Principal Financial Group is Looking for a Few Great Companies
Feb. 3, 2005 (Des Moines, Iowa) - Companies that provide exceptional benefits for their employees already reap the rewards of low turnover and high morale. Once again they have a chance to earn national recognition for their efforts and serve as role models for other growing businesses as the fourth annual search for The Principal 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security gets underway Feb. 1, 2005.
The recognition program, sponsored by the Principal Financial Group®, is open to any growing company with a staff of five to 1,000 employees. Deadline for entries is April 22, 2005. Winners will be announced in the fall of 2005.
"Designing a competitive, and cost-effective benefits program has probably never been more challenging than it is today. The Principal 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security honors those companies that creatively meet the challenge with exemplary benefits programs that employees not only use but appreciate," says Renee Schaaf, vice president at the Principal Financial Group. "This prestigious recognition holds these companies up as employers of choice and shares their winning tactics with other small and medium-sized businesses who want to improve their benefit programs. Companies that invest their most valuable resource, their people, deserve to be noticed."
Together with Mathew Greenwald & Associates, a premier market research company, an independent panel of judges will review entries to The Principal 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security. Judges will select 10 companies based on several criteria including breadth and depth of financial benefits offered, level of commitment by the company to its employees' financial security and communications and educational efforts on benefit programs and financial security issues.
"As a premier provider of employee benefits, The Principal understands that financial security is a critical element in employers' success in recruiting, retaining and motivating employees," said Schaaf. "It is our goal to elevate those companies who are providing financial security for their employees and showcase them as role models setting standards by which other businesses can measure their benefits offerings. Companies of all sizes can learn from The Principal 10 Best."
Companies selected among The Principal 10 Best Companies are showcased in a nationally distributed best practices guide for employee financial security and on The Principal Web site, www.principal.com. The winning companies also receive national and local recognition. In addition, The Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc. will make a donation in the name of each company to a local charity of their choice.
To enter, companies complete the entry form. Or, companies, financial planners or peer organizations can nominate a company that deserves recognition as one of The Principal 10 Best Companies. All nominated companies will be informed by mail of their nomination for recognition. Each will receive an entry form to complete. Companies are not required to be clients of The Principal® to enter. To enter, visit The Principal 10 Best Web site. You'll find the entry form and the nomination form.
About The Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal)®1 is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $156.0 billion in assets under management2 and serves some 14.7 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.
EDITORS' NOTE: To obtain a copy of Innovation at Work: A Guide to Best Practices in Employee Benefits-2005, or to arrange an interview with winners from the 2004 Principal 10 Best Companies, call Terri Shell at 515-283-8858.
1) "The Principal Financial Group®"
and "The Principal®" are registered
trademarks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal
Financial Group.
2) As of September 30, 2004.
