California Water Service Group Named Bay Area Top Workplace for 12th Year

In recognition of the company’s commitment to its employees, the San Francisco Chronicle has named California Water Service Group (Group) a Top Workplace in the Bay Area for the 12th year. The distinction is awarded each year based on input from local employees of California Water Service (Cal Water), Group’s largest subsidiary.

Beyond Cal Water’s long-standing efforts to support employees—which include a competitive compensation and benefits package, opportunities for growth, emotional wellness resources, and more—the utility has taken numerous steps to elevate the employee experience. These steps include keeping team members more informed of direction and decisions, seeking more two-way communication and feedback, and introducing an at-risk pay program that enables team members to share in the company’s success when certain metrics are achieved.

Top Workplace rankings are determined through survey data gathered by an independent research company specializing in employee engagement and retention. Employees are asked for feedback on various topics, including company leadership, compensation and training, diversity and inclusion, values and ethics, career development, and family-friendly flexibility.

“Our purpose is to enhance the quality of life for not only our customers and communities, but also our employees, because we believe that when we take care of our team members, they can focus on taking care of the more than 2 million people we serve,” said Martin A. Kropelnicki, Group Chairman and CEO. “After the pandemic prompted us to be physically farther apart and suspend some of the activities that make our employees feel more connected, we have undertaken significant efforts to recapture the one-team culture our employees have long felt makes our company special. And, while we will strive to continue improving the employee experience, I am pleased that our efforts are making a meaningful difference to our team members.”

The largest regulated water utility in the western United States, Cal Water employs nearly 400 employees in the Bay Area through its Bayshore, Bear Gulch, Livermore, and Los Altos districts, along with its Customer Support Services office in San Jose. The utility serves about 393,500 people through 125,000 customer connections in Atherton, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Livermore, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Sunnyvale, and Woodside. Statewide, Cal Water serves more than 2 million people through 497,700 customer connections.