The Globe invited more than 600 companies to participate in our inaugural Top Places to Work ranking, and 293 completed the survey process. Research partner WorkplaceDynamics of Exton, Pa., specialists in employee engagement and retention, then surveyed more than 120,000 employees at those companies - 70,000 of whom completed the surveys - asking each to grade the company's performance according to 24 distinct statements, ranging from "This organization's culture encourages inclusion and respect" to "It's easy to tell my boss the truth." Click here for more on the methodology.