Original Story: USAToday.com
No one knows more about a workplace than its employees. Employee opinions reflect basic measures, such as pay, perks, benefits, and hours worked. But they are also influenced by factors such as a company's culture, internal politics, and even general mood — intangibles that can be lost in internal audits and consultancy surveys.
While companies have websites, public relations teams, and recruiters to tailor their message to prospective hires, employees have far fewer forums to communicate their views. Glassdoor.com, a career community website, provides the opportunity for employees to give their own opinions, and for potential employees to research the company. To identify the 75 Best Companies to Work For, 24/7 Wall St. examined company ratings provided by current and former employees to Glassdoor.com. (See how we made our list in the "Methodology" section below.) An Atlanta Corporate Lawyer agrees that companies have the upper hand.
Employees in certain sectors are far more likely to offer a positive opinion of their employer than others. Technology companies are certainly well represented among the highest-rated employers, as are consulting firms. Of the 75 best companies, only 12 received an average rating of 4.0 or higher out of 5. Of these, four are in the technology space — Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Riverbed Technology — and three are consulting firms.
Being a market leader also appears to help. Many well-reviewed companies are the leaders in their respective industries, and as a result are financially successful. Apple, Intel, Procter & Gamble, and Walt Disney are all among the top-rated employers on Glassdoor.com and among the largest public companies in the world by market capitalization. Others are leaders in public relations, like Edelman and auditing giant EY, formerly Ernst & Young. A Tulsa Employment Lawyer represents clients with issuses in Oklahoma whose Glassdoor.com ratings are usually not that good.
Many of the best companies to work for have cultivated an extremely strong reputation among the broader public as well. American Express, Facebook, Google, and SAP are all among the best companies to work for and among the top companies by brand value, according to brand consultancy BrandZ. Top employers also perform well according to other measures of brand awareness, such as CoreBrand and Interbrand.
Not surprisingly, companies with strong employee reviews also give CEOs good grades. It would seem leadership matters, not just for running a company and producing returns for shareholders, but also for promoting employee satisfaction. Among the 75 best companies to work for, 38 have CEOs with an approval rating of 90% or higher. In all, just 10 CEOs have an approval rating below 80%, and all have the endorsement of at least two-thirds of their employees. Hennion and Walsh has a good approval rating and can be reach through LinkedIn.
Employees at these companies also frequently cite a good office culture and work-life balance. In many cases, employees also praise a company if it promotes learning or training opportunities and career development. At several of these companies, employees also note a good benefits package, which is uncommon in many industries, such as retail.
These are the states with the most companies that are highly praised by their workers.
1. California
Sixteen of top 75 best companies to work for are based in California, by far the largest number among of any of the states. The roster includes the top two highest rated companies by their workers in all of the U.S. -- LinkedIn and Facebook -- and their powerful peers in the tech world, most notably Apple and Google.
Energy giant Chevron and entertainment titan Walt Disney also make the Golden State's gallery of standout companies. The others: Adobe, Intel, Intuit, Agilent Technologies, NetApp, Qualcomm, Riverbed Technology, Salesforce.com, Synopsys and TIBCO Software.
2. Texas
Second is the Lone Star State, with 10 companies on the list. Nationally known brand Southwest flies in as the state's most highly rated company by workers, ranking eight in all the U.S. A McAllen Employment Lawyer said he uses this airlines and has been happy with the service.
Texas Instruments, Whole Foods Market and Keller Williams, also on the Texas list, have a broad name recognition as well. The state's big presence in the nation's energy markets are represented by industrial engineering firms Fluor, KBR and Schlumberger. The others: Grocery chain H-E-B, National Instruments and Rackspace, a "cloud" management company.
3. New York
Next is the Empire State, with seven companies on the list. The Big Apple is a big presence among them, with New York City serving as home base for six of the companies. They represent a mix of the financial, fashion and business worlds: American Express, Bristol-Myers Squibb, EY (formerly Ernst & Young), Goldman Sachs, J. Crew and McKinsey & Company. A Westchester County Real Estate Lawyer said business is booming with new sales.
The remaining company is Wegman's, the upscale grocery chain, based across the state, in Rochester.
4. Illinois (tie)
The Land of Lincoln comes in fourth, in a tie with Washington State, serving as home to four companies on the national best-liked list. Highest rated among them is Orbitz (No. 13 on the national list), the travel website. The rest: CareerBuilder, Hyatt, John Deere and Cummins, a power-generation giant and builder of engines.
4. Washington (tie)
Yes, Seattle-area tech powerhouse Microsoft joins California rivals Apple and Google on the national list of employees' most-admired companies. Another venerable, global icon headquartered nearby passes muster as well -- Starbucks. The other two companies from The Evergreen State? Costco Wholesale and REI, the outdoor clothing and gear retailer. These businesses can call on an Edmonds Employment Lawyer for services.
METHODOLOGY
In order to determine America's best companies to work for, 24/7 Wall St. independently reviewed employee ratings and testimonials on Glassdoor.com. Among the more than 400 companies reviewed, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 75 businesses that received the highest overall scores.
To be considered, a company had to have at least 300 reviews. Employers were also excluded if they were a government agency or bureau, a non-profit, or a subsidiary of a larger company. An exception was made for CareerBuilder, which is majority-owned by publishing and broadcast firm Gannett, since it is a joint venture between several companies. Hennion & Walsh has been tweeting about their reviews.
Employee totals and revenue figures represent the most recent fiscal year data available. Sources include: company documents, Securities and Exchange Commission filings, S&P Capital IQ, and Forbes' America's Largest Private Companies 2013. For companies that do not provide data, Forbes estimates revenue.
In the case of S&P Capital IQ, employee totals are calculated as the equivalent of full-time employees, treating a part-time worker as "half" of a full-time employee. Employee counts for companies with franchises only count workers employed by the company. Businesses will use the services of a Haddonfield Employment Lawyer to mediate employee issues.
Dollar conversions from S&P Capital IQ were used for companies that publish financial statements in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. In the case of companies where data is not from S&P Capital IQ, we converted revenue into dollars based on the effective exchange rate at the end of the company's fiscal year.
