Tacoma, WA — January 22, 2008 — FORTUNE has named Russell Investments on its annual list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" (65th) in the United States as well as its "Best Small-Sized Company" (25th) list. Russell has ranked among the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" all seven times it has applied for consideration since 1999. The complete lists and related stories are available at www.fortune.com.
"We take pride in being a great place to work both because it is the right way to treat our associates and because it helps us achieve continued success," said Craig Ueland, Russell's President and CEO. "Being a great workplace helps us attract, retain, and motivate top talent, who, in turn, can thrive at Russell and ultimately help our clients succeed."
Russell joins only 21 other companies on the list that pay 100% of associates' healthcare premiums, and it is one of only 18 companies that offers associates paid sabbaticals. Russell also ranks as one of only 13 companies who were cited for having the lowest voluntary turnover rates among the 100 best places to work.
Russell's comprehensive benefits program includes a long history of annual retirement plan contributions equal to 15 percent of an associate's salary with no matching requirement. Russell provides an eight-week sabbatical every 10 years; paid parental and adoption leave; three weeks of vacation as a starting point for all associates; domestic partner benefits; a free fitness center and an $8,000 annual tuition reimbursement benefit.
"One of our core values is a genuine focus on our people," said Ann Watson, chief human resources officer at Russell. "In a knowledge-driven company like Russell, we strive to support our employees not only in their work, but in their communities and personal lives. Satisfied employees lead to satisfied clients. It's that simple."
"The 100 Best Companies to Work For" list is compiled for FORTUNE by the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company's employees.
Employee opinion is given more weight; two-thirds of the total score comes from responses to a 57-question survey which goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees from each organization. Nearly 100,000 employees from the 406 companies participated in the survey this year. The questions cover topics such as attitudes toward management, job satisfaction and camaraderie within the organization.
The remaining one-third of the score is based on an evaluation of each organization's pay and benefit programs, hiring practices, methods of internal communications, training, recognition programs and diversity efforts, etc. Organizations that are at least seven years old and have 1,000 or more employees are eligible for the list.
About Russell
Russell Investments provides strategic advice, world-class implementation, state-of-the-art performance benchmarks and a range of institutional-quality investment products. With nearly $228 billion in assets under management (as of 12/31/07), Russell serves individual, institutional and advisor clients in more than 40 countries. Russell provides access to some of the world's best money managers. It helps investors put this access to work in corporate defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and in the life savings of individual investors. Founded in 1936, Russell is a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and headquartered in Tacoma, Wash. Russell has principal offices in Amsterdam, Auckland, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Melbourne, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.
Contact:
Colin Hartke, 253-439-1858