The 2010 Best Firms: 1. Bain & Company

"Our ranking as the #1 Best Firm to Work For is a source of great pride for our global team. This is a true statement of how our people view Bain," Ellis says. "The passion of our people and the top rankings in many of the subcategories now eight years running is a major source of competitive advantage for Bain. Our clients tell us this repeatedly." In fact, Ellis says, many clients have asked Bain to share its best practices to help them achieve—or simply benchmark—a high performance culture and work environment.

Ellis might want to share with clients a few of Bain's people-oriented initiatives that have been so successful. Just to name a few: Global Transfers, at any point in time 20 percent of Bain's consultants are on a global transfer to one of Bain's 42 offices; and External Programs, which are six-month working engagements at a company or non-profit/NGO of the consultant's choice before returning to Bain.

Meanwhile, Bain also offers global training (some 2,200 will be trained in global programs this year as part of the firm's commitment to a global experience and to investment in professional development); local mentorship programs, affinity groups and active flex programs.

"We maintain this track record through a commitment to our people to not rest on our laurels or be complacent," Ellis says. "As with our clients' businesses, we are not satisfied with the status quo. We challenge ourselves and empower our teams around the globe to both redesign as well as refine the way we work to meet the changing needs of our clients and people. We talk about 'building your own Bain' and making a difference each and every day. We empower our staff to make a personal impact for themselves and the business. There is no sitting on the sidelines at Bain. Our results-driven culture makes Bain an exciting and rewarding place to work."

And results—both internally and externally—are diligently measured. The firm measures 'impact at clients' and 'sustainability' for every team in every office around the globe to ensure the firm is holding itself accountable for delivering on its commitments for great impact in a balanced way. "We know of no other firm that so rigorously tracks employee satisfaction, case team results, upward feedback—all in the spirit of continuous improvement and visible reinforcement of our people value proposition."
And this results-driven culture translates to the bottom line, as well. Bain's business is robust and growing, Ellis says. The firm is approaching $2 billion in revenues and 5,000 employees worldwide. This year, the business is up 30 percent to date.

"The rebound of the private equity business globally, and Bain's market position as the #1 advisor to private equity funds—3x the size of our nearest competitor—will provide a further boost to growth as well," Ellis says. "Our teams are energized by the firm's success coming out of the global recession. Because of our strategic investments and relentless focus on clients and our people, we are exiting this downturn as we have those in the past—a stronger firm with accelerating opportunities for our people. It is motivating to be part of a winning team."

And Ellis says the award is a clear indication to those on campus, as well. "We would hope this distinction is equally important to those considering Bain as an indication, now eight years running, of what a very special place and culture Bain offers to new recruits," Ellis says. "We will continue to invest in attracting, developing, and retaining the world's top business talent."

Ellis says that, for now at least, he and the firm will "take a moment to celebrate Year 8," but quickly adds, "we will be back to the work of generating break-through insights for our clients, nurturing our differentiated culture, and continuing to create excellent learning and development opportunities for our people," he says. "We are committed to making Bain a very special place for our people and our clients."

As if there was ever any doubt.

Career Development
Bain provides the best practical experience in our industry given our focus on results. We are delivering on our commitment to provide the best-integrated business experience—that of a CEO's perspective. Bain consultants are known for solving the toughest business problems, acting decisively to deliver change, and making a personal impact on the clients they serve. We maintain a differentiated investment in training with each member of our team in a global training program every 12 to 18 months, trained by our best managers and partners in small team-based settings. A further pledge to local training and apprenticeship forms the core of our commitment. Our people also value interactive staffing which allows them to communicate their interests and prioritize their professional and personal development goals.

Finally, our people have the opportunity to augment their client work to maximize their career learning. Our people tailor their professional development goals by rotating into our market-leading private equity group, transferring to one of our global offices, spending time applying our results-focused principles in a non- profit or other organization via an externship, or taking on a meaningful internal leadership role to positively influence the future of our firm. It is this full and diverse spectrum of learning opportunities at Bain that makes it the best career development platform in the industry.

Culture
It is hard to put a single label on the Bain culture—it is a powerful combination of extraordinary people, applied passion and exceptional results. Our nearly 5,000 staff worldwide are the engine that drives our culture and all of its innovations. Our culture can be seen and felt when working on a client growth strategy, helping a colleague five time zones away, mentoring local school children, transforming a non profit organization's local impact, competing in Bain's World Cup, or simply playing (or singing!) in the Bain Band. These all reflect Bain's culture and display the spark for fun and impact that makes this place so special.

You also see a lot of our culture in Bain Cares, our community and social sector activities. From our heritage of local pro bono efforts to innovating and launching The Bridgespan Group (today's leading consulting firm to the non profit sector) to our globally coordinated Bain Cares efforts to deliver community and NGO impact, we have always found ways to positively impact our communities and the world around us. There is simply no one firm doing more for the social sector than Bain and our affiliates. Our contributions in this sector both reflect and reinforce our unique culture of impact.

Work/life Balance
We've learned over the years that work/life balance is defined by the individual—it means different things to different people at different times in their lives. So above all we are mindful and flexible about how individuals make an impact while defining a path that works for them. At Bain, we are committed to helping our employees achieve a healthy, sustainable balance in their lives. For this reason, we offer a number of programs and benefits that enable employees to take advantage of both short and long-term flexible work arrangements as their needs evolve throughout their Bain careers.

Bain has been a leader in creating flexible work and job models to support both the personal and career needs of all our employees. We have designed our active flex programs, job models, and client engagement models to align with life stages and needs. We pioneered a robust part-time program in the mid-1980s—a program that remains popular today. We innovated with a "Take Two" program allowing our staff to take an extended two-month leave to fulfill personal goals. We are proud to have both men and women taking advantage of the many programs we offer around the globe.

Compensation & Benefits
While 2009 was a tough year for many in the industry, we maintained our investments in people, benefits, and clients. We communicated early and directly with our staff on our firm-wide plans to manage through the uncertainty. We believe we are currently seeing the benefits of actions taken as we have quickly returned to our now decade-plus path of growth. This investment through the downturn was a springboard for the success that we are enjoying this year.