One of the Best Companies for all 13 years, SAS boasts a laundry list of benefits -- high-quality child care at $410 a month, 90% coverage of the health insurance premium, unlimited sick days, a medical center staffed by four physicians and 10 nurse practitioners (at no cost to employees), a free 66,000-square-foot fitness center and natatorium, a lending library, and a summer camp for children.
The architect of this culture -- based on "trust between our employees and the company" -- is Jim Goodnight, its co-founder, and the only CEO that SAS has had in its 34-year history.
Some might think that with all those perks, Goodnight was giving away the store. Not so. SAS is highly profitable and ranks as the world’s largest privately owned software company. Turnover is the industry’s lowest at 2%.
The investment adviser weathered the recession without closing one of its 12,615 offices or laying off a single employee (the British division was sold in October). Salaries were frozen, but profit sharing continued.
Rated one of the best groceries in the nation, and a former No. 1 on our list (in 2005), Wegmans has never had a layoff in its 94-year history. More than 4,000 employees, 11% of the workforce, have been here more than 15 years.
The search engine king is hiring again: Google plans to add thousands of employees to its payroll in 2010.
Though a few perks have been cut in recent years, Google last year increased 401(k) matching and added a stock-option exchange program to help employees with underwater options. And engineers still get to devote 20% of their time to projects of their choosing.
The tough economy prompted the supermarket chain to help associates by giving them cards good for 10% discounts on $500 of groceries every month. At one employee-appreciation event, the executive team surprised everyone by washing the cars of all associates.
Animators love the culture of collaboration and openness. Studio has upped releases from two a year to five every two years. Coming in 2010: How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek Forever After, and Megamind.
Execs increased efforts to take care of employees during a tough year, including an employee stock-option exchange and updates to incentive compensation.
Following a restructuring that led to a 5% reduction in the global workforce, severance terms were generous and top execs visited 26 offices in 13 countries to brief employees on the changes.
Wireless pioneer works hard to provide an environment where "good people can do their best work." Some elements: stock options on hire, baseball games, surfing lessons, kayaking tours, white-water rafting, bonfires, bowling, and volunteering opportunities.
After stock of apartment developer tanked from a high of $80 in 2006 to a low of $17 in 2009, founders Ric Campo and Keith Oden rallied workers across 13 states with messages such as "Turn off CNBC -- the moderators know less than you do about the way forward." By year’s end the stock had rebounded to $42.
