Just another blog...: Top-Paying Companies via yahoo finace provided by CNN Money

“by Milton Moskowitz
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 provided by

Associates at Bingham McCutchen take home an average $256,312 total compensation annually.…

1. Bingham McCutchen

Average total pay: $256,312
For: Associate*

Best Companies rank: 30
Headquarters: Boston, MA

For the second year in a row, this law firm is the top-paying Best Company to Work For. Lawyers fresh out of school get starting salaries of $160,000 a year, topped off with fat bonuses. (Non-attorneys are eligible for bonuses too.) Bingham, which prides itself on keeping pay scales "competitive at all times," looked at compensation at other law firms in mid-2007 and immediately boosted pay a hefty 20%.

Bingham, which enjoyed a lengthy growth spurt fueled by a series of mergers, pulled in its horns a bit after the financial crunch hit last year. The firm laid off 2.5% of staff, offering severance ranging from four weeks' to six months' pay.

Courtesy: Lehigh Valley Hospital

2. Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network

Average total pay: $244,605
For: Physicians*

Best Companies rank: 76
Headquarters: Allentown, PA

Lehigh will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2009, now encompassing three hospitals, eight community health centers, and a network of 400 physicians and physician practices. With 9,000 employees, it's the largest employer in the area.

Lehigh is proud of its status as a National Magnet hospital, a designation of nursing excellence that only 5% of the nation's hospitals enjoy. Nurses average a $56,196 salary, supplemented by a $2,607 bonus. Unusual for hospitals, it maintains a 50% match of employee contributions to 403(b) retirement plans up to 4% of pay.

3. Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe

Average total pay: $240,955
For: Associate*

Best Companies rank: 87
Headquarters: New York, NY

This global corporate law firm pays lawyers and support staff "at or above market" in every area where they have offices, including Hong Kong, Beijing and Moscow. In the U.S., legal secretaries' average total pay is $77,702 annually. A whopping 98% of employees received bonuses in 2007: For support staff, they averaged $8,893; for associates, $34,325.

To keep employees making less than $60K a year from having to spend too much on health insurance, Orrick has a sliding scale for premiums: The more you make, the more you pay. Unlike virtually every other law firm, Orrick covers between 55% and 100% of the premium for non-partner lawyers and support staff; partners get zero subsidy.

4. Alston & Bird

Average total pay: $203,655
For: Associate*

Best Companies rank: 36
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA

Alston & Bird's 800 lawyers represent such corporate heavyweights as UPS, Delta Airlines, Nokia and Dow Chemical. Of the 309 partners, nearly 20% are women, a high percentage in the law field. Attorneys and support staff get treated and paid well: Legal secretaries make more than $66,000 a year on average, for example, including bonuses of $3,400. The firm adds 7% of pay to every employee's 401(k) plan, regardless of whether employees contribute.

In the wake of the financial crisis, Alston & Bird redeployed people from slow practices to busy areas, encouraged employees to cut their commutes by telecommuting one day a week or working longer hours four days a week, and offered early retirement packages to employees with more than 20 years' service.

5. Perkins Coie

Average total pay: $190,126
For: Associate*

Best Companies rank: 82
Headquarters: Seattle, WA

At this Seattle law firm, lawyers make a little under $200,000 total pay annually; legal secretaries earn $63,000. A support staffer gave this impressive list of her benefits: $2,000 in technology flex plan allowance, $80 for wellness program participation, $475 for 20th anniversary with firm, $1,500 performance bonus, $50 Nordstrom gift card, $3,500 year-end bonus.

The 1,700-employee firm received some 11,780 job applications in 2007. Because community service is part of its culture, Perkins Coie says it looks for candidates "who are compassionate and willing to help others."

Courtesy: Devon Energy Corporation

6. Devon Energy

Average total pay: $186,882
For: Engineer*

Best Companies rank: 13
Headquarters: Oklahoma City, OK

The largest independent oil and natural gas producer in the U.S., Devon pumps half a million barrels of oil a day. Among its hourly employees, most are lease operators, who make more than $88,000 a year on average. Half the employees here received restricted stock grants. Devon's new 401(k) retirement plan calls for annual company contributions of 11% to 22%.

As of mid-January, the company had 158 job openings in areas ranging from HR and finance to geology, engineering and exploration.

7. Chesapeake Energy

Average total pay: $178,108
For: Toolpusher*

Best Companies rank: 73
Headquarters: Oklahoma City, OK

Now the nation's largest producer of natural gas, Chesapeake took some tough hits last year. It paid a lot of money for leases when natural gas prices were high, and got stung in 2008 as prices plummeted.

Chesapeake stock swooned 80%. In an e-mail to all employees, founder Aubrey McClendon reminded them that Chesapeake has 36,000 wells producing natural gas every day and urged them to focus on cost control. As for the stock price, he said, "Over time it will take care of itself but in the meantime, just ignore it."

There were no layoffs. And the company awarded new stock grants in October, giving the 4,466 employees on staff in June a total of 373,975 restricted shares valued at $12.8 million.

8. Salesforce.com

Average total pay: $172,303
For: Senior Sales Engineer*

Best Companies rank: 55
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

It was full steam ahead last year for this provider of web-based applications to manage customer relationships (CRM). As rivals were laying off staff, Salesforce.com grew its payroll by 24% last year, saying that "now is the best time to take market share from competitors," as rivals were laying off.

People are well-paid here: Enterprise business reps get salary and bonus of about $75K annually; senior sales engineers enjoy average base pay of $117,300. And this year, benefits get a boost: The 401(k) match will rise from $3,400 to $4,000, and reimbursements for fitness programs and tuition will be hiked. The company also is introducing a long-term bonus program, financial aid for adoption, a benefit that helps employees access child care, a stock purchase program and a program that gives money back to staffers who use public transportation.

9. Arnold & Porter

Average total pay: $172,192
For: Associate*

Best Companies rank: 21
Headquarters: Washington, DC

Starting salaries for attorneys at the highest-ranking law firm on the Best Companies to Work For list are a healthy $160,000 on average. But a spirit of giving back is prevalent: Lawyers average 132 pro bono hours a year. 80 partners have held government positions.

The firm also is known for its diversity. More than 20% of the staff are African-American. Of 195 partners, 10% are minorities, 16% are women. Arnold & Porter is one of the few law firms with an on-site child care center; 43 children are currently enrolled. Their recruiting practices may help: Employee referrals are the source of 8% of their new hires, and the firm encourages them with referral bonuses of as much as $15,000.

Courtesy: Adobe

10. Adobe Systems

Average total pay: $165,947
For: Sr. Computer Scientist Software Development*

Best Companies rank: 11
Headquarters: San Jose, CA

Known for its widely used Photoshop, Acrobat Reader, and PDF software, Adobe offers employees generous pay and benefits. Senior administrative assistants make more than $70,000 a year. All employees get stock options or restricted stock grants; quarterly profit-sharing checks ranging from 5% to 15% of pay; and the opportunity to buy stock at a 15% discount. They also can take a fully paid three-week sabbatical every five years.

Still the company is not immune to a poor economy. Toward the end of 2008, Adobe said it was experiencing weaker than expected demand for its new Creative Suite 4 line, and announced it's laying off 600 workers.

11. EOG Resources

Average total pay: $158,302
For: Engineer*

Best Companies rank: 40
Headquarters: Houston, TX

Like Devon Energy, EOG, an independent oil and natural gas producer, supplements high pay with healthy bonuses and rich benefits.

The company pays 100% of employees' health insurance premiums (70% for dependents). All employees get stock options. And EOG offers a company-funded pension plan, as well as a 401(k) with company match up to 6% of pay. The company also awards college scholarships to children of employees: In a typical year, 30 students will receive awards of about $1,600 each.

CNN/File

12. Goldman Sachs

Average total pay: $144,994
For: Other Exempt (i.e. Analysts, Program Analysts, Associates and Professional Non-Exempt)*

Best Companies rank: 9
Headquarters: New York, NY

The global financial crisis led this storied Wall Street firm to convert to a bank holding company. And while Goldman has traditionally paid executives very lofty amounts, even by Wall Street standards, this year the firm's top seven officers agreed to forgo bonuses entirely. Meanwhile, bonuses for the rest of the staff were sharply curtailed.

Some 3,000 employees were laid off around the world in the wake of the crisis. But thanks to new hires, Goldman ended 2008 with nearly the same number of employees they had at the start.

13. Boston Consulting Group

Average total pay: $141,111
For: Consultant*

Best Companies rank: 3
Headquarters: Boston, MA

Employees at all levels are well-paid at this consulting firm. Executive assistants average nearly $65K, while consultants make more than $140K. And even employees who don't contribute to the profit-sharing retirement plan still get 15% of salary added each year, courtesy of the company.

But the rewards at Boston Consulting aren't purely financial. BCG considers itself an apprenticeship where senior consultants teach junior consultants and training is intensive at all levels. That's helpful, since the partnership track is well-defined: New consultants move to project leader in two-and-a-half years, to principal in two or three years, and to partner in three or four years. And if the firm's "up or out" practice leads a consultant to exit, he or she can always go back to school: 90% of BCG consultants who apply to MBA programs are accepted.

Courtesy: Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

14. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

Average total pay: $134,769
For: General Manager*

Best Companies rank: 95
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

The recession hit the hotel industry hard, as many businesses were forced to cut travel expenses. But Kimpton, operator of 42 boutique hotels and 43 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, didn't respond with layoffs. Stressing how important it is in hard times for guests to feel they are coming to a "welcoming haven with caring service," it kept everybody on the job in 2008. Instead, Kimpton reduced employees' hours and introduced a program that will give $10,000 to an employee for outstanding customer service.

Meanwhile, Kimpton offers benefits rare in the hotel business: 401(k) match of 25%, up to 5% of pay; subsidized health and dental insurance; and company-funded disability insurance. What's more, employees and family members can stay at any Kimpton property -- including the Sir Francis Drake hotel in San Francisco, the Monaco in Washington, D.C., and the Allegro in Chicago -- for $50 a night. They also get a 20% discount at Kimpton restaurants.

15. NetApp

Average total pay: $134,716
For: Member Technical Staff, Software 4*

Best Companies rank: 1
Headquarters: Sunnyvale, CA

This Silicon Valley data storage firm tops the Best Companies to Work for list this year, and one reason is its policy to pay above the market. To ensure its employees remain in the upper echelons, NetApp regularly compares its pay rates to those of other high-tech firms.

NetApp, which has a Technical Support Center open 24 hours, also pays employees working night shifts extra. Staffers working between 1 p.m. and midnight earn 10% more; those working between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. get a 15% differential.

Last year, 98% of NetApp employees received incentive bonuses, which totaled $47 million. And every new employee gets stock options and restricted stock awards.