Staying power

You know the adage: What gets rewarded gets done. At CFI, a company that installs and services technology systems in office buildings and factories, each employee, from clerical help to senior management, gets a bonus every month for meeting specific performance goals. "It varies by role, of course, but we clearly state what everyone should be achieving, and we reward people accordingly," says founder and CEO Robert Verdun. If a customer is unhappy and the problem is your fault, you forfeit that month's bonus. "One of the big advantages of this bonus system," Verdun adds, "is that it obliges us to keep communicating."

People seem to like not having to read their bosses' minds: CFI's turnover, at 4%, is miles below the industry average of 30%. At the same time, CFI - which is in a ferociously competitive business - is growing about 30% a year, with a list of big-name clients like Ford, AT&T, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, and American Express.

A second reason for CFI staffers' extraordinary loyalty, says Vice President Mary Findlay (herself a 15-year veteran), is that there's a place for everybody. Employees sometimes tell Findlay that they're getting antsy in their current jobs, to which she replies, "Okay, what do you want to be or do? We have jobs here for nine-to-five types, for people who are constantly seekingbigger challenges, for all kinds of people." Verdun agrees: "Not everyone wants to move into management. We encourage people to design a career that lets them avoid the stuff they don't want to do."

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