need for work-life balance. They also want their employer to act socially responsible in the marketplace.

So, what companies are best at delivering all of that? For the second year in a row, The Wall Street Journal teamed up with Winning Workplaces, an Evanston, Ill., nonprofit that helps small and midsize companies create better work environments, to identify 15 small employers that have built exemplary workplaces.

These companies tend to offer generous traditional and nontraditional benefits, share profits with employees and constantly hunt for new ways to make the employee experience better.

If you're still skeptical about whether such practices are worth it, look no further than these companies. They're more than great employers; they're also profitable, growing enterprises -- even in this difficult economy. Here's a look at the practices that put them at the top.

Click here to view the list.