10 Best Companies To Work For

Which workplaces are winning the company culture game? Great Place to Work® and Fortune Magazine just published the 2016 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For®, which identifies the organizations that are the leaders in taking care of employees – not just by offering awesome perks, but by building relationships and taking care of them as people. Here are the Top 10 companies on this year’s list. Check out the entire list of the 2016 #100BestCos here.

1. Google

Great Place to Work / Via reviews.greatplacetowork.com

For it's seventh time, Google ranks as the #1 Best Company to Work For. Famous for their world-class perks, the company also provides ample opportunities for development, the chance to work on important projects (including driverless cars!), and an inspiring work environment – some guest speakers at the company include Bill Nye, Rigoberta Menchu and even the cast from Entourage.

One employee said that “there is probably no other company on Earth that tries as hard as Google to make their employees feel wanted and appreciated.”

2. ACUITY Insurance

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ACUITY, an insurance company based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, takes great pride in treating employees well and cultivating a family feel in its offices.

“I have never worked at a company that makes me feel valued as a person above what I produce,” one employee said. “From the first day of training when I wasn’t even contributing to the income of the company, they made me feel like a valuable asset.”

In addition to being one of the Best Companies to Work For, ACUITY also boasts the largest free-flying American flag in the world!

3. The Boston Consulting Group

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The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), whose alumni include CEOs of global corporations, presidential candidates and musicians like John Legend, offers a workplace full of bright people and interesting projects. The management consulting firm puts a strong emphasis on professional development and offers coaching, mentoring and opportunities to work on yearlong overseas assignments.

For their hard work, employees are rewarded with generous benefits. Without paying any monthly premium, all BCG employees, regardless of role or tenure, receive comprehensive health care coverage with an average co-pay of $5 or less. Under this health care plan, emergency room visits are even free.

4. Wegmans Food Markets

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Wegmans Food Markets, with locations across the East Coast, has appeared on every 100 Best Companies list since 1998. Employees here feel like they’re part of a big family – one said that “I love coming to work, because even if I’m having a bad day, the second I come into the door, positive energy overwhelms me.”

Employees are also eligible for $2,200 college tuition reimbursement, a 401(k) match, and 85% health care coverage if they work for 30 hours a week or more.

5. Quicken Loans

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Quicken Loans, a mortgage lender with more than 11,000 employees, is committed to not only creating a great workplace, but is also focused transforming the city it’s based in – Detroit. The company offers employees $3,500 incentives to move to downtown Detroit, part of its efforts to revitalize the city.

The company also offers weekly four-hour periods for its technology teams to work on personal projects (even those not related to the business), and hosts a “Pitch Day” where team members can present their ideas to a live audience of their fellow employees, with winners receiving a free vacation or $500 gift cards.

One employee said that Quicken is “like a playground for adults whose passion it is to do good work.”

6. Robert W Baird & Co

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“Many places preach culture and in today's workplace it has become very cliché,” according to one employee at Robert W. Baird & Co., a financial services firm. “I can honestly say after viewing friends complain about their bosses, hate their jobs, and stay in roles where they are unappreciated that Baird has the best culture around.”

Baird is famous for its “no asshole” rule – meaning the firm does not hire people, and will fire people, who are disrespectful of others by putting their needs before their colleagues or clients.

Employees here enjoy flexible work arrangements, two paid days per year to volunteer, and time off for employees to mourn pets that pass away.

7. Kimley-Horn

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Nearly 100% of employees at Kimley-Horn, a design consulting firm based in Raleigh, NC, say that the company has a great atmosphere and offers great challenges. One employee said that the company “really does live by its core purpose: to provide an environment for our people to flourish.”

For the first five years after joining the company, Kimley-Horn employees receive six coupons annually, each redeemable for up to $36 to buy lunch for themselves and an employee guest of their choice. They encourage employees to invite senior leaders, staff from other teams, or anyone who may help them better understand the company and possible paths to pursue.

8. SAS

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SAS, which creates data analytics, has locations all around the world but boasts a beautiful headquarters campus in Cary, North Carolina, complete with roaming sheep that keep the lawn tidy.

The company’s CEO, Dr. Jim Goodnight, offers this advice to companies seeking to become great workplace: “Treat employees like they make a difference, and they will make a difference.”

One employee says “I've been working here, soon to be 30 years, and there has never been a day that I have not wanted to come to work. I'm thankful every day I get to drive into such a beautifully landscaped campus, enter a building of smiling, friendly faces and feel so fortunate to work with an awesome team of co-workers, as well as pleasant customers.”

9. Camden Property Trust

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Camden Property Trust, a property management company based in Houston, promotes a culture of fun, and boasts about its “skit culture” – an informal tradition of employees putting together fun sketches that touch on the company’s culture, which they perform at company gatherings.

“Having fun is truly a way of life with this company,” said one Camden employee. “From the company functions to day-to-day activities, it makes coming to work enjoyable.”

Employees who choose to live at a Camden property receive a 20% discount on their rent, and avoid many fees and have favorable lease terms. Employees also have the option to give this benefit to a parent or child. More than 34% of employees take advantage of this benefit and collectively save nearly $2 million annually.

10. Edward Jones

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Edward Jones, a national network of 13,000 financial advisors, is a 17-time list-maker. Employees here typically work in small offices (sometimes as small as two people), but still feel a strong connection to the company as a whole. Financial advisors here feel they have control over their success, supported by their headquarters support team.

The company believes in recognizing employee achievements – last summer, the company gave out 23,794 awards in its regional meetings.

Great Place to Work® - The Company Behind the List

Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, andcertification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work® provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed tocreate, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In the United States, Great Place to Work® produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For®" list and a series of Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces lists including lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small and Medium Companies and over a half dozen different industry lists.