Follow the Perks!
Quite often it’s the perks that set the best companies apart from the rest.
The number one company in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2009 is NetApp. Fortune reports that not only has the company managed to gain market share during the economic slump, but it has also kept generous employee benefits intact, such as five paid days for volunteer work, $11,390 adoption aid, and autism coverage.
In addition to providing outstanding health care and child care benefits, paid sabbaticals and flexible telecommuting policies, here’s a sampling of how Fortune’s top-ranked companies are putting smiles on employees’ faces. (The number following each company is its ranking.)
Wegmans Food Markets (5) - To help with food costs, employees got the chance to buy store gift cards up to $250 at a 10 percent discount.
Genentech (7) - Carpool drivers who work for this biotech get $4 a day for each employee who rides with them to the office. Employees who commute by bus, train, van, ferry, or bike also receive $4 daily.
Devon Energy (13) - A new 401(k) retirement plan calls for annual company contributions from 11 percent to 22 percent of employee pay.
Zappos.com (23) - Employees get free lunch every day in the company lunch room featuring everything from ice cream to cold cuts and fresh fruit to peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.
Stew Leonard’s (53) - Company vets with 20 years of service are invited to share a gourmet dinner and fine wines at the home of company founder Stew and Marianne Leonard.
Baptist Health South Florida (79) – This health-care firm granted first-time home buyers subsidies of $2,000 to $10,000.
eBay (83) - Any employee of this online auctioneer can nominate another for so-called “Out-of-This-World” awards for outstanding performance. Winners get spot bonuses of as much as $15,000.
Vanderbilt University (98) - Employees’ kids get 70 percent tuition subsidies to attend any college in the U.S.
Go to Fortune for detailed profiles of the top 100 employers, including interactive maps, key perks, contact information, and more.
