100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
Q&A ~ PROFILE ~ EXPERT ADVICE ~ THE RANKINGS
And the Winners Are ... BY ROBERTLEVERINGANI) MILTONMOSKOWITZ
1NetApp
Sunnyvale,
(Rank last year 14)
Calif. netapp.com
business plans, many units write "future histories,"
imagining where their business will be a year or
a
NETAPP
EMPLOYEES 5,014 (US); 2,839 (outside US.)
JOB GROWTH 12% NEWJOBS 528 (one year)
ANNUAL PAY $134,716 (salaried); $88.525
How's this for an unlikely success story: Dave Hitz
works as a cowboy, then sells his blood to help pay
(hourly)
two out. And the benefits are tops: five paid days for
volunteer work, $11,390adoption aid, and autism
coverage-used by 43 employees since 2006 at a
cost of $242,452. The company has gained market
share during the slump, hasn't had layoffs, and has
more than $2 billion in cash on hand to help it ride
Will work for for Princeton (where he rooms with leff Bezos), gets out the global financial crisis.
food! Staff in into computers, and in 1992 teams up with lames
Lau and Michael Malcolm to form a data storage and
Sunnyvale, Calif.,
load a company-
management company called Network A~liance.
Under longtime CEO Dan Warmenhoven, NetApp 2 EdwardJones [4)
St. Louis edwardjones.com
.......................
sponsored has survived the dot-corn crash, grown at two to
EMPLOYEES 34,496 (US); 2,528 (outside US.)
Second Harvest three times the storage industry average for four
JOB GROWTH 9% NEW JOBS 2,129 (one year)
years, and in 2008 hit $3.3 billion in sales. But it is
truck. Dan employee enthusiasm for the legendary egalitar-
ANNUAL PAY $77,333 (salaried); $33,824 (hourly)
.....................
Warmenhoven ian culture that catapulted NetApp to No. 1after six The stock market collapse reduced partner distri-
years on our list. Says one employee: It feels like butions and bonuses, but lim Weddle, who heads
(white shirt)
"a small startup company instead of a 7,OOO-plus the brokerage, assured associates the firm had
has been CEO corporation." Typical of its down-to-earth manage- no exposure to high-risk mortgages or financial
since 1994. ment ethos, NetApp early on ditched a travel policy derivatives and no plans for layoffs. lones hired
a dozen pages long in favor of this maxim: "We are a 698 new financial advisors in the first ten months
frugal company. But don't show up dog-tired to save of 2008 and is building an addition to its St. Louis
a few bucks. Use your common sense." Rather than headquarters for 500 new employees.
42 FORTUNE February 2, 2009
100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
Q&A - PROFILE - EXPERT ADVICE - THE RAN KINGS
3 Boston Consulting
Boston bcg.com
--- ...-.
Group (11)
9 Goldman Sachs (9)
New York gS.com
...-...-.....--...
EMPLOYEES 1.680 (US.); 5,029 (outside US.) EMPLOYEES 14,088 (US.); 12,568 (outside US.)
JOB GROWTH 10% NEW JOBS 142 (one year) JOB GROWTH 2% NEW JOBS 308 (one year)
ANNUAL PAY $141.111 (salaried); $64,894 (hourly) ANNUAL PAY $144,994 (salaried); N.A. (hourly)
-.......
Management consultant has increased recruitment Wall Street survivor turned itself into a bank holding GOOGLE
of minorities (25% of staff, up from 19% in 2004). company in September and laid off some 3,000 peo- Our former
Offers first-class health insurance: $5 co-pay for ple across the globe by year-end. Top seven officers No.! did some
doctor visits, 100% fertility treatment coverage. agreed to forgo bonuses, but rest of staff was in line to
receive performance bonuses, albeit at a lower rate. belt-tightening
this year, but
4 Google [1)
Mountain View, Calif. google.com
-.--
10 Nugget Market (12)
don't feel
Woodland, Calif. nuggetmarket.com too sorry for
EMPLOYEES12,580 (US.);7,013(outsideUS.) .................
JOBGROWTH0% NEW
4 JOBS3,550 (oneyear) EMPLOYEES 1,536 (US.); 0 (outside US.) Googlers: They
ANNUAL PAY N.A.
JOB GROWTH 22% NEW JOBS 173 (one year) still get perks lil\~
ANNUAL PAY $116.444 (salaried); $34.490 (hourly) free massages,
Tech powerhouse marked tenth birthday in 2008. .......
While the company still attracts 777,000 applicants a Sales have yet to slump at this crazy-fun supermar- gourmet meals,
year, hiring has slowed, and Google recently cut frills ket chain, which in 81 years has never had a layoff. and onsite car
like afternoon tea and an annual ski trip.
washes and oil
5 Wegmans
Rochester,
Food Markets
N.Y. wegmans.com
(3) 11Adobe Systems
SanJose adobe.com
[40) changes. This
year the staff
---------. EMPLOYEES 4,255 (US.); 3,057 (outside US.) also received
EMPLOYEES 37.195 (US.); 0 (outside US.) JOB GROWTH 9% NEW JOBS 343 (one year) brand-new
JOB GROWTH 6% NEW JOBS 691 (one year) ANNUAL PAY $165,947 (salaried); $70,854 (hourly)
....-...... Dream Phones,
ANNUAL PAY $51,350 (salaried); $28,092 (hourly)
Software innovator known for its egalitarian culture the iPhone chal-
Recent offerings at this family-owned supermarket was not immune to the slowdown but got kudos for
chain: Employees could buy gift cards of up to $250 humane treatment of 600 departing staffers.
lenger that runs
at a 10% discount to help with food costs; Wegmans is Google's Andr()id
also rolling out free yoga classes at each of its stores. software (worth
12 Recreational
Kent, Wash. rei.com
Equipment (REI) [34)
about $400),
6 Cisco Systems
San Jose cisco.com
[6]
EMPLOYEES,780 (US.); 0 (outside US.)
JOBGROWTH
9
11% NEW
-....
JOBS368 (oneyear)
EMPLOYEES 37.123 (US.); 28.426 (outside US.) ANNUAL
-.-.. PAY$92,298 (salaried); $24,527 (hourly)
- -..-.--" ---
JOB GROWTH 7% NEW JOBS 2.412 (one year)
ANNUAL PAY $131,703 (salaried); $59,852 (hourly)
"'''-'.. ....-.--..--.
CEO John Chambers is focusing on collaborative
efforts to give employees more say in decision-making.
All employees are eligible for subsidized health-
care coverage. Eligible workers receive an auto-
matic 5% yearly contribution to a retirement plan. ,
With more than $26 billion in cash and investments,
Cisco is poised to ride out the business slowdown and
has about 500 job openings, mostly across engineer-
ing disciplines and in "customer advocacy."
7 Genentech
South San .......
(5]
Francisco genecom
EMPLOYEES10,969 (US.); 9 (outside US.)
JOB GROWTH5% NEWJOBS 529 (one year)
ANNUALPAY$112,202 (salaried); $68,228 (hourly)
.......---...
The biotech leader continued to resist a takeover by
shareholder Roche; it also implemented retention
bonuses and severance ranging from 18 to 52 weeks'
pay for anyone terminated after a merger.
8 Methodist Hospital System
Houston methodJsthealth.com
.......
(10)
EMPLOYEES 10,535 (US.); 0 (outside US.)
JOB GROWTH 1% NEW JOBS 67 (one year)
ANNUAL PAY $88,791 (salaried); $80,340
....-..-. (hourly)
Methodist broke ground on $2 billion in construction
in 2008, filled 300 new jobs, and awarded merit pay
raises of 3%. Salaried employees who worked long
hours after Hurricane Ike got $250 Kroger gift cards.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBYN TWOMEY
16 Qualcomm
San Diego qualcomm.com
.......
[8)
1
EMPLOYEES1,932(US.); 2.395 (outside US.)
JOBGROWTH 19% NEW JOBS1,907 (oneyear)
ANNUALPAY$102,030 (salaried); $23,108 (hourly)
.......
Wireless-components designer keeps new ideas
flowing via an award-winning recruitment program:
It hires 750 interns a year from 38 countries.
17 Principal Des Moines prmcipa1.com
Financial
,............................................
Group [21)
EMPLOYEES 13,343 (US.); 2.955 (outside US.)
JOB GROWTH -1% JOBS LOST 139 (one year)
ANNUAL PAY $88,241 (salaried); $34,690 (hourly)
, , ........................ fA
CEOLarry Zimpleman got a thumbs-up for weekly ",L"'.,
e-mails he sent during height of the financial upheaval
to keep employees up-to-date and reassure them the
company was healthy. "Hearing from you was exactly
what I personally needed," said one staffer.
18 Shared Technologies
Coppell, Texas sharedtechnologies.com
.............................
(25]
1
EMPLOYEES.568 (US.); 0 (outside US.)
JOBGROWTH 12% NEWJOBS163 (oneyear)
ANNUAL (salaried); $76,482 (hourly)
PAY$123,590.......
When this installer of data and telephone systems
hit a slow patch last year, senior managers gave up
bonuses, CEO Tony Parella cut his salary 50%, travel
costs were reduced, and open positions were left
unfilled. Result: not a single layoff.
.
19 OhioHealth
Columbus
......................
ohiohealth.com
(18]
1
EMPLOYEES1,858(US.); 0 (outside US.)
13 Devon Energy [48)
a
JOBGROWTH 7% NEWJOBS639 (oneyear)
Oklahoma City devonenergycom
...................................... ANNUAL PAY$102,048 (salaried); $84,096 (hourly)
.......................................................
EMPLOYEES 3,752 (US.); 1,512 (outside US.)
Large hospital system (more than 2,000 beds) will
JOBGROWTH 11% NEWJOBS378 (one year)
beef up health insurance for staff members without
ANNUAL PAY$186.882 (salaried);
....................................................... $89,690 (hourly) increasing premiums in 2009. Employees now have
WHOLEFOODS Money gushes to employees at the oil and gas full coverage for smoking cessation, prescription
explorer and producer. A new 401(k) retirement plan drugs, and colorectal cancer screenings.
Allemployees calls for annual company contributions of 11%to 22%.
atthe high-end
food seller- .
14 Robert W. Baird [39)
Milwaukee rwbaird.com
20 SAS Cary, N.C. sas.com
....................
(29)
likefishmonger ............................. EMPLOYEES 5.381 (US.); 4.795 (outside US.)
Jeff Kudile in EMPLOYEES 2,184 (US.); 97 (outside U.S.) JOB GROWTH 5% NEW JOBS 237 (one year)
Millburn/Union, JOB GROWTH 4% NEW JOBS 81 (one year) ANNUAL PAYN.A.
'.................
N.J.-are ANNUAL PAY $128.700 (salaried); $41,625 (hourly)
................... No layoffs at this leading software supplier. In
encouraged to This Midwest-based, employee-owned investment fact. sales are up, and SAS is hiring. Traditions are
have fun on the advisor thrived despite the meltdown, hiring more important here: fresh fruit every Monday, M&Ms on
than 200 people in 2008. Wednesdays, and breakfast goodies on Fridays.
job and come
up with creative
ways to show
their wares.
15 w. L. Gore &Associates
Del. gore.cam
Newark, ...................
(15)
21 Arnold & Porter [19)
Washington, D.C. arnoldporter.com
......................
EMPLOYEES 5,481 (US.); 2,663 (outside U.S.) EMPLOYEES 1,296 (US.); 79 (outside US.) 0
The best ideas 0
JOB GROWTH 5% NEW JOBS 276 (one year) JOBGROWTH 3% NEW JOBS32 (oneyear) fi'
are exported to ANNUAL PAY N.A. ANNUAL PAY$172,192 (salaried); $57,779 (hourly) 0
................................................... .......................................................
stores around ~
The maker of Gore-Tex celebrated its 50th birthday in Law firm offers world-class benefits to staff and attor- z
the country. 2008 by assembling an archive featuring more than neys: 18 weeks' paid leave for maternity and adoption, >
2,000 stories and images submitted by "passionate $5,000 for adoption fees, $30,000 for fertility services, 0
champions," or highly engaged employees. free onsite fitness center, on- and offsite child care. ~
44 FORrUNE February 2, 2009
100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
Q&A M PROFILE M EXPERT ADVICE M THE RANKINGS
NOW
22 Whole Foods Market
Austin wholefoodsmarket.com
.......................................................
(16)
28 PCLConstructionEnterprises
Denver pc1.com
.......................................................
(77)
HIRING!
EMPLOYEES 51,967 (US.); 1,914 (outside U.S.) EMPLOYEES 4.420 (US.); 5,569 (outside US.) HOW TO
JOB GROWTH 22% NEW JOBS 8,570 (one year) JOB GROWTH 24% NEW JOBS 864 (one year) LAND
....................................................... $24,322 (hourly)
ANNUAL PAY $72,219 (salaried); ANNUAL PAY $100,047 (salaried); $79,720 (hourly)
....................................................... A TOPJOB
Slowing growth, cutbacks in new-store openings, What recession? General contractor added more than
and 100 layoffs haven't curbed the enthusiasm of this 860 people to payroll in past year and has huge back-
young workforce [28% are under age 25). load of projects for 2009. Employees benefit because it
is 100% employee-owned. No one owns more than 5%.
23 Zappos.com Henderson, Nev. zappos.com
............................................
29 Quicken Loans (2)
M
Livonia, ich.quickenloans.com
EMPLOYEES 1,655 (U.s.); 0 (outside US.) .......................................................
JOB GROWTH 39% NEW JOBS 445 (one year) EMPLOYEES 2,890 (U.S.); 1 (outside U.S.)
ANNUAL PAY $85,582 (salaried); $23,609 (hourly)
.......................................... JOB GROWTH -41% JOBS LOST 2,007 (one year)
ANNUAL PAY $64.189 (salaried); $40.166 (hourly) JIM WEDDLE
This list newcomer offers free lunches, ......................................................
p
Managing artner
concierge services, and 100% coverage of The industry took a huge hit. but mortgage lender 2
Edward Jones (No. )
,
health insurance premiums. After he Quicken still offers perks [like short days once a week)
cut 8% of the staff, the CEO received that many companies in thriving industries don't.
WHAT'S
several glowing letters from depart-
YOUR HIRING
ing employees. For more on Zappos, see the
article "ZapposKnows How to Kick It."
30 BinghamMcCutchen(41)Boston bingham.com
......................................................
OUTLOOK?
We'rehiringabout
250 financial
24 Starbucks (7)
Seattle starbucks.com
.......................................................
EMPLOYEES 1,605 (US.); 163 (outside U.S.)
JOB GROWTH -2% JOBS LOST 31 (one year)
ANNUAL PAY $256,312 (salaried); $72.459 (hourly)
.......................................................
advisors per
month.
EMPLOYEES 146,700 (US.); 70.875 (outside US.) WHAT ARE YOU
JOB GROWTH -6% JOBS LOST 1,173 (one year) Ex-governors Steve Merrill of New Hampshire LOOKING FOR?
and Pete Wilson of California are among this
ANNUAL PAY $44,966 (salaried); $42,387 (hourly)
.......................................................
Wewant someone
law firm's 343 partners, 21% of whom are women,
Despite closing 600 stores and laying off 1,200 em- 8% minorities. who has that fire
ployees, Starbucks remains an attractive workplace, inthe belly.We
especially for part-timers seeking health insurance, want people who
31 CarMax
Richmond
(46)
carmax.com can work indepen-
dently, because
25 JohnsonFinancial
""""""""""""'"''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Group (37) EMPLOYEES 16.107 (US.); 0 (outside U.S.) each advisor
Racine, Wis. johnsonbank.com
....................................................... JOB GROWTH 14% NEW JOBS 1,580 (one year) works in his or her
EMPLOYEES 1,300 (US.); 93 (outside US.) ANNUAL PAY $62.484 (salaried); $37,837 (hourly)
.......................................................
own branch. Sales
JOB GROWTH 4% NEW JOBS 45 (one year) experience is a
ANNUAL PAY $112,304 (salaried); $30,685 (hourly)
After sales at used-car lots dropped by 17%,CEO
....................................................... Tom Folliard announced layoffs of 625 employees plus, but it could
Employees at the 63 locations of this financial but cushioned the news with a generous severance be any kind.
services company were assured their jobs were safe package of four to 26 weeks' pay. ANYMUSTS?
and kept in the loop about the industry upheaval via Most hires are
town halls and voicemails from the CEO.
32 Container Store Coppell, Texas containerstore.com
.......................................................
(20) already employed,
as an accountant.
26 Aflac (30)
Columbus, Ga. apac.com
.......................................................
EMPLOYEES,286 (US.);718(outsideU.S.)
3
JOB GROWTH 4% NEW JOBS 36 (one year)
an engineer, or
what have you. We
EMPLOYEES 4.493 (US.); 5 (outside U.S.) prefer them be-
ANNUAL PAY$45,303 (salaried);
....................................................... $32,546 (hourly) !
JOB GROWTH 1% NEW JOBS 30 (one year) cause they had to 'I,
ANNUAL PAY $58,651 (salaried); $29,556 (hourly) Sales turned down for the first time in 30 years, but give something up
....................................................... this storage retailer [No. 1on our list in 2000 and 2001)
to pursue this.
Insurer is provider of the largest onsite corporate day continued with expansion plans, opening four new
care in the state of Georgia. Aflac's two centers care stores and refusing to resort to layoffs, Instead it froze
for 520 children at a modest average cost of $352 a salaries for everyone in the company and rallied the
s
month. Hours were extended to 11:30 P.M. o second- troops with introduction of sales contests.
shift workers could use the benefit too.
27 QuikTrip Tulsa
(28)
qIJiktrjp.com
33 JM Family Enterprises Deerfield Beach,Fla.jmfamilycom
......................................................
[23]
....................................................... EMPLOYEES 4,577 (u.s.); 67 (outside US.) Rankings in red
EMPLOYEES 10.159(U.S.);0 (outside U.S.) JOB GROWTH -1% JOBS LOST 25 (one year) are companies
JOBGROWTH 33% NEWJOBS1.469(one year) ANNUAL PAY N.A.
.......................................................
hiring now that have
ANNUALPAY$62,936 (salaried);$40,080 (hourly) at least 50 open
....................................................... Amid falling sales, many intensely loyal employees positions. (Some
Employees are treated so well at this 24-hour con- at this privately held Toyota distributor volunteered may have had lay-
offs earlier in the
venience chain-wages, benefits, and training-that to forgo bonuses. CEO Colin Brown rejected their year.) Check their
they stay around for the long haul: More than 200 offers and paid out bonuses, but asked for their websites for more
have been here more than 20 years. support in cutting costs elsewhere in the company. information.
NOTES:N.A. Not available. All data are based on U.S.employees. U.S.employees include part-timers as oHime of
survey. Job growth, newjobs, and voluntary turnover are full-time only. Annual pay: average yearly pay rate plus ad-
ditional cash compensation forthe largest classification of workers . ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANTONY HARE
100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
Q&A - PROFILE - EXPERT ADVICE - THE RANKINGS
NOW
HIRING!
34 Umpqua Bank Portland, Ore.
.......
(13)
umpquabankcom 40 EOG Resources
Houston
(64)
eogresources.com
........
EMPLOYEES 1,707 (US.); 0 (outside US.) EMPLOYEES 1.803 (US.); 319 (outside US.)
HOW TO JOB GROWTH -4% LOST JOBS 73 (one year) JOB GROWTH 30% NEW JOBS 418 (one year)
LAND ANNUAL PAY $51.064 (salaried); $28,765 (hourly) ANNUAL PAY $158,302
A TOP JOB ....................................................... .......(salaried); $74,427 (hourly)
Umpqua's 147 branches in three Western states look Oil and gas producer has a stellar retirement plan,
like Internet cafes-with coffee on the house. One with 401(k) contributions matched 100% up to 6% of
prized perk: Employees get 40 paid hours a year to pay. Some 80% of employees work flexible schedules.
volunteer for the cause of their choice. No wonder turnover is only 4.8% a year.
35 Kimley-Horn
Cary, N.C. kilnley-hom.com
.......
& Associates (38)
41 Camden Houston
Property Trust (50)
camdenJjvmg.com
EMPLOYEES 2,190 (US.); 0 (outside US.) EMPLOYEES 1,849 (US.); 0 (outside U:S.)
JOB GROWTH -8% JOBS LOST 186 (one year) JOB GROWTH -1% JOBS LOST 18 (one year)
GRACE ANNUAL PAY $81,543 (salaried); $44,835 (hourly) ANNUAL PAY $62,223 (salaried); $36,210 (hourly)
SORIANO-ABAD
Senior director for
Engineering consultant shares profits with Apartment home developer has a lively culture:
global staffing
employees via bonuses (up to 16% of pay) and "Having fun is so essential, we made it one of our
NetApp (No.1) retirement contributions, but the slowdown has values." This year 27 laid-off employees received
meant layoffs of 11%over past two years. two weeks' pay per year of service (minimum
12weeks).
IN WHAT
AREAS ARE
YOU HIRING?
Finance, IT, sales,
36 .
AIston
Atlanta
& Bird (31)
alston.com
42 Plante &Moran [44)
Southfield, Mich. plantemoran.com
EMPLOYEES1.718 (US.); 0 (outside US.) ..............
and engineering.
7%
JOBGROWTH NEW JOBS 103 (one year) 1
EMPLOYEES,558 (US.); 0 (outside US.)
WHAT DO ANNUALPAY$203,655 (salaried); $67,226 (hourly) JOBGROWTH 4% NEW JOBS62 (oneyear)
YOU ASK JOB ANNUALPAY$65.500 (salaried); $35,800 (hourly)
SEEKERS? This 115-year-old law firm is heaven for parents: three
months' paid leave for new moms, adoption benefits up Who said accountants don't have any fun?
We might ask
a candidate to to $7,000, special parking for pregnant moms, onsite Employees from all 17offices gather one day
child care, and a "maternity closet" to recycle clothing. every year to hear updates on the firm and mingle.
share specific ex- Latest event was attended by more than 1,200
amples of a time staff members.
when their values
were challenged.
37 TDIndustries
Dallas tdindustrjes.com
.......
[35)
That's how we fig-
ure out whether
EMPLOYEES 1.713 (US.); 0 (outside US.)
JOBGROWTH NEW
7% JOBS 114(one year)
43 Rackspace Hosting
San Antonio
.......
rackspacecom
[32)
someone has the ANNUALPAY$76.515 (salaried); $44,882 (hourly) EMPLOYEES 1,992 (US.); 460 (outside U.S.)
integrity we're JOB GROWTH 59% NEW JOBS 729 (one year)
Fairness rules at this employee-owned construction
looki ng for. ANNUAL PAY $59,633 (salaried); $41,688 (hourly)
company. No one makes more than ten times what
SHOULD anyone else makes, health insurance premiums Employees are called Rackers at this Internet-host-
LONERS APPLY? are indexed to pay, and everyone is a shareholder ing firm. Philanthropy committee is called Rack
We work in a through an employee stock ownership plan. Top Gives Back. Chairman's BMW convertible is loaned
collaborative management owns only 12% of the shares. Average to employees for outstanding service.
allocation in 2007 was 43 shares worth $3,691.
environment.
so individuals
who want mainly
to work on their 38 Microsoft
Redmond,
(86)
Wash. mjcIOsoft.com
44 NuStarEnergy
San Antonio nustarenergycom
....... EMPLOYEES 1,319 (US.); 347 (outside US.)
own probably EMPLOYEES55,237 (US.); 36,484 (outside US.) JOB GROWTH 23% NEW JOBS 245 (one year)
aren't the right fit. JOBGROWTH 15% NEWJOBS 7.130 (one year) ANNUAL PAY $85,149 (salaried); $63,660 (hourly)
.......................................................
YOURBEST ANNUALPAY$112,399 (salaried); $59,420 (hourly)
The pipeline operator and refinery (a spinoff of
ADVICEFOR
Software king, still growing, has added more than Valero) shares the wealth: zero health insurance
HOPEFULS?
7,500 to payroll since 2007. Managers maintain premiums, $20,000 toward tuition, bonuses up to
Leave your ego "morale budgets" to stage fun events (team dinners, $10,000 and a 401(k) match of 100% up to 6% of pay.
at the door. outings to sports events or plays) for the troops.
-Interviews by
Anne Fisher and
Jia Lynn Yang
39 Paychex
Rochester,
[51)
N.Y. paychex.com
45 King's Daughters
Ashland, Ky. kdmccom
Medical Cntr.(63)
........................ EMPLOYEES 3,041 (US.); 0 (outside US.)
EMPLOYEES 12,207 (US.); 32 (outside US.) JOB GROWTH4% NEW JOBS 91 (one year)
JOB GROWTH 5% NEW JOBS 579 (one year) ANNUAL PAY $76,064 (salaried); $59,268 (hourly)
ANNUAL PAY N.A.
In August, CEOFred Jackson sent workers an ap-
Payroll and HR servicer has rich benefits: 401(k) preciation letter. Tucked inside was a crisp $50 bill
match of 100% up to 3% of pay, 50% on next 2%; for part-timers and a $100 bill for full-timers. Team
$6,500 tuition reimbursement; free flu shots. members who buy hybrid cars get a $1.000 subsidy.
46 FORTUNE February 2, 2009
100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
Q&A - PROFILE - EXPERT ADVICE - THE RANKINGS
~
DREAMWORKS
Jennifer Yuh
Nelson, director
of Kung Fu
Panda 2,
relaxes on the
bucolic
DreamWorks
campus in
Glendale,
Calif. In the
background:
storyboards
and a character
named Bob
from the
forthcoming
Monsters
vs. Aliens.
46 American Fidelity Assurance
Oklahoma City afadvantage.com
(24] tion assistance, half-days on Fridays all year long, and
onsite toy stores that offer discounts. In the last quarter
A newcomer
to our list,
EMPLOYEES 1,509 (US.); 0 (outside US.) of 2008, Mattel eliminated 307 U.S. positions through DreamWorks
JOB GROWTH 10% NEW JOBS 134(oneyear) combination of early retirement, attrition, and layoffs.
gets raves for
ANNUAL PAY $95,701 (salaried); $39,701 (hourly)
its fun culture,
Seller of disability insurance offers wellness
programs, an onsite fitness center, and a new 49 Intuit [43)
MountainView, Calif. jntuitcom plus all the
free DVDs.
All-American Grillfeaturing healthy foods.
7
EMPLOYEES,637 (US.); 568 (outside US.)
JOBGROWTH 0% NEWJOBS24(one year)
4 .,
:1
DreamWorks
..................
Animation SKG
Glendale, Calif. dreamworksanlinatjoncom
ANNUALPAYN.A.
King of personal-finance software (Quicken,
EMPLOYEES 1,614 (US.); 3 (outside US.) TurboTax) has gone ultragreen, with bottled water
JOB GROWTH 18% NEW JOBS 246 (one year) banned, mass-transit subsidies for employees of up
ANNUAL.PAY $112,100 (salaried); $135,500 (hourly) to $100 a month, replacement of pickup trucks with
......................
electric vehicles, and the goal of reducing its carbon
As one employee puts it: "Fountains, lakes, ponds. footprint by 15% in next three years.
Amazing free gourmet breakfasts and lunches.
Unbelievable movie wrap parties. Lots of free gifts!"
50 Burns &McDonnell
Kansas City, Mo. burnsmcd.com
48 Mattel (70)
El Segundo, Calif. mattel.com
...........................
EMPLOYEES 2,840 (US.); 10 (outside US.)
JOB GROWTH 16% NEW JOBS 370 (one year) Rankings in red
EMPLOYEES 5,552 (US.); 27,000 (outside US.) ANNUAL PAY $107,900 (salaried); $52,000 (hourly) are companies
JOB GROWTH N.A. NEW JOBS N.A. (one year) hiring nowthat have
ANNUAL PAYN.A. Employees at the 110-year-old engineering consul- at least 50 open
................................. tant cite their employee stock-ownership plan as positions. (Some
Perks are what you might expect at world's largest toy "amazing" and "fantastic." The ESOP owns 100% of may have had lay-
company: 13 paid holidays, two paid days to volunteer offs earlier in the
the shares, which are distributed to every single
in schools, two onsite child-care centers, five paid days year.) Check their
employee, with the average balance exceeding websites for more
of parental leave (for new mothers and fathers], adop- $215,OOO-turnover here is only 4%. information.
~ 25 best-paying companies See which top employers still offer hefty paychecks. fortune.com/bestcompanies
100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
Q&A - PROFILE - EXPERT ADVICE - THE RAN KINGS
NOW 51 Ernst &Young (57)
New York eyeam
59 Scripps Health
San Diego scrjpps.org
(56) 68 Southern Ohio
Medical Center (75J
HIRING! """"""""."""".""""""""""..."""""".
One-quarter of all manager hires
""""""""."""".""""""..
Portsmouth, Ohio somc.org
HOW TO Employees received nearly $900
LAND and above are "boomerangs," per person for improvements in In 2008 this progressive hospital
ex-employees who get credit for patient satisfaction scores. added medical and dental insur-
A TOP JOB
their previous time in computing ~nce for domestic partners.
vacation and retirement. 60 Scottrade (58J
St. Louis seattrade.com
."".""""""""."""".""
69 NationalInstruments (79)
52 Booz AlIen Hamilton (81J Austinni.com
McLean, Va. boozallencom Turbulence led to the firm's big- "". """"."".""."".""""
"""""". """"""""."""".""""
gest day ever on Oct.lO: Quarterly The software company has a laid-
Revenues were up 18% for the year, bonuses were maintained; the firm back feel (happy hours, acceptable
and the consultancy had a net has never had a layoff. to wear flip-flops). Offers profit
increase of more than 500 employ- sharing of up to 15%of earnings.
ees in the second half of 2008. 61 Deloitte (95)
NewYork deloitte.com 70 Stanley (84)
53 Stew Leonard's (26)
."""""".""""..."". """"""""""""u
Arlington, Va. stanleyassociates.com
Women now hold 22% of top "".""."".""""."""" """""".
Norwalk, Conn. stewleonards.eam
"""""".""""""."". """"""""""
positions at this accounting firm, IT consultant to 40 government
JUDY MERKEL The supermarket's founders compared with 6% in 1993. Minori- agencies added 1,200 employees
Director of recrUiting staged a "road show" at each ties account for 8% of top positions, as revenues soared nearly 50%,
Booz Alien vs.4% in 1998.
Hamilton (No.52)
location to assure employees a result of several new contracts,
that their jobs and benefits including a $570 million passport
were safe. program with Homeland Security.
WHAT'S
62 GriffmHospital (49)
Derby, Conn. grjffinhealth.org
YOUR HIRING 54 Erickson Retirement """""". .""""""
71 Men's Wearhouse
OUTLOOK? Communities (93) Famous for its patient-centric Houston menswearhouse.com
philosophy, Griffin soothes staff
Last year we
hired over 5,000
people, and we
Catonsville,
.."""""".""""""."".""""
Help for employees impacted by
Md. erjcksoncom
with music in the parking lots,
family kitchens, chair massages,
O~'~~~t~;~fi177'~lothing
stores curbed spending
C
Hurricane Ike: temporary housing and noise abatement. but kept its 38 year-end holiday
expectto hire in the company's retirement facili- parties. Pay hikes were frozen for
another 5,000 ties and matched employee contri- 63 Mayo Clinic (59) those making more than $100,000.
this year. butions to a $70,000 relief fund. Rochester, Minn. mayoc1jnjc.org
"""""". ""."".U"".""u.
WHICH RESUMES 72 Nordstrom (36)
55 Salesforce.com Famed medical clinic has gold- Seattle nordstromcom
STAND OUT? plated medical benefits, including
San Francisco salesforce.com
We like to hire unlimited lifetime in-network As sales declined, Nordstrom
people who have Staff gets six paid days a year to benefits, free preventive-care heirs fanned out to 12cities to hold
done hard things. volunteer; 1% of pre-IPO equity was services, and free worldwide Mayo town halls; no cuts were made in
We also do a lot of allocated to company's foundation. air ambulance service. payor benefits.
community out-
reach, so we look 56 KPMG (71] 64 Milliken [92)
73 Chesapeake Energy (61)
for a volunteer New Yorkus.kpmg.com Spartanburg, S.C. mjllikencom Oklahoma City chkeam
"""""""""""""""""""" """".u
background. Employees received wage hikes One of last big V.S.textile makers After natural-gas prices plum-
WHAT ARE averaging 6.7% in October, while runs its industry's biggest research meted and the stock fell from $74
the accounting firm passed out center, holding 2,200 patents. to $12, CEO Aubrey McClendon
INTERVIEWS
bonuses totaling $108 million. rushed to reassure employees
LIKE?
Year-end holiday gift was cut in 65 Texas Instruments [100) that the company would rebound.
Some teams do favor of a food bank donation. Dallas ti.eam No one was laid off-and more
panel interviews, than 1.100 employees were hired
but mostly we do 57 Novo Nordisk Semiconductor maker cut costs at between July and October.
behavioral inter- Princeton, N.J. novonorclisk-us.com end of 2008 by offering generous
..""""."""".""""""."""""".""""..""
early-retirement packages. 74 Alcon Laboratories (60)
viewing, where
we delve into Employees who work for this Dan- Fort Worth alconcom
your work life and
ish diabetes-treatment company 66 MITRE (42)
enjoy an automatic contribution of McLean, Va. mjtre.org Employees hope the sale of a
look for how you 8% of pay to 401(k) plans and a 50% majority stake to Novartis won't
handled different match of employee contributions CEOof this nonprofit government uproot eye-care company's
situations. up to 2% of pay, 14 paid holidays, researcher makes only 18 times "Texas friendly" culture 0);
plus a medical and dental insur- what lowest-paid staff member generous retirement plan (every
ance plan for retirees. earns. Retirement plan aims to $1 contributed is matched with
replace 80% to 100% of final salary. $2.40 from the company).
58 Pricewaterhouse-
Coopers (90) 67 Children'sHealthcare 75 Atlantic Health System
New York pwc.com/us of Atlanta [45) Morristown, N.J. atlanuchealth.org
Atlanta choa.org
The audit firm's chairman issued """".""""."""". .""""
Rewards abound at this large New
updates to employees, saying, "We Pediatric hospital tackled nurse Jersey hospital: $2,000 for em-
have no plans to downsize, right- shortage with 100 Nurses in 100 ployee referrals, $1.000 for a new
size, or reduce our staffing levels." Days, with prizes for referrals. idea, $3,000 for leadership.
48 FORTUNE February 2, 2009
100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
Q&A ~ PROFILE ~ EXPERT ADVICE ~ THE RANKINGS
76 Lehigh Valley Hospital 85 Arkansas Children's 94 Build-A-BearWorkshop HOW WE PICK
&Health Network (85) Hospital (76) St. Louis bwldabear.com To choose the 100
Allentown,Pa. lvhorg .................
Little Rock archildrens.org Best, we conduct
Employees gush about working in the most extensive
This hospital and physician net- Devotion to children animates this the 375 mostly mall-based stores.
work has added more than 1,000 place. One great perk: free meals employee survey in
"I love my job. It keeps me young
employees since 2006; 40% of all when the hospital is particularly corporate America.
and happy," said one.
new hires are employee referrals. busy or during bad weather. More than 81,000
employees from
95 Kimpton Hotels & 353 companies
77 Northwest Community 86 CH2MHILL (54) Restaurants
Hospital responded to a
Englewood, Colo. ch2mhil1.com kjmptonhotels.com
San Francisco .......
Arlington Heights, Ill. nchorg 57-question survey
....... The engineering firm welcomed created by the
Operator of luxury boutique hotels
CEO Bruce K. Crowther meets 4,000 new staff via an acquisition navigated tough travel climate by Great Place to Work
every new employee and holds with $2,500 in stock and cash. motivating employees with new Institute. Two-thirds
town hall meetings twice a year at training and reward programs. of a company's
all NCH locations. Kimpton is minimizing layoffs by score is based
87 Orrick Herrington &
Sutcliffe reducing hourly worker schedules. on the survey,
78 MarriottInternational (72) New York orrjck.com
.................
which is sent to a
Bethesda, Md. marrjott.com
........
96 T-Mobile minimum of 400
Law firm paid bonuses to hourly Bellevue, Wash. t-mobilecom
Travel slump led toreduced head- ................ randomly selected
workers despite economic crunch
count, but hotel chain waives co- employees. The
that forced layoffs of 20 lawyers At year-end the wireless-
pays for most preventive care. and 20 legal secretaries. phone arm of Deutsche remaining third is
based on our Cul-
Telekom had avoided layoffs
ture Audit, which
79 Baptist Health South 88 Publix Super Markets (91) that hit many competitors. Com-
includes detailed
Florida (94) Lakeland, Fla. publix.com pany continued child-care subsi-
Coral.Gables, Fla. baptisthealthnet dies of between $125 and $200 a questions about
........................ The nation's largest employee- month, depending on salary. demographics, pay,
Baptist helped out strapped em- owned company. Employees get and benefits, and
ployees with subsidies of $2,000 to stock every year-in 2008 they 97 Accenture open-ended ques-
$10,000 to first-time homebuyers. averaged 126 shares, worth $2,608. New York accenture.com tions on philosophy,
communication,
80 Bright Horizons (89) 89 Herman Miller (96) Every employee of this consult- etc. Any company
Watertown,Mass. Zeeland, Mich. hermanmjller.com ing company is assigned a career that is at least seven
brjghthorjzons.com ................ counselor-and he or she then has
.................... years old with more
, Layoffs atfurniture maker were thousands of courses to choose than 1,000 U.S. em-
Thousands of employ- '31 eased by generous early-retirement from. Average training is 78 hours ployees is eligible.
ees (excluding board packages: three weeks' pay per a year per person.
and execs) at the child-care pro-
Tonominate your
year of service.
vider shared a $31.5 million bonus company, go to
after the chain was taken private.
98 Vanderbilt University www.greatplaceto-
90 FedEx (97) Nashville vanderbiltedu work.com.
Memphis fedex.com
.......................... First educational institution to -Robert Levering
81 S.C. Johnson & Son [27)
and Milton Moskowitz
Racine, Wis. scjohnsoncom Cost cuts included freezing 401(k) appear on our list. Employees and
.................. matches, exec and CEO pay their dependents get a 70% tuition
During the financial crisis CEO slashed 10% and 20%, respectively, subsidy at any college in the coun-
Fisk Johnson sent a cheer-up card but no layoffs or hourly wage cuts. try. Hospital offers a WOW (work
to all employees and gave them a on weekends) shift for nurses and
two-day holiday break extension. 91 Gilbane other workers who want to be at
Providence gjlbaneco.com home during weekdays.
..........
82 Perkins Coie (55)
Seattle perkjnscoje.com This 135-year-old construction 99 General Mills (69)
.................................
company has annual turnover of Minneapolis generalmjlls.com
Even support staffers atthis law 9%, vs. industry average of 28%. ..........
firm are eligible for a technology Employees stay fit with an award-
flex-plan allowance, plus perfor- 92 Four Seasons Hotels (88) winning wellness program,
mance and year-end bonuses. Toronto fourseasons.com including fitness centers, onsite
medical clinics, and health-risk
83 eBay (68) Employees love staying free at assessments. In California, 114
San Jose ebaycom any Four Seasons property (three workers lost 704 pounds in a ten-
..................................... to 20 nights a year, depending on week program.
Online auctioneer reduced its glob- tenure), with 50% offfood service.
al workforce by 10%. Departing 100 SRA Intemational (99)
workers got genetous severance
~
Fairfax, Va. sra.com
and outplacement help. ....................... Rankings in red
~~n.x;~~!.~~;~:~~
67) ," Strong growth at the government
are companies
hiring now that have
84 Juniper Networks Hurricanes Gustav contractor meant that by the end at least 50 open
and Ike whiplashed of 2008, SRA had 341 positions to . positions. (Some
Sunnyvale, Calif.
.............................. juniper.net refineries, but CEOBill fill. "When a contract is lost," one may have had lay-
offs earlier in the
The Cisco competitor offers stock Klesse assured employees that employee said, "SRA finds each year.) Check their
options for new hires, beer bashes, Valero would not be severely person a new job in the company websites for more
and a culture of "humility." impacted by financial storms. and avoids layoffs." information.
~ For full descriptions of the lOO-Be.!.t, including pay and job growth, visitfortune.com/bestcompanies.