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Wisconsin companies among Best IT Workplaces

Bank Of America Investment By WTN News • 06/23/06 Three Wisconsin companies that ranked among the best places to work for professionals in the information technology field are ranked highly because they offer employee incentives designed to boost worker production and job satisfaction.

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., Milwaukee, American Family Insurance Group, Madison, and Schneider National Inc., Green Bay, all fell within the top 75 in a list of America's top 100 companies complied by Computerworld Magazine. American Family and Schneider National also made the 2005 list.

The 2006 list of 100 top companies, both public and private and headquartered in the U.S., is based a 100-question survey distributed to participating companies that had 2005 revenue of $250 million or greater, employ a minimum of 500 total employees, and have a minimum of 75 IT employees in the U.S.

Approximately half of the scoring system was based on employee responses, with the remainder based on company benefits and other programs.

Dangling incentives

Each of the top Wisconsin companies offers incentives for employees overall, and IT workers in particular.

Northwestern Mutual, headquartered in Milwaukee, was ranked 15th with 1,027 IT employees, 2.8 percent turnover, and 17.1 percent promotions in 2005. The insurance and investment company has 31 employee clubs that offer company-subsidized activities, ranging from running to gardening.

The IT department has a five-level career path, and employees earn promotions by expanding their technology knowledge.

American Family Insurance Group was ranked 36th on the list. The mutual insurance company offers employees reimbursement for college tuition, technical certifications, and other continuing education programs.

American Family also provides several hundred online learning courses on IT and business-related topics and a corporate incentive program that links individual financial bonuses with the company's business goals. IT employees are encouraged to bring forward proposals to test a new technology or idea. If approved, workers are granted work time (up to 200 hours) and funding (up to $10,000) to test their idea.

Schneider National ranked 73rd on the Computerworld list. The truckload and intermodal service company provides work-life balance programs, including flexible work options. IT workers in the military receive full pay and benefits for up to 18 months while they're on active duty.

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