Best Companies to Work For

[Alter Ego]

No layoffs -- ever!

These employers survived the Great Recession while staying loyal to their workers. Meet 15 of this year's Best Companies that, as of mid-January, have never had a layoff.

SAS



Best Companies rank: 1
At the beginning of the recession, SAS CEO and founder Dr. Jim Goodnight assured employees that there would be no layoffs. He has kept that dictum. Instead, the company, which has never had layoffs due to economic woes, instituted hiring freezes in all but growth roles, such as R&D and sales positions. Plus, there was a company-wide mandate to cut back on travel and expenses by holding conference calls and video conferencing.

Wegmans Food Markets



Best Companies rank: 3
This Northeast grocery store chain has never been forced to layoff staff. Even when it has closed an underperforming store or eliminated a department -- such as photo finishing and video rentals -- it has kept the employees and retrained them for new positions. The company has also steadily added jobs by opening new stores every year and expanding its distribution centers. This "stretched" the company to its capacity at times, but management said they would rather retain trained staff than have to invest in new hires later.

[Alter Ego]

Nugget Market



Best Companies rank: 8
The Sacramento-area supermarket chain has never been forced to lay off any of its employees. During the recession, many part-time associates requested more hours, which the company offered rather than hiring new associates. Additionally, Nugget actively promotes from within. The company remains family-owned by the Stilles, who continue to approach the operation of the 84-year old chain with a "we're all in this together" attitude.

Scottrade



Best Companies rank: 12
Scottrade has a 30-year tradition of never laying off an associate. No hiring freezes and no reduction in benefits. In fact, it added nearly 800 new employees last year as it opened 92 new branches. Throughout the recession, the company continued to reward its staff with quarterly bonuses, even though profits had shrunk because of lowered interest rates. "Scottrade is committed to sharing its profits with associates and, of course, keeping them employed and providing opportunities for advancement," said founder and CEO Rodger Riney

[Alter Ego]

Stew Leonard's



Best Companies rank: 18
The quirky grocery store chain has never had layoffs. If a position is no longer needed, the employee is reassigned to a suitable job within the company. If a position is not immediately available, special projects are assigned, such as repainting machinery in the receiving department. In slow economic times, management turns to employees for their help in controlling costs, and they cite the workforce as the source of many of its best ideas.

The Container Store



Best Companies rank: 21
As sales dipped in 2008, the Container Store froze wages and stalled 401(k) matching in order to avoid layoffs. After a significant turnaround in the following year, the company lifted the freeze and reinstated its match, as well as strengthening the already generous benefits package enjoyed by full-time workers and part-timers alike. "While conventional wisdom may tell us downsizing automatically drives a company's stock price higher and increases productivity, it actually doesn't," said CEO Kip Tindell. "Layoffs take a huge, lasting toll on morale and productivity in the work place. Laying off people is not the best way -- it's the easy way."

[Alter Ego]

NuStar Energy



Best Companies rank: 30
Chairman Bill Greehey and CEO Curt Anastasio have a verbal no-layoff policy that relies on team effort, asking employees to cut or defer all but the most necessary costs during hard times. According to a company spokesperson, "At NuStar, it's a sacred trust that if you do a good job, you'll always have a good job."The company refers to its shareholders as "unitholders," and offers a long-term incentive program that allows employees to become shareholders. And it pays; investors have had a shareholder return of 65% over the past three years.


QuikTrip



Best Companies rank: 34
The 52-year old convenience chain has a corporate purpose spelled out "to provide an opportunity for employees to grow and succeed." That has helped the company avoid ever having had to layoff any of its 11,000 workers. During the recession, the company continued to add new stores, and many of the positions were filled using the company's mantra to "hire from within." By recruiting from within QT's own talent pool, the company said it saved on operational costs because of less training and development.

[Alter Ego]

Baptist Health South Florida



Best Companies rank: 42
The non-profit hospital system is in quick-growth mode and plans to open a new Miami hospital in April, which will result in the addition of approximately 1,000 new jobs. It is also expanding its outpatient services. The company has been able to forgo layoffs by realigning some of its positions and giving its staff opportunities to be considered for other jobs within the company.

Baker Donelson



Best Companies rank: 50
The law firm prides itself on investing time and money to recruit top talent. And it doesn't want to waste that talent to layoffs. "If you lose valuable people who make your clients happy, then you stand to lose clients, which financially doesn't make sense," a spokesperson said. "The loss of an employee is much like the loss of a family member in many areas of our firm. We just don't take letting people go lightly."

[Alter Ego]

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta



Best Companies rank: 61
With health and safety its first priority, Children's looked at ways it could help employees hold onto their jobs during the recession. Staff members were promoted from within instead of hiring externally. Employees were given new opportunities, which ultimately helped their advancement within the organization. In CEO Donna Hyland's monthly "What's On My Mind" e-mails to staff, she kept employees up-to-date on the company's health during the recession and how they were addressing important issues, as well as how staff could help reduce costs.

Publix Super Markets



Best Companies rank: 68
Through careful planning, focusing on training and development, and managing costs, the 80-year old employee-owned grocery chain that operates in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and has been able to bypass layoffs and continue its expansion plan, opening new stores in 2010. Even when stores undergo remodeling, associates are offered transfers to nearby locations. "Our challenge is to ensure that there is enough work and that productivity isn't compromised," a spokesman said.

[Alter Ego]

S.C. Johnson



Best Companies rank: 71
Since its founding 125 years ago, S.C. Johnson has never had a layoff in the U.S. If a position needs to be eliminated, the company takes on the costs of the excess positions until the individuals have retired, left the company, or have taken on a new role in the organization. Re-training is offered to those who have moved within the company. Turnover remains a low 2%.

CEO Fisk Johnson reassured employees during the global recession by telling them, "Layoffs would be a last resort. There are many other measures that the company would take to avoid something as drastic as layoffs, so focus on your work and don't worry about your jobs."

Arkansas Children's Hospital



Best Companies rank: 76
The hospital reduced overtime and premium pay, reduced work hours and offered voluntary unpaid time off to help avoid layoffs during the recession, which is still causing aftershocks. "We are still weathering the recession," said a spokesman. "For the first time in many years we have been impacted with a lower in-patient census. We have always been able to flex our staffing to meet patient needs and this has worked quite effectively for us during this time."

[Alter Ego]

Darden Restaurants



Best Companies rank: 97
The chain operator of Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurants has never experienced layoffs, even during the darkest days of the recession. Hours and shifts were adjusted; the company cut down on business travel and increased the use of phone and video conferencing. Facilities maintenance was centralized, and supply chain functions were automated, which allowed for more sustainable (and less costly) energy, water and cleaning supply usage in restaurants.

"We believe those are the places to find savings, not at the front lines where service has to be generous and noticeable. Because when you reduce staffing, not only do you break a bond with employees, the guest experience suffers as well," said a spokesperson.