For the third consecutive year Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC has been named to FORTUNE's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. The law firm is ranked 54th on the 14th edition of this prestigious listing.
In naming Baker Donelson to the list, FORTUNE emphasized the Firm's caring atmosphere, noting the comment of one employee who wrote that if the entire Baker Donelson staff were on the Titanic, managers would have dived in to save the staff.
That culture of caring is also evident in the Firm's inclusion for the second consecutive year in the "No Layoffs Gallery" as one of a select group of companies that have never had layoffs.
"So far, it has been easy," says Ben Adams, the Firm's Chairman and Chief Executive. "We have been able to keep our people and weather the storm. Instead, we focused on cutting back significantly on marketing, travel expenses, retreats and operating costs." Baker Donelson has not only managed to avoid layoffs, it has in fact grown in the last year, adding offices in Houston and Orlando, marking the Firm's first locations in Texas and Florida. Mr. Adams added, "We will continue to grow."
To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 280 firms participated in this year's survey. More than 246,000 employees at those companies responded to a survey created by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world. Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of the institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute's Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts. After evaluations are completed, if news about a company comes to light that may significantly damage employees' faith in management, it may be excluded from the list. Any company that is at least five years old and has more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible. For information on how to apply, visit www.greatplacetowork.com.