Accounting Firms Make Fortune's '100 Best' List

Source: accounting.smartpros.com

January 24, 2008

Large U.S. accounting firms made Fortune's 2008 '100 Best Companies to Work For' list, each for their own respective reasons.

The accounting firm with the highest ranking on the list - Plante & Moran at number 44 - has 1,600 employees. Bill Hermann, Plante & Moran's managing partner, said the firm "has drawn the connection between client service and providing a caring and encouraging work environment in which staff are given the training, mentoring, and personal flexibility they need to grow."

In fact, Plante & Moran doesn't use the word "employee" because it implies staff work for each other rather than with each other. The firm recognizes staff members for a number of special events, from anniversaries to successful completion of the CPA exam.

All Big Four firms have a spot on the list:

Ernst & Young ranks number 57 on the list. The firm prides itself for "an inclusive and flexible work environment that supports our people both personally and professionally," noted Jim Freer, E&Y vice chair of People in the Americas. Initiatives toward this end include workshops to help the Gen Y, Gen X, and baby boomer generations better understand the values driving each generation, a grassroots organization to recruit people with disabilities, and a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender network.

KPMG moved up 26 places this year to rank 71st. Timothy P. Flynn, KPMG LLP chairman and chief executive, said the firm is "incorporating 'global' as part of its culture with new global training opportunities, an international internship exchange program, and a revamped global mobility program.

PricewaterhouseCoopers ranks 90th on the list. The firm offers small perks such as umbrellas on rainy days in New York City and picks up at least $75 a month of cellphone or BlackBerry bills for its professionals.

Finally, Deloitte & Touche lands 95th on the list. "What matters most is knowing our people recognize a difference in the environment we've put in place to support their success," said Deloitte CEO Barry Salzberg. The firm's recent initiatives include a film-making competition in which thousands of people created videos about their lives and experiences at Deloitte, and an internal coaching and career development resource providing live and virtual coaches.

Companies are scored in a number of areas in the survey, including management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie.

The top 10 on the Fortune list are: Google, Quicken Loans, Wegmans Food Markets, Edward Jones, Genentech, Cisco Systems, Starbucks, Qualcomm, Goldman Sachs, and Methodist Hospital System. The full list is available online at money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/.