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What do the Top Accounting Employers Have in Common? How Can You Be More Like Them?

CNN put out it’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” report for 2010, which reveals some interesting reasons why the top 10 accounting and finance firm are the best places to work in the world. From superior compensation plans to posh work environments, this year’s top 10 have several things in common—something your company can emulate if you want to attract the best candidates.

Here’s a rundown of the similarities among the best finance and accounting firms this year:

Employee Wellness Programs – It’s becoming clearer to the best financial and accounting firms, that employee wellness is a huge factor for productivity in the workplace. Today’s workplaces are about finding ways to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, by adding fitness centers (like SAS’s state-of-the-art, 66,000-square-foot gym) and USAA’s 31-acre campus that features walking trails, jogging trails, and three fitness centers to choose from.

Diversity Initiatives – While the financial and accounting companies of the past promoted the typical white male professional, today’s best firms look for ways to encourage a great deal of diversity among staff. Edward Jones has actively made diversity a priority with new recruitment programs, as well as Deloitte that boasts a third of its employees as nonwhite, the highest percentage of the “Big Four”.

Work-Life Balance – Another outstanding feature of the best finance and accounting companies includes a priority of creating better work-life balance for employees. For example, Pricewaterhouse Coopers that gets thumbs up from employees for being flexible, and family-friendly Johnson Financial Group that gives new fathers (as well as mothers) up to six weeks of paid paternity leave.

Casual Work Environments – Being able to work in a less stuffy environment certainly gives the biggest financial and accounting companies a great rep too. Quicken Loans gives team members Razor scooters to travel around the office, which is adorned with scratch-and-sniff wallpaper, custom graffiti by a local artist and Foosball tables.

On-site Employee Perks – The best accounting companies would not be complete without other forms of on-site employee perks, such as onsite daycare centers, beauty salons and car cleaning services at SAS, as well as Goldman Sachs’ new $2.1 billion steel-and-glass tower that has a reading room, sky lobby, and 54,000-square-foot gym.

When trying to attract the brightest and best financial and accounting professionals for your company, it’s not necessary to spend a fortune on the above perks. However, you can easily make your workplace a more pleasant place to work by instituting employee wellness programs, and a friendly work environment in which your employee’s can flourish. For ideas on how to attract a better breed of finance and accounting staff, consult with the career professionals at Venteon.

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