No. 5, 25–100 employees: Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc.

“We’ve evaluated just about every aspect of our business and made our place the place that people want to work,” Butler said. “We try to celebrate our people, because they’re going to spend a lot of time here.”

While Butler’s employees put in plenty of work hours, they also get plenty of time off – at least three weeks a year, even for new hires. Veteran employees can earn four weeks off a year, and some vacation time can roll over.

Then, there’s flex time. More than 20 percent of the firm’s employees use flex time, a luxury that’s not available in all industries, said Human Resource Manager Vicki Holbert.

“Flex-time allows (employees) to take care of their families as well as do their jobs fully,” Holbert said.

Employees can also take care of their health. The company pays 100 percent of health insurance premiums, and also provides free life insurance.

Free health and life insurance benefits are powerful recruiting tools, Holbert said.

With the basics taken care of, Butler, Rosenbury & Partners takes extra steps to keep employees happy and growing within the firm.

The company pays employees an average of more than $1,000 in performance bonuses annually and spends more than $3,000 annually per employee for professional training.

Morale-boosting activities such as birthday parties factor into Butler, Rosenbury & Partners’ ability to retain workers. More than 70 percent of the firm’s managers were promoted from within.

“We understand that our biggest asset is our staff,” Butler said. “As a service business, we know that without staff who are focused on our clients and the work, we would not be a very good firm and incapable of servicing our clients.”