The Judges Talk about The Principal 10 Best Winners

"What we're seeing with companies in the 2008 competition is that increased focus on wellness and prevention in their health programs and an expansion of communications programs in terms of helping employees…get the best protection and the best value out of the programs being offered."
– Dallas Salisbury president and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute

"The trend that stood out this year was the broadening of the commitment to wellness programs. Companies are investing a lot of time and effort in helping their employees be healthier, and that's a win-win. Certainly this benefits the companies because they hold down their health insurance cost, but they also help their employees be healthy."
- David Wray, president, The Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA)

"There’s more of a trend towards results-based participation (in wellness programs). There’s more biometric testing, more testing to see if they really making improvements in cholesterol levels and fitness levels year to year. Employers are recognizing they can’t correct the health cost issues on their own."
-Holly Lifke, vice president of Human Resources, Society Insurance, one of The Principal 10 Best Companies—2007

"There was more focus than we’ve seen in the past on making financial advisory services of one type or another available to employees, particularly as they think about retirement."
-Dan McCarthy, consulting actuary, Milliman, Inc.

"We saw a lot of employers adopting automatic enrollment programs, not making employees fill out a form. We saw a lot of people putting out asset allocation funds, life cycle funds, target date funds. All tools designed to help people make the right kinds of decisions with savings on an ongoing basis. A lot of employers were also embracing the concept of the phased retirement program."
- Nevin Adams, editor-in-chief, PLANSPONSOR Magazine and PLANSPONSOR.com

"These are companies that have really stepped up in terms of their commitment to their employees. These are companies that really recognize they need to do something above and beyond the norm to keep and excite the best talent…They appreciate their employees. They understand that they're part of what keeps them in business."
- Timothy Welsh, director, McKinsey & Company

"I was surprised—and I'm always surprised—by the fact that small companies who are challenged by the economic cycles more than large companies in many cases, continue to stay the course and provide strong benefit programs for their employees."
- David Wray, president, The Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA)

"In many cases what they were doing was simply not putting anymore burden on the worker. It’s no small feat given what's happened with cost for employers to basically say ‘We're going to give you this year the same kind of benefits you had last year.’ I don't think that should be under emphasized. That’s a big deal. That's a big commitment."
- Nevin Adams, editor-in-chief, PLANSPONSOR Magazine and PLANSPONSOR.com

"In addition to tough economic times, is these are times of tightening labor markets. It's getting harder for companies to get the best people…I think that's why with the winning companies, they're maintaining these programs, because they know they are critical to their long-term survival and their long-term profitability."
- Dallas Salisbury president and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute

"Many companies are going through difficult times, and they want to make sure their best employees are still really excited to work there. One of the key ways employees get excited is the benefits program. I think the 10 best see that if they have these kinds of benefit programs it allows them to really keep and motivate those best employees."
- Timothy Welsh, director, McKinsey & Company

"The Principal 10 Best Companies are committed to their employees. They're committed to their health security. They're committed to their retirement security and they're committed to their financial security. And all in all, they value their employees. They work hard to get them and they want to keep them."
- Dallas Salisbury president and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute

"Given what's happening particularly in small and medium sized employers to retirement as well as health care benefits, for companies to maintain that commitment, to fully fund these plans at high levels, is remarkable and quite impressive."
- Corey Rosen executive director & founder, National Center for Employee Ownership

"What stands out about The Principal 10 Best Companies is their unwavering commitment to their employees, to their health and welfare, taking a long-term view, that in it, what their funding is really an investment and their employees’ future and then their own company’s future. I'm inspired by the fact that there is such generosity among so many companies."
- Marie Schram director of human resources for LMI, one of The Principal 10 Best Companies—2007

"I think what you see reflected in the companies' activities is a very long-term view of how they're trying to help their employees; even with the recognition that those employees won't be with that company for necessarily a long time. That kind of investment that the 10 best are making in their employees is truly admirable."
- Timothy Welsh, director, McKinsey & Company

"The Principal 10 Best program is valuable because it shows small companies all over this country just how good a benefit program can be, and we all need shining examples."
- David Wray president, The Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA)