Content area
Full Text
IT MAY BE THE WORST OF TIMES in the economy, but there are still great places to work in New York City.
Crain's named 40 companies to its second annual list of the Best Places to Work, based on a statistical analysis of employee surveys and company benefits. Remarkably, almost three-quarters of those businesses have laid off workers or frozen salaries in the past year. Yet 88% of the workers at the winning companies told Crain's pollsters that they feel valued, and 93% said they have confidence in their organization's leadership.
Rock-solid financials and fat paychecks help make companies attractive to workers. But the lesson this year is that even in difficult times, great workplaces can keep people engaged - and keep them committed - with a combination of openness, camaraderie and well-thought-out benefits that make it easier for people to juggle the professional and the personal.
Thus Goldman Sachs, with its $658,000 in average compensation, is on the list. But the top company is tiny Atelier Ten, where work-life balance is a watchword. The London-based environmental design consultant encourages its 120 employees to put a reasonable cap on their hours. It offers four weeks of vacation, 21 paid days off and generous leave policies that include job protection.
Does all this have a cost in terms of productivity? Not judging by Atelier's list of projects, which include the new Comcast skyscraper in Philadelphia and Pelli Clarke Pelli's green condo in Battery Park City.
The right current
"WE'RE A VERY YOUNG, fast-moving company that provides expert consulting, and our staff need to be mentally sharp," says co-head Nico Kienzl. "It's really important that they don't power themselves out."
Managing the competing demands of family and career is a major theme at virtually every one of the companies in the Best Places to Work roster. Many offer help with elder care and child care; some offer child-bonding days for new parents, lactation rooms and on-site health care checkups. Others subsidize concierge services that can pick up employees' dry cleaning or walk their dogs. Three-quarters offer programs to help workers deal with personal issues; 78% allow telecommuting.
A handful of companies, like Atelier, are forging cultures that actively discourage workaholics. Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group -...