Milwaukee-based financial services firm Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. has been ranked No. 16 on Fortune magazine’s 2019 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.
The list, released this week, included Baird for the 16th straight year, the company said. It is the only Wisconsin company on the list.
Baird did fall lower on the list this year. It was ranked 12th in 2018.
Fortune created the list in cooperation with Great Place to Work, which surveyed more than 4.3 million employees on their experiences, and evaluated applications companies submitted about their practices. It includes only companies with 1,000 or more U.S. employees. In its reasoning for Baird’s inclusion on the 2019 list, Fortune wrote:
“That’s responsive! At a recent panel discussion at this employee-owned financial services firm, a question from the audience about parental leave policies led to a more generous policy within 10 weeks — including retroactive benefits. Millennial reverse-mentoring helps keep senior management connected to its younger counterparts.”
Baird is owned by its 3,472 employees. Fortune highlighted its telecommuting, job sharing, compressed work weeks, on-site medical care facility, non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation, health insurance for part-timers and college tuition reimbursement. It also pointed out that Baird offers 27 days of general paid time off per year.
A sidebar describes Baird’s efforts to connect millennials with baby boomer-age leaders in a reverse mentoring program.
“Being a great workplace goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to being an independent and employee-owned firm,” said Paul Purcell, chairman of Baird, in a statement. “We are able to attract and retain the best people who enable us to fulfill our mission of providing the best financial advice and service to our clients.”
