14. Cisco
Average total pay: $131,716
For: Software Engineer IV*Best companies rank: 20
After the recession made it unlikely that Cisco would hit its bonus targets, company leaders simply lowered the mark -- and everyone got paid. And when on-site childcare at the company's San Jose campus filled up, Cisco built another one. The two centers now serve about 800 children combined, there is a full-time art and music teacher on staff, and the walls are installed with video cameras so employees can watch their kids from their desks.
About 95% of employees use flex-time while 85% take advantage of telecommuting options at Cisco, and the number of remote workers has grown by 27% in the last year as they use the company's video conferencing and virtual meeting technologies to stay in touch. In 2009, Cisco launched an early retirement program that provides a lump-sum payment equal to 12 months of base salary and 24 months' worth of health benefits.
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Last updated January 26 2011: 2:26 PM ET
*Most common salaried job
