Glassdoor is a website that compiles insider information and reviews on companies, and employees share about their experience interviewing with and working for a company.
Each year, this anonymous employee feedback is used to create a best companies list of the top 50 companies and the best employers to work for, based on the honest opinions of the people who actually work there.
For anyone in the business world, this information is a great career asset.If you're looking for a job, it gives you an insider perspective, and if you're a manager, you can see firsthand what it is that employees do and don't like about their employer.
Check out the top ten for Glassdoor's 2013 Employee's Choice Awards:
- Facebook: With 4.7 stars out of 5.0, Facebook employees are very satisfied, and 99% approve of their CEO, social networking genius Mark Zuckerberg. What do employees love so much? The motto "Move fast and break things" lets them know that it's okay to make mistakes. There is a culture of risk-taking and openness, and a shared commitment to make the whole world more open and connected, rather than just building a company.
- McKinsey & Company: Employees rated consulting company McKinsey 4.0 out of 5.0 and gave Managing Director Dominic Barton a 95% approval rating. A much more traditional work environment than #1 Facebook, it's known as a challenging environment and a blue chip name to have on a resume.
- Riverbed Technology: Riverbed is a computer performance company, and CEO Jerry Kennelly gets a 99% approval rate from employees who like the company culture and values, work/life balance, leadership and career potential.
- Bain & Company: The second consulting company on the list, Bain is called "a great place for ambitious people." With a 4.3/5 rating, 100% of the employees who rated the company support the CEO. Employees laud the work hard, play hard culture and say their coworkers are both intellectually stimulating and down to earth.
- M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: Part of the University of Texas and dedicated to cancer research and treatment, M. D. Anderson has 17,500 employees, many reporting that a big part of why they love their job is that it is rewarding to put their skills to work doing their part for a cure for cancer.
- Google: It's no surprise that Google on the list, since it was rated #1 of Best Companies to Work For by Forbes Magazine this year. Perks like free food and the chance to be work on major innovations have raised the bar for other companies who have to complete for the same employees.
- Edelman: The world's largest public relations firm, Edelman's employees like the formal mentorship program, the level of training and development, the atmosphere of support and the respect for work/life balance.
- National Instruments: The electronics company out of Austin prides itself on giving its employees an environment "framed more by guidelines rather than hard and fast rules..." which cuts down on bureaucracy and no doubt contributes to the common feedback that everyone seems to love their job.
- In-N-Out Burger: As fast food goes, In-N-Out has a lot of faithful fans, and their employees are fans, too, giving a 4.1 rating and saying they appreciate the better-than-average pay rate and flexible schedule options. The free burger, fries and drink every day is an added bonus.
- Boston Consulting Group: The third consulting group in the top ten, Boston Consulting was rated 4.0 by employees who like the high level of their colleagues and the chance to work with world-class clients, though some felt that work-life balance suffered from long hours.
Reading the feedback and reviews from employees in the best companies list, I was struck at how different each corporate culture is, and how different working environments can be. The secret is to find what feels the best for you.
For more information on all of Glassdoor's top 50 companies, and to see the rest of the best employers to work for, check out the Employees' Choice Awards.
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