Police departments and military personnel count on Tactical Electronics' equipment to help defuse bombs and retrieve video in other potentially deadly situations. The people who create that technically sophisticated gear do so with the knowledge that what they build absolutely cannot fail once it's in the field. That makes it all the more impressive that this small employer at the top of Great Rated's…

Sometimes employees get sick. Sometimes employees have babies. Sometimes employees' babies get sick. Such illnesses, life events and family crises are an inevitable part of adulthood. So why do 43 million Americans working in the private sector still lack the paid time off necessary to deal with them?

That's a question the Obama administration has mulled since a working families summit in June. And the president recently …

Great Rated! is excited to announce its 2015 People's Picks in manufacturing and production. These 15 companies stand out as the top workplaces in these sectors, based on anonymous surveys of their employees:

Large Companies:

1. Hilcorp
2. Stryker
3. Devon…

The well-worn picture of the American Dream typically involves a comfortable home, a decent car and enough in the bank to spring for a vacation every now and again. Less emphasized in this picture, but implied nonetheless, is that people who've worked hard to acquire these things will actually have time to enjoy them.

So it was a little disheartening to find in the…