A great corporate culture attracts and engages talent.
The secret to success is no longer just about earnings and growth. It’s about creating an attractive company culture for employees.
Today’s workers are looking for more than a good paycheck and medical benefits. Most people want to feel good about their jobs. They want their work to be meaningful and fun. They want their employers to appreciate them and value the work they do day in and day out. They seek an exceptional organizational culture.
Not long ago, corporate culture was defined by company rules, office politics, work hours and dress codes. Now it’s defined by what makes an organization a “best to work for” company. A desirable company culture is key to building a brand, attracting customers and engaging talent.
Company, corporate or organizational culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, assumptions and habits that determine how people behave in organizations, how employees and management interact, and how they treat their customers. It develops organically over time from the cumulative traits of the people working at the organization.
Keep your company culture in mind when making business decisions. You can learn a lot from company culture champs that frequently rank at the top of “best to work for” lists. Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it right. So it pays to look into what they’re doing.
The survey
Job hunting website Glassdoor.com each year uses its huge database of employee reviews to create its annual list of the top 50 Best Places to Work. It evaluates a year’s worth of company reviews provided by employees rating their overall satisfaction, CEO approval, compensation, work-to-life balance and outlook for the company, among other factors. All of the companies ranked have 1,000 or more employees.
Following are the 10 best companies to work for, among 50 companies.
1. Google
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.5
What it does: Internet-related services and products.
“Great people. Great Values.” – Program Manager in San Francisco, CA.
Example of great corporate culture: “Google’s corporate culture is the standard by which all other tech companies are measured.” – Forbes.
Pros
The benefits and care of employees is obviously world class, and compensation is almost unmatchable. But the company attracts some of the best talent and best people to work with in the world, which is the most important bit. Potential impact is always huge, and it’s great to wake up in the morning and hear that the company you work for is going to try and defeat death, or bring internet in balloons to rural areas.
Cons
Google has gotten really large, and depending on where you are in the company, some bureaucracy and politics can get in the way. The company is very conscious of it, though, so it’s less than you might see at other companies of this size. Launching is also the main emphasis—it’s hard to hire some of the brightest people in the world and ask them to just maintain some code base. Almost everyone is very entrepreneurial and wants to be working on new things, so maintaining things and following through of things can sometimes be difficult.
2. Bain & Company
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.4
What it does: Consulting firm with offices in 51 cities worldwide.
“Hands down awesome.” – Senior Associate Consultant in New York, NY.
3. Nestlé Purina Pet Care
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.4
What it does: Produces and markets pet food, treats and litter.
“Best place I’ve ever worked.” – Engineer in St. Louis, MO.
4. F5 Networks
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.3
What it does: Application Delivery Networking (ADN) technology.
“Challenging, fun, the company actually helps you achieve your best.” -Software Engineer III in Seattle, WA.
5. The Boston Consulting Group
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.3
What it does: Global management consulting firm with 82 offices in 46 countries.
“Incredible opportunity.” – Consultant in New York, NY.
6. Chevron
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.2
What it does: Multinational energy corporation.
“Excellent company with great compensation and work-life balance.” – Procurement employee in Houston, TX.
7. HEB
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.2
What it does: Supermarket chain with more than 350 stores.
“Great company.” – Receiver in Houston, TX.
8. In-N-Out Burger
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.2
What it does: Fast food restaurant chain in the Southwest.
“Amazing!” – Associate Level III, Avondale, AZ.
9. McKinsey & Company
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.2
What it does: Management consulting firm.
“Rigorous focus on professional development.” – Engagement Manager in San Francisco, CA.
10. Mayo Clinic
Employee rating of corporate culture: 4.2
What it does: First and largest integrated nonprofit medical group practice in the world.
“Excellent work experience.” – Research Associate in Rochester, MN.
To view the full list of Glassdoor’s 50 Best Places To Work In 2015, click here.
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G. Torres is a business writer and editor.