The Great Place to Work^® Institute has released the list of 100 Best Companies to Work for 2008. Last year we discussed how over 50% of the 100 Best Companies to Work for 2007 (with stock) had broad-based employee ownership programs. While specific employee ownership data is not published with the list, it appears that the percentage of companies with broad-based employee ownership remains significant. Here are some other trends noted in the press release:

• Studies show being a great place to work is good for business, as publicly traded “100 Best” companies have consistently outperformed the S&P 500 by a wide margin. A 2007 paper "Does the Stock Market Fully Value Intangibles? Employee Satisfaction and Equity Prices," found that an “annually rebalanced portfolio of FORTUNE magazine's ‘Best Companies to Work For in America’ earned 14 percent per year from 1998 to 2005, over double the market return. The portfolio also outperformed industry- and characteristics-matched benchmarks.”
  
• 2008 Workplace Trends: Greater Workplace Flexibility & Transparency
  Trends in this year’s FORTUNE “100 Best” results include:
  
  o Companies are finding more ways to share their profits with employees – through programs such as stock options and deferred profit sharing. Of the 27,039 employees surveyed, 71 percent find the statement, “I feel I receive a fair share of the profits made by this organization” to be true. In 1998, only 56 percent did.
  o Work-family benefits continue to improve. This year 72 companies offer domestic partner benefits, 69 offer adoption assistance and 85 provide eldercare services.
  o More companies are competing for workers by offering flexible work schedules, compressed workweeks, telecommuting and sabbaticals. Eighty-four of the “100 Best” allow employees to telecommute or work at home.”