3. North Highland
Year in and year out, North Highland continues to dominate the Best Firms to Work For rankings. This year's No. 3 finish marks the seventh consecutive year on the list, and the firm has never finished below No. 4. And that's an incredibly impressive run for the Atlanta-based strategy firm.
"Being named one of the Best Firms to Work For, for seven years in a row, has definitely had an impact on North Highland," says Dan Reardon, North Highland CEO. "Internally, it reinforces our belief that our strong, positive culture is one of the keys to our success. Externally, it's confirmation for recruits that what they hear about North Highland is not only good but also true. And for our clients, I believe it's a reflection of what we bring to the table—great people, from a great company, doing great work."
One of the biggest factors to the firm's success, Reardon says, is the local model and the flexibility it offers its employees. About 80 percent of those employees choose a low-travel lifestyle. It's no surprise that the firm outpaced the competition in the area of work/life balance.
"We continue to score high in the area of work/life balance because it's something that we take seriously," Reardon says. "We know, and statistics prove, that when you feel that your life is in balance, you perform better. It's a win-win for everyone—the employee, the client, the community and the company."
Reardon says he believes that commitment to its employees is what sets North Highland apart from its competitors, leading to well above average employee retention rates. He also says the company has never had layoffs, even through the lean years. "We care about our employees, their families and their ability to grow personally and professionally," he says.
Another positive factor at the firm, Reardon says, has been the successful integration of Sparks Grove, a marketing and creative agency division, and Enfathom, a business intelligence and analytics solution division. "These complementary divisions are creating new tools, interesting work and exciting team dynamics for our employees and clients," Reardon says.
"The combination of our management consulting capabilities and the expertise in our marketing and BI divisions is a game changer for our clients. We do not go to market separately but rather as an integrated team creating unique solutions that our clients have never seen before."
And Reardon says that's also a key to the firm's success. "Our firm is unique because employee ownership fosters a true team environment," he says. "We have torn down any hierarchical structures to create an open-door policy that allows the generation and flow of ideas to pass throughout the organization so that we can assist wherever possible to bring great ideas to fruition."
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MORALE AT YOUR FIRM?
Dan Reardon, CEO, says: "Morale is high at North Highland because we are transparent with our employee-owners so that they know where we're going, that we're growing, and when and where we need help. Our openness is inherent to who we are and we find that it leads to the contribution of great ideas and the motivation to do the right thing for our clients and each other."
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