Jobs

Top places to work winners

By Sanjay Salomon

November 14, 2013

5 minutes to read

What makes a company a “Top Place to Work.’’ The mantra for 2013 is “appreciation.’’ Massachusetts workers value the feeling that they are part of something meaningful and have confidence in their future as the key factors that determine how they feel about their jobs. Here are 12 of the 2013 Top Placs to Work winners, the top 3 in each of the four categories: small, midsize, large, and largest.
Top largest work places

No. 1: Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLCHuman ServicesBased in: WatertownEmployees in Mass.: 1800Watertown-based Bright Horizons Family Solutions earned the top spot among the largest employers for the third time in four years. The family services company employs about 18,000 people nationwide and frequently promotes from within. The company recognizes that its caregivers do challenging but often underappreciated work by paying them above the industry average, said chief executive David Lissy.Pictured: Preschool 1 teacher Jessica Danehy goes over the jobs of the day while 3-year-old Emma Kjaersgaard runs by.
Top largest work places

No. 2: Winchester HospitalCommunity HospitalBased in: WinchesterEmployees in Mass.: 2,700After coming in at fifth place in 2010 and in fourth place in 2011 and 2012, Winchester Hospital rose to the number two spot on the Globe’s Top Largest Work Places rankings. Pictured: Winchester Hospital cytology lab supervisor Kelly Flora works on an update of the lab’s standard operating procedures.
Top largest work places

No. 3: athenahealth Inc.Healthcare softwareBased in: WatertownEmployees in Mass.: 1,116In an effort to help doctors and medical professionals cut back on reams of paperwork, athenahealth provides cloud-based health care services for more efficient practice management and care coordination. Pictured: On a monthly basis, the Watertown-based company processes roughly 4 million images, more than 400,000 checks, and receives 30,000 pounds of paper for digitizing at its “virtual back office.’’
Top large work places

No. 1: Analysis GroupEconomic, Financial and Strategy ConsultingBased in: BostonEmployees in Mass.: 284Analysis Group claimed the number one spot for the second year in a row among large companies in the Globe’s Top Places to Work survey. Chief executive Martha S. Samuelson credits a practice of rewarding people who perform well and encouraging employees at all levels to come forward when they see problems. She encourages a “360 review’’ when someone is promoted to partner, to get feedback not just from upper management but from junior colleagues as well.Pictured: Analyst Andrew Thappa addresses the media case team meeting.
Top large work places

No. 2: Comfort Home CareHome Healthcare ServicesBased in: MethuenEmployees in Mass.: 250Comfort Home Care is a nursing agency based in Methuen that focuses on providing care for adults with acute and chronic mental health issues and traditional elder care services. On its website, the company says its purpose is to treat each “patient uniquely… to reduce re-hospitalization and to make our clients self-sufficient and less reliant on an already over-burdened system.’’Pictured: The staff of Comfort Home Care poses outside for a group photo.
Top large work places

No. 3: Hill HolidayAdvertising & MarketingBased in: BostonEmployees in Mass.: 533Hill Holiday is one of the top marketing agencies in the country with offices in Boston, New York, South Carolina, and Miami. On its website, the company says it was built “around forward-thinking people who are incredibly passionate abou their work — the kind of people who respect that success for our clients means listening to them and delivering outstanding results.’’No. 3: Hill HolidayAdvertising & MarketingBased in: BostonEmployees in Mass.: 533Hill Holiday is one of the top marketing agencies in the country with offices in Boston, New York, South Carolina, and Miami. On its website, the company says it was built “around forward-thinking people who are incredibly passionate abou their work—the kind of people who respect that success for our clients means listening to them and delivering outstanding results.’’
Top midsize work places

No. 1: Institution for SavingsMutual bankBased in: NewburyportEmployees in Mass.: 127The Institution for Savings in Newburyport has all the trappings of a traditional bank: a heavy vault with a spindle wheel, iron bars on the teller windows, and dark wood fixtures throughout. But the bank’s basement houses a thoroughly modern amenity: a gym equipped with weights, treadmills, elliptical machines, and a spa-like bathroom. It’s among the many employee-centered benefits that helped the bank earn the number one ranking among medium employers in this year’s Top Places to Work survey — the second time Institution for Savings has headed the list.Pictured: Loan servicing representative Krystle Labonte, right, leans in to review mortgage documents with receptionist Joan Canning.
Top midsize work places

No. 2: Foundation MedicineBiotechnologyBased in: CambridgeEmployees in Mass.: 110Cambridge-based Foundation Medicine is focused on changing the fight against cancer with molecular information that targets a patient’s individual case. According to its website, the company’s research could enable doctors to optimize treatmetns in clinical practice and enable biopharmaceutical companies to develop targeted onocology therapies more effectively.Pictured: A lab worker in the Foundation Medicine research and development department.
Top midsize work places

No. 3: Broad Reach Healthcare/Liberty CommonsHealth careBased in: ChathamEmployees in Mass.: 223Cape-based Broad Reach Healthcare jumped up 20 spots up from last year’s Top Places to Work rankings. Broad Reach has evolved into a multi-service healthcare organization which includes Liberty Commons Rehabilitatiom.Pictured: An aerial view of Chatham-based Broad Reach Healthcare/Liberty Commons.
Top small work places

No. 1: ALKUStaffingBased in: AndoverEmployees in Mass.: 51ALKU, Finnish for “start,’’ came in first among small companies in the Top Places to Work survey. It backs up its philosophical boast with a $100,000-a-year “internal entertainment’’ budget aimed at rewarding its 51 employees for their hard work and positive attitudes.Pictured: The sunburned face of AKLU chief executive David Bruner smiles down on the office of the Andover staffing company. The sunburn tracks the company’s progress toward its revenue goal. If the goal is met, the orginazation will go on a trip to the Caribbean.
Top small work places

No. 2: Southers Marsh Golf ClubGolf Course / Country ClubBased in: PlymouthEmployees in Mass.: 50Based in Plymouth, Southers Marsh Golf Club is an executive-style, 18-hole, public golf club that has received top accolades from the New England Golfguide.
Top small work places

No. 3: BBS Inc.Direct marketingBased in: WoburnEmployees in Mass.: 50BBS Inc. is a marketing firm based in Woburn that “bridges the gap between large companies and their customers that other marketing channels can not effectively reach.’’ On its website, the company says it generages 5,000 new customers on a daily basis for all if its clients. Pictured: BBS, Inc. managers at an R&R retreat in Scottsdale, Ariz., earlier this year.