Bacardi took top honours at the awards ceremony last evening for The Bottom Line’s 2012 Top 10 Employers in Bermuda survey.The spirits company was joined on this year’s list by FedEx Express, Bermuda Realty, Fairmont Hamilton Princess, BAS-Serco, Air Care, Validus, BF&M, Butterfield & Vallis, AF Smith and Tokio Millennium Re.Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry, Patrice Minors spoke at the ceremony held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and applauded the top companies and touted their importance to the local economy.“For me, it is fantastic to see all of the entities that make this economy tick coming together under one roof to celebrate each other,” she said. “You are the backbone of our economy — from the small to medium-sized businesses, to the international corporations and established mainstay companies.“The ten organisations being honoured this evening have set the bar very high for our business community. You are a clear demonstration that spirit of competition is alive and thriving and that can only benefit our economy.”This year, for the first time, professional services firm PwC sponsored the Top 10 Employers in Bermuda survey.Referencing the reasons behind PwC’s decision to support the survey, Darren Johnston, territory senior partner said: “We believe it is important to recognise and highlight those organisations in Bermuda who support and commit to their employees through a range of people-focused initiatives and programmes, and go that extra mile.”MindMaps, one of the Island’s top quantitative research firms, administered the survey for the second year. The survey is now completed entirely online and each year MindMaps continues to enhance the overall process.The fourth annual survey was the largest to date with newcomers breaking into the top ten as well as the Honourable Mention list. There was a tie for the seventh spot and two companies who were on the Honourable Mention list last year jumped into the top ten.The 2012 top-ranked company, Bacardi International, the world’s largest privately-held spirits company, took top honours after placing in the second spot in 2011. Their attention to their employees, particularly in a tough economic climate is just part of the secret to their success, said Michael Brennan, Bacardi vice-president of finance and corporate controller.“Our move from the number two spot to the number one spot certainly makes me very proud of all the employees we have, how hard they work and all the effort they put in every day to make Bacardi such a great place to work,” he said. “Being named the top employer in Bermuda along with reaching our Investors in People Gold certification recently are significant achievements for both our entire office and all of our employees. We take great pride in key areas like benefits, hiring and retention rates, workplace safety and conditions, internal communications, compensation, corporate culture and really the overall satisfaction of our employees is very important to us.”In the survey, one of the top reasons employees gave for why Bacardi is the best place to work was that the company is a “family-oriented environment”.“Bacardi is a company that is 150 years old,” said Mr Brennan. “It’s still wholly owned by the Bacardi family and we like to treat all of our employees as part of that family.”Despite redundancies at the company this year, Bacardi has not cut back on its generous employee benefit programmes and perks, such as free breakfast and lunch, as well as free parking. Employees also receive bonuses, 13 weeks of paid maternity and one week of paternity leave, $1,500 towards an external gym membership and a childcare stipend of $500 per month, per child, from birth to age four.The Bottom Line is now accepting entries for the 2013 survey. If you believe your company has what it takes to be a top employer in Bermuda, e-mail info@bottomline.bm.