No layoffs - ever!

Best Companies rank: 83

The family-owned and operated household cleansing products manufacturer has been able to avoid layoffs for 124 years. Even in the worst of times, management has stuck to the belief that company employees are its most valuable asset.

Throughout the years, S.C. Johnson has taken a long-term perspective on hiring practices when business is slow and employed other strategies before resorting to layoffs. For example, in the recent economic slump, it delayed merit increases for all U.S. employees for six months, reduced spending and temporarily froze hiring for positions open due to retirement or attrition.

And as a privately-owned company, management isn't bound to the needs of shareholders and quarterly earnings are reinvested in the business.

NEXT: EOG Resources