want my kids to work for J&J. If there is life after death, I would definitely like to work for J&J again," says Rajiv Patil, general works manager, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. He has been in J&J for 22 years, having joined as a trainee. With attrition rates of just 4.64%, J&J claims to have lost only one high-potential employee in the last one year. But that's not why it is at No. 3 on our list of great places to work. Employees describe J&J as 'caring' and 'morally upright', which is perhaps why it ranks so high.

The seminar hall at J&J's Mumbai head office is packed. The Credo, a protocol written 60 years ago by founder Robert Wood Johnson, is hanging on the wall. This one-page document outlines J&J's responsibility to its consumers, employees, stockholders and the environment. Managing director Narendra Ambwani is trying to revisit the Personal Code of Conduct (PCC) and the Credo with the sales team. "The PCC and the Credo are central to every decision, and it is important that employees understand how to translate these words into action," says Ambwani.

Every year, the HR team undertakes a Credo feedback survey to test the climate and culture within the organisation. "Each employee fills in a questionnaire. (We) use the scores to rate the company on 27 parameters that reflect employee perception on processes, policies, work culture, decision-making, and development within the company," says Vikas Shirodkar, vice-president (HR).

Two years ago, the survey threw up some unexpected results. The R&D division had rated J&J very low on climate for innovation. "Before the survey, we didn't realise that the R&D people felt stifled due to stringent product development norms; the survey highlighted their... need for creative expression," says HR manager Trupti Mohan.

So the R&D team was given training on how to innovate. An innovation cell was formed. Members tried to find ways to present their work more creatively, and the best proposals were sent to the Asia-Pacific headquarters for approval. "This worked so well that within two years the survey ratings from the R&D department had notched up considerably," says Shirodkar.

Though J&J's pay package is around 60% of the industry average, it recruits from the top B-schools. "We aren't the best paymasters, yet we manage to attract talent.... We value long-term commitment, but also encourage young blood," says Ambwani, who has himself been in J&J for 27 years.

Having many long-serving employees means that exceptional performers cannot be promoted as there is no room to move them. "We are now moving people to foreign locations and giving them assignments at our global headquarters. This makes space for internal promotions. We also move people across functions so that they get different perspectives," says Ambwani.

J&J has tied up with various B-schools for executive MBA courses. It has also tied up with an e-learning portal to provide articles to employees on subjects of their choice. "Our initiatives (are meant) to make life simpler for employees so that they can concentrate on their work," says Shirodkar. myjnjindia.com is a great example. The site gives employees a platform to interact with each other. It also takes care of tasks like applying for leave, filing IT returns, loan applications and the like.