Best Places to Work: The 20 Best Companies

Best Small Company: NeatReceipts
Location: West Philly
Industry: Software
Local Employees: 60
Revenue: $8.6 million

Memo to bosses everywhere: To improve morale follow the lead of University City’s NeatReceipts, whose software and scanning products convert paperwork into digital versions, redefining what work can look like in the 21st century. Co-founding father and son Les and Rafi Spero — Ernst & Young’s 2007 Entrepreneurs of the Year — treat workers right seven ways: 1) Employees craft their own 40-hour schedules within a 6 a.m.-to-10 p.m. window. 2) Every employee owns a share of the company. 3) There are no personal offices and therefore no egos. 4) The company fosters a respectful work environment — 20 percent of its employees are gay. 5) There’s a program to help with home purchases and improvements. 6) Company events are actually fun — and have included Afro-growing contests, ugly sweater contests and Borat movie nights. 7) Free lunch every Friday! 3401 Market Street, 866-632-8732, neatreceipts.com.

Best Medium Sized Company: SEI
Location: Oaks
Industry: Financial services
Local Employees: 1,900
Revenue: $1.176 billion

“Creativity” isn’t a word you typically associate with financial services, but it’s the driving force at SEI. A decade ago, the company began transforming its corporate culture — eliminating practically everything that smacked of status or hierarchy, from titles to secretaries to, well, office doors. Today, all of the company’s employees have the same style desks and work together in open rooms. The message: Ideas are the most important thing, and everyone’s ideas are equal. On top of the egalitarian philosophy are some way-cool perks, including 30 paid vacation and personal days beginning in the first year; an admirable daycare setup; frequent flex-time arrangements; and a company office that doubles as a modern art gallery, with new pieces routinely brought in in hopes of inspiring even more creativity. 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, 610-676-1000, seic.com.

Best Large Company: Vanguard
Location: Valley Forge
Industry: Financial services
Local Employees: 9,000
Revenue: N/A

Founder Jack Bogle is obsessed with all things nautical — one reason Vanguard employees are referred to as a “crew.” But the company, which all but invented the mutual-fund business, has a commitment to its workers that goes beyond gimmicky lingo. Among the benefits are a killer retirement savings program in which Vanguard puts the equivalent of 10 percent of your salary in a savings plan and matches your 401(k) contributions up to four percent of your salary. There’s also a generous vacation policy (16 to 21 days in your first year) and plenty of services to make the work/life balance easier, including on-site auto maintenance. Bonus: $9,000 a year in tuition reimbursement, as well as on-site MBA and certified financial planner (CFP) programs. P.O. Box 2600, Valley Forge, 610-669-1000, vanguard.com.

The Green Team: PhillyCarShare
Location: Center City
Industry: Transportation nonprofit
Local Employees: 50
Revenue: $2 billion

PhillyCarShare doesn’t just lower greenhouse gases by renting community cars. Before moving into its 9th and Sansom digs, the nonprofit surveyed its employees about where they live, to try to minimize driving and maximize walking, biking and mass-transit commutes. Also, each employee gets a free membership plus credit toward usage. And the company facilities? Furniture is from a local manufacturer; cabinets made from wheat board save wood; motion-detector lights conserve energy. And many employees are seated by 15-foot-high south-facing windows that capitalize on natural sunlight. 125 South 9th Street, 215-730-0988, phillycarshare.org.

Focus on Fitness: Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Location: Bala Cynwyd
Industry: Insurance
Local Employees: 650
Revenue: $1.25 billion

“A culture of fitness breeds a culture of success” sounds like an American Gladiators slogan, but at Philadelphia Insurance Companies, it’s the corporate mantra. Let’s count the reps: 1) Anyone working out at lunch gets an extra 15 minutes. 2) Subsidized memberships are given to the location’s three gyms. 3) An “Active for Life” web program logs exercise activity for co-worker teams. 4) Employees regularly take part in Olympic-length distance races and Ironman competitions (which the company sponsors). “Initially, when we first started to push it, some employees were taken aback,” says senior vice president of HR and operations Deborah Sutton. “But we talk about how the discipline it takes to complete fitness is the same sort of discipline needed in business.” Muscles aren’t all they’re flexing at PIC; about 35 percent of employees have flex schedules, too. 1 Bala Plaza, suite 100, 800-873-4552, phly.com.