1. Southern Ohio Medical Center1 of 25
Average total pay: $490,647
For: Physician*
Best companies rank: 36
How did a regional hospital network in the heart of Appalachian Ohio find its way to the top of our list of best paying companies? By offering strong pay to draw talented doctors, with an average salary of close to half a million dollars.
Southern Ohio sweetens the pot by matching employees' 401(k) contributions 100% up to 2% of salary and by offering perks such as its SOMC Adventures, which include New York shopping sprees, Caribbean cruises, visits to Amish country, and dinner trips.
The company also pays generously for professional development as part of a grow-your-own philosophy: Southern Ohio reimburses tuition not only for employees, but also for their family members. Internal candidates always get first dibs on open positions for which they are qualified. The proof is in the personnel: 31 of the hospital's 32 directors rose up from hourly staff positions.
2. Bingham McCutchen2 of 25
Average total pay: $228,851
For: Associate*
Best companies rank: 30
Bring your friends to Bingham McCutchen. If landing a job with top pay isn't enough, the law firm's employees can collect up to $25,000 for helping colleagues get jobs there too.
Bingham's bonus bonanza rolls on. Early last year, the firm gave its associate attorneys merit pay between $7,500 and $35,000. A few months later, the firm handed out a special Spring Bonus of between $2,500 and $20,000. In 2010, Bingham paid out $9 million in associate bonuses alone.
For retirement, Bingham will contribute up to 12.5% of employees' compensation into a money-purchase pension plan. Its employees give plenty back, too. The firm's lawyers performed more than 57,000 hours of pro bono work in 2010. For animal-loving employees and partners, Bingham offers voluntary pet insurance at a group discounted rate.
3. Alston & Bird3 of 25
Average total pay: $201,233
For: Associate*
Best companies rank: 24
For employees of Alston & Bird who aren't sure how to manage all that money they're making, the law firm offers quarterly investment seminars. Everyone is eligible for a year-end merit bonus and profit-sharing of up to 7% of salary.
Paralegals and staff are specially feted each year during a week-long celebration with door prizes including roundtrip airline tickets, TVs, and cash. All employees are also eligible to receive a gift from Tiffany & Co. after every five years of service.
A&B also gives out spot bonuses of up to $2,000 for things like a service contribution that significantly impacts the firm. A&B offers 90 days of maternity leave, as well as three weeks off for new dads -- and it reimburses up to $7,000 of adoption costs. Employees looking to give a little back can get 15 hours a year of paid time off for community service.
4. Perkins Coie4 of 25
Average total pay: $189,409
For: Associate*
Best companies rank: 58
Health insurance is on the house at Perkins Coie. The law firm pays 100% of medical and dental premiums to full-time employees who work at least 25 hours a week.
The firm regularly provides free breakfast and lunch at a number of its offices. In the off-hours, it sponsors book and softball clubs. Other extras include pet insurance and long-term care insurance for employees' parents and grandparents.
Perkins is also looking out for its employees for the long haul, kicking 7.3% of team members' salaries into a retirement fund and matching 401(k) contributions up to fifty cents on the dollar up to 6% of salary. Staff employees are eligible to receive up to two months' paid sabbatical leave to do anything they want, except work for pay.
5. EOG Resources5 of 25
Average total pay: $188,663
For: Engineer*
Best companies rank: 72
Talk about pay-dirt. Through its BCFe Awards (that's Billion Cubic Feet Equivalent for the uninitiated), employee divisions of EOG reap big bonuses when they hit key milestones. Pools range from $200,000 to $500,000, up to a possible cumulative payout of $2,450,000 over the productive life of a project at the independent energy exploration and production company.
EOG offers a shockproof retirement plan, matching 401(k) contributions buck-for-buck up to 6% of annual compensation. It also offers a company-funded retirement contribution of up to 9% of annual compensation. All new hires receive stock appreciation rights (SARs), and all employees are eligible for annual SARs grants as part of their compensation packages.
6. Devon Energy6 of 25
Average total pay: $178,305
For: Engineer*
Best companies rank: 28
With reserves of 2.9 billion barrels of oil -- and more than $6 billion spent on exploration and development in 2011 -- it's unlikely that Devon Energy will be running on empty any time soon.
One of the nation's leading independent oil and natural gas producers, Devon paid its people median bonuses of more than $9,000 in 2010. Through a Super 401(k) program, the company contributes up to 22% of cash compensation (salary plus bonus), depending on the employee's own contribution and tenure.
About half of Devon's employees receive long-term incentives, including restricted stock. Clearly it keeps them happy: Full-time turnover is below 5%. On the charitable side, the company matches 100% of its team members' United Way contributions.
7. Ultimate Software7 of 25
Average total pay: $166,000
For: System Consultant*
Best companies rank: 25
Salespeople aren't the only employees at Ultimate Software to reap immediate rewards for the company's success. Everyone at the human resources and payroll software maker gets to take at least one company-subsidized trip every two years -- and take their family members, too.
All new hires receive restricted stock shares, and Ultimate offers a long list of benefits, including long-term disability, vision, dental, tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per year, and an employee assistance program that extends to employees' family members.
Paying well is paying off. The company hit its 2010 goal of almost $228 million in revenues with plans to hit the $400 million mark by 2013.
8. Hitachi Data Systems8 of 25
Average total pay: $163,694
For: Sales Support Function/Solutions Consultant*
Best companies rank: 86
Hitachi Data Systems says its company ethos of Hitachi Spirit is "more than a poster on a wall." Its values of fairness, honesty, and integrity include taking care of nearly 2,000 U.S.-based employees as well. In addition to generous pay packages, Hitachi's 401(k) match is up to 6% of salary. The information technology arm of Hitachi Ltd. offers a Global Incentive Plan that pays out bonuses four times per year -- and everyone in the company is eligible.
Recognition is also a big deal around Hitachi. Through the company website, co-workers can point out each other's achievements, and qualified employees can get prizes like flat-screen TVs. The company gave away more than $2.6 million worth of gifts in 2010. Managers can reward workers with a Night on the Town, which can mean dinner for two or tickets to a sporting event. Those who find their way into Hitachi's Circle of Excellence earn trips to places like Barcelona or the Great Barrier Reef.
9. Boston Consulting Group9 of 25
Average total pay: $154,543
For: Consultant*
Best companies rank: 2
Road-warriors fly the work-friendly skies with Boston Consulting Group. Consultants with a lot to do on long flights can often upgrade to business class on the company dime. That's just one of many perks that add up to a top-notch rewards package. New consultants receive up to $184,800, and as their rapidly expanding responsibilities increase, their compensation follows suit.
BCG spends thousands of dollars to recruit new consultants. It hooks smart candidates with lures such as signing bonuses, a 5% profit sharing retirement fund contribution, no preset limits on sick-leave, three weeks' vacation to start, and a wide range of training opportunities.
The firm's health benefits are generous and require no employee contribution. As one employee noted: "My wife and I recently had our first child, and it was a complicated birth that ran up nearly $200,000 in hospital charges. We paid only $5."
10. Autodesk10 of 25
Average total pay: $150,500
For: Software Engineer*
Best companies rank: 52
Autodesk takes pride in its spirit of fairness. There are no executive parking spots, and CEO Carl Bass does not have a door on his office. Last year, when the maker of 3-D design, engineering and entertainment software had to reduce expenses, senior leaders took pay cuts between between 2% and 10%.
All new hires receive stock options, and managers have discretion to award restricted stock shares to anyone who deserves them. After every four years, all employees are awarded six weeks off with full pay, on top of their regular vacation time.
Autodesk also allows employees to take up to six paid days per year to volunteer in their communities. The company gave away more than $1 million in cash and about $1.5 million in software donations in 2010 -- and matched over $200,000 in employee donations.
11. Salesforce.com11 of 25
Average total pay: $147,005
For: Software Engineering SMTS*
Best companies rank: 27
Thanks to CEO Marc Benioff's fascination with Hawaiian culture, every single employee at Salesforce.com gets a taste of the aloha spirit through the company's Mahalo Cash bonus. Appropriately enough, maholo means "Thank you" in English.
"Cash is king to our employees when it comes to compensation," the company says. "We know this to be true as a result of our in-depth total compensation survey. Employees want to be rewarded for their performance with cash."
There is more than money when it comes to rewarding Salesforce.com's employees. Other special benefits include up to $5,000 per child in adoption reimbursement, free yoga classes, and matching gifts for charitable contributions -- up to $1,000 per year (plus up to six days of time off to volunteer).
12. NetApp12 of 25
Average total pay: $143,077
For: Member of Technical Services Software*
Best companies rank: 6
When NetApp had its biggest growth-year ever, its employees shared in the success. From 2010 to 2011, sales jumped 30% and passed the $5 billlion mark. As a result, the data storage provider handed out $164.5 million in bonuses, its second-highest incentive reward ever.
Managers are also granted the discretion to award spot bonuses to their direct reports for performance above and beyond the call of duty. During NetApp's last fiscal year, spot bonuses rose 22% to $1.3 million.
The company's Patent Award Program recognizes each employee patent recipient with a bonus of $5,000 to $15,000 depending on the number of named inventors. 470 employees received awards in 2011 totaling $850,054. Multiple patent recipients receive 100 shares of stock for every three original patents, along with a commemorative trophy.
13. Goldman Sachs13 of 25
Average total pay: $139,200
For: Other Exempt (Analysts, Program Analysts, Associates, and Professional Non-Exempt)*
Best companies rank: 33
The past year was not great for Goldman Sachs -- total average compensation packages dropped by nearly a quarter, according to Bloomberg, while bonuses also shrank by as much as 30%. That still didn't keep Wall Street's marquee global investment bank from making our list.
For eligible employees, the company matches 401(k) contributions dollar for dollar for up to 4% of total compensation. Goldman also pays up to a $5,000 adoption stipend. Employees in its New York or Jersey City locations can take advantage of onsite backup childcare centers. Goldman also provides medical facilities staffed with specialists including gynecologists and orthopedists.
14. Cisco14 of 25
Average total pay: $136,400
For: Software Engineer IV*
Best companies rank: 90
Cisco Systems wants its employees to take stock in the company. The global networking leader announced last year it would pay dividends to its shareholders for the first time. That includes its employee stockowners, who make up nearly half the company's workforce. A stock-purchase plan also lets employees buy shares at a 15% discount, based on the lowest price over a two-year period.
Cisco also provides benefits including a 100% match for 401(k) contributions, for up to 4.5% of salary on pre-tax and/or Roth 401(k) contributions. All non-commissioned employees are also eligible for a company-wide bonus program.
15. Intel15 of 25
Average total pay: $133,826
For: Component Design Engineer*
Best companies rank: 46
Intel had its first $40-billion revenue year in 2010 -- and employees got their biggest bonuses in 10 years. Payouts totaled roughly six weeks' worth of pay on average. Workers also were able to cash in on the 217 million underwater stock options they turned in back in 2009. Back then the exchange price was $19.04. Intel shares have been trading above that price since.
The chipmaker hired 14,000 employees in 2011 and kept adding on perks. Intel's Santa Clara, Calif. campus has a new spa, and the company added two new near-site childcare centers in New Mexico and Texas.
Intel's people paid it forward by volunteering more than a million hours. Over the past decade, the company has invested more than $1 billion in improving education across more than 70 countries.
16. Scripps Health16 of 25
Average total pay: $133,265
For: Manager/ Director*
Best companies rank: 56
If patients are happy, then employees are happy at Scripps Health. Since 2007, the health system operator's "Success Shares" program -- based in large part on patient satisfaction scores -- has paid out $26.7 million in bonuses -- $8.9 million of which were in 2010. Right before the holidays last year, managers handed out PayDay candy bars -- along with checks averaging nearly $800 apiece.
Scripps closely monitors its salaries against industry trends. The company has invested $25 million to bring its salaries in line with market benchmarks (and for merit increases). Registered nurses there make nearly $91,000 as a base salary, plus nearly $18,000 in additional cash compensation on average. The number of nurses who made $100,000 or more doubled in 2010.
17. Microsoft17 of 25
Average total pay: $132,023
For: Software Development Engineer*
Best companies rank: 76
Microsoft doles out stock awards -- not options -- ensuring that 91% of its workers get a share of the pie. Through a five-year schedule and annual stock grants, an employee has the potential for up to five grants to be vesting at any given time.
The software giant provides up to eight weeks of fully paid time off for new birth mothers. Dads and moms have the option to take 12 weeks of time away to care for a newborn, newly-adopted, or newly-placed foster child, with four weeks paid at 100% of base pay.
Benefits at the main campus in Redmond, Wash. include an organic salon and spa, certified-green dining, campus shuttle services and van-pool subsidies, and onsite sports fields. Microsoft pays 100% of health coverage for employees and their families, which can include fertility, acupuncture, and chiropractic care. Part-timers are eligible for health care for working just one hour a week.
18. Qualcomm18 of 25
Average total pay: $132,000
For: Engineer, Staff*
Best companies rank: 23
Qualcomm employees don't have to leave the office to get access to quality health care. The company's headquarters in San Diego has its own fully staffed primary health center, with access to physical therapy, a staff nutritionist, health coach, and a full-time physician. All services are available for just a $10 co-pay, with no billing to insurance required.
The chipmaker for wireless communications also foots the dime for 100% percent of employee health-care premiums, and there are no deductions. Qualcomm offers long-term care insurance, as well as scholarships and tuition assistance programs for employees and their families.
Nearly three-quarters of employees participate in a stock purchase plan that lets them contribute up to 15% of their salary through regular payroll deductions to purchase shares of Qualcomm stock at a minimum 15% discount. More than 90% of non-exempt and exempt employees received a bonus award in the last year.
19. World Wide Technology19 of 25
Average total pay: $129,270
For: Engineer*
Best companies rank: 50
The iPad is currency at World Wide Technology. Sales reps and account managers can get the Apple tablets (or other prizes) for hitting quarterly target goals or sharing a story about going above and beyond. Employees who earn a certain number of points receive vacation days and are eligible for a raffle that includes an iPad, Wii, and other prizes.
The company designates 3% of annual net income to a profit-sharing pool that is divided among employees and calculated using a percentage of their base salary. WWT actually doubled this profit-sharing bonus in 2010. Its executive management team is not included in the program.
During particularly high-pressure work periods, WWT provides free lunch and organizes events like a Nintendo Wii Olympics, with prizes that include bonuses, HD Video recorders, plasma TV's, iPods, and more.
20. Baptist Health South Florida20 of 25
Average total pay: $125,606
For: Patient Care Manager*
Best companies rank: 42
Work and live at Baptist Health. The non-profit health care system owns a 100-unit apartment complex near its campus, with units available to employees. The company also offers a down-payment assistance program to help its workers buy homes. Baptist Health's Sunshine Fund provides interest-free loans to employees in need of support. More than $2.2 million was paid out from the fund in 2010.
Employees can receive referral bonuses up to $7,500. For its lower-paying positions, Baptist Health created its own minimum wage that is $1.50 over the federal government's. "By raising the standard of living for our employees," the company says, "we also provide an important financial and economic boost to the neighborhoods in which they live."