Glassdoor has just released its annual list of the Best Places to Work, and — unsurprisingly — tech still reigns supreme when it comes to employee satisfaction. Although the top employer this year was not a Silicon Valley behemoth (rather, it was consulting firm Bain & Company), companies known for perks like free lunch, on-site massages, and dog-friendly offices generally ranked highest on Glassdoor. In fact, 40 percent of the top 50 companies in the U.S. are in the tech industry, with big names like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google making appearances on the list.
Facebook was ranked the best tech company to work for, and the second best company overall. Last year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s social network came in at number five, after taking top honors in 2011 and 2013. However, the most consistent names on the list are Apple and Google from the tech world, and Bain from the general business world — these three companies are the only ones to make Glassdoor’s list all nine years of its existence.
The tech industry “really pioneered this whole idea of providing really fantastic benefits and offering very competitive compensation. It’s been interesting to see other companies that are outside of the space following through,” Allison Berry of Glassdoor told Mashable. Consulting firms certainly seem to have a concrete understanding of how to please their employees, with Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company joining Bain near the top of the charts.
But what’s going wrong with some other companies? For many, Berry said, it’s a lack of communication. “As companies try to scale, you see less transparency. Employees are putting in longer hours and you might see less work-life balance, and employees aren’t as confident as career procession,” she noted.
So if you’re looking for a new job in the new year, you might just want to check Glassdoor’s list for inspiration.
