BF&M took top honours as employers from a diverse range of industries gathered at the awards ceremony for The Bottom Line magazine’s 2011 Top 10 Employers That Stand Out in Bermuda.The insurance company was joined on this year’s list by Bacardi International Ltd, FedEx Express, Butterfield & Vallis, Tokio Millennium Re, Mello, Jones & Martin, HSBC Bermuda, Hiscox Bermuda, AF Smith, Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Freisenbruch-Meyer Group.Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry, Kim Wilson spoke at last Thursday’s ceremony at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, applauding the top companies and touting their importance to the local economy.“You are the backbone of our economy from the small to medium sized businesses, to the international corporations and established mainstay companies,” she said. “And this Government wholeheartedly embraces all of your efforts to sustain our economy.“Tonight each of the businesses taking part in this event are winners. You have persevered despite the tough economic climate to not only ensure your businesses have thrived, but you have worked very hard to make your employees feel valued, by offering superior benefits and training, by encouraging a positive workplace environment, by contributing to the community and by employing people who are committed to their roles and to fulfilling your mission and mandate.”This year, The Bottom Line partnered with Mindmaps, one of Bermuda’s leading quantitative research firms, to take the survey online and provide statistical analysis of the key measurement areas.The third annual competition garnered the largest pool of entrants to date with several new companies entering the fray.The 2011 top-ranked company, local insurer BF&M had placed second for the past two years. Their persistence in employee satisfaction has eventually paid off, says BF&M, CEO John Wight.“Making employees work experience at BF&M is something I take very personally,” he said at the ceremony. “Thus when I became CEO of BF&M one of the objectives which I expressed at my first town hall meeting was important to me to achieve, was to ensure that when every member of BF&M retired from the company, they could look back on their career and say ‘this was a company that I enjoyed working for, this was a company that cared about me’.”Mr Wight added that BF&M formed an Employee Opinion task group to engage employees on matters that meant most to them. An independent employee survey is also conducted each year focused on their satisfaction.“When the results of the survey are compiled, I have to stand up in front of the staff at the town hall sessions when Doug Soares from Expertise Limited presents the results,” he said. “There is no sugar coating the results. Either we meet employee expectations or we don’t. In areas where we don’t, our task group designs an action plan to get us there.”Mr Wight also stated in 2009 that there would be no layoffs or job cuts due to the recession. That policy has remained in place to date.If you believe your company has what it takes to be named to the Top 10 Employers That Stand Out in Bermuda survey, e-mail info[AT]crowncom.bm.