6 Best Places to Work and What Makes Them Special

Have you ever wondered why corporations like Google and Facebook are counted amongst some of the best places to work?

There are various factors behind these companies becoming some of the best places to work. But the one basic thing which is common for all of them is that they take utmost care of their employees.

The 21st century is all about competing and grabbing the spot.
It's not only individuals running to secure a good position, but companies are a part of this rat race. You aim to get the best of the talents to work for your organization and achieve the same; you must outshine as a company.

Times have changed a lot. Now employees value dignity, appreciation, and rewards much more than their salary. And perfectly delivering the same is the key to success for both the company and the employees.

Employees are the most valuable asset which a company possesses. When employees only receive a definite salary in return for the work done, they lose their motivation. Whereas, when they get some extra perks and the pay, the employees tend to feel more secure. This develops a sense of being more responsible towards their organization.

It's routine human nature that when someone values us, we tend to respect and appreciate them too. The same goes for companies irrespective of their size. It's even more important for big corporations as their employees are more prone to be left out when it comes to being valued by the senior management.

“Paychecks can’t buy passion.” –Brad Federman

What employees seek nowadays is a workplace that feels like a second home where they can work, grow and learn.

Is it tough to make your organization one of the best places to work?

The best places to work aren't built overnight. It can sometimes be tough to keep in mind everyone's needs and aspirations, as it varies from one employee to the other. But once you get an idea on how to proceed or where to effectively place the benefits and rewards to uplift your employees, then it becomes relatively easy.

So to help you out with that, I'll be telling you about the 6 best places to work in the world and how they keep their employees happy as you keep on reading.

But first, let's take the example of Google who has transformed its entire office complex into a fun park. Having said so, it doesn't mean that the employees there just have fun all day long. It is one of the most productive and best places to work in the world, and every year it attracts the best talents to join their workforce.

See, when fun mixes with work, the results are endless.

Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers. – Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Happy employees are the flag bearers for any organization. They tend to be more active in their work, better motivated, driving them to be the best. Not only do they carry on with their work diligently, but they also develop a sense of gratitude towards their workplace. This goes on like a chain benefiting both the employer and the employees.

Enough said.

So let's get started with the list of 6 best places to work around the world to work for:

6. HubSpot

HubSpot is a Boston-based marketing software start-up. The reason they are in the list of best places to work is their employee benefits program. They have made sure that their benefits program engages an employee and helps them grow and learn.

Some of their key employee advantages are:

• Unlimited Vacation.
• Flexibility on workdays.
• Parental leaves.
• Stock purchasing program.
• Egg Freezing coverage.
• Tuition reimbursement and many more.

While paid leaves and vacations might be common but stock purchasing, egg freezing coverage, and reimbursement program make HubSpot stand out.

How?

• HubSpoters can buy company stocks at discounted rates directly from their paychecks.
• The egg freezing coverage enables female employees to choose between career and family.
• With tuition reimbursement, letting employees learn new things is one of the best ways to motivate them.

5. In-N-Out Burger

It was introduced in 1948 by Harry Snyder as California's first drive-thru Burger joint is famous among foodies and job seekers. The family-owned chain of restaurants provides some great perks and benefits for its employees. Hence it has become one of the most sought-after places to work in the US.

From the beginning, In-N-Out Burger associated with social causes. Slave2Nothing and Ino4kids are two foundations dealing with victims of drug abuse and human trafficking. In-N-Out Burger runs these two foundations and has been helping society for a better future.

In-N-Out burger offers various benefit packages for both part-time and full-time employees.

Some of their benefits are:

• Dental coverage.
• Vision coverage.
• Basic/Voluntary Life and AD&D coverage.

However, the coverages may vary according to the type of associate, from the outlets to the corporate level.

Some of the unique benefits the employees receive are:

• Business and travel insurance for corporate employees
• Retirement benefits with defined contribution profit sharing.
• 15% discount on products at the company store.
• Various company-sponsored events for employees.

4. Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is an IT company catering to solutions to small enterprises, self-employed individuals, and consumers. Founded in 1983, the current revenue of Intuit rose to $6 billion and employs around 9,000 people worldwide. Intuit, through its various flagship products, delivers ease in financial planning to its users.

Their mission is “Powering prosperity around the world.”

But as a company, they take great care of their employees with a whole range of benefit programs.

Some of their notable employee perks are:

• Health insurance plans for every eligible employee and their dependents.
• Full access to various on-site amenities like cooking classes, fitness centers, etc.
• Paid sick leaves, which exclude personal leaves.
• Parental leaves for same-sex partners.

The company invests a lot to bring its employees together by organizing 72 events a year.

3. Boston Consulting Group

Based in Massachusetts, BCG has made its way into the best places to work because of its eclectic employee benefits. One of the major reasons it's a hot spot for job seekers is that it provides the highest base salary.

One thing that makes BCG unique is its diversified work culture.

They have a written policy in place prohibiting any sort of discrimination at work. Various learning programs at BCG allows an employee to keep learning and grow themselves.

Family care programs at BCG include childcare centers and lactation room(s) for female employees.

There are many other benefits of being a BCG employee.

Some of them are:

• 100% health coverage for both full-time and part-time employees and their dependents.
• Unlimited paid time off from work after completing one year of full-time employment.
• Paid paternity leaves excluding standard leave allowance.

2. Wegmans Food Market Inc.

Wegmans, headquartered in Rochester, NY, is a family-owned chain of supermarkets in the US. The company started in 1916 and recorded annual sales of $8.7 billion last year in 2017.

One thing that makes Wegmans so unique is their scholarship program. Every Wegman employee, whether part-time or full-time, is eligible for getting the scholarship to carry on with their further studies. Since starting the program in 1984, Wegmans has given out more than $110 million in scholarships.

Wegman employees also receive a lot of other benefits like:

• Health plans for both full-time and part-time employees.
• Paid vacation for eligible employees and various employee assistance programs.
• Wegmans Retirement plan.
• Discounts on various electronic items and entertainment.

1. Salesforce.com

Salesforce is an IT company that provides CRM, i.e., Customer Relationship Management solutions to enterprises. It currently generates almost $10 billion in revenue with over 32,000 employees globally.

Giving back to society is a crucial part of any organization. Salesforce also does the same but in a unique way. Employees at Salesforce get Volunteer Time Off for taking part in community services. Likewise, the employees taking part in such activities get allowances of up to $5,000/year. They can use the same amount to support social causes, which they feel are right.

How Salesforce made it to the top of the best places to work?

Salesforce treats their employees as a family and has made sure they feel it in every way possible with their concept of "Ohana."

Ohana is the concept that family comes before everything.

The most noteworthy thing about Salesforce that made it one of the best places to work is its substantial diversity and equality. To ensure the same, they have also appointed a "*Chief Equality Officer." *As reviewed by one of their employees,

Chief diversity office promotes a very inclusive diversity program to ensure we all work as one team and a great Ohana (family).

Other lucrative benefits at Salesforce includes:

• Health and Life insurance benefits.
• Stock options for employees.
• Parental leaves.
• Paid time off.
• Employee discounts on various things.

Bringing it all together

Giving out benefits is a great way to keep employees happy, motivated and get the best results out of them. The companies listed above have also done the same with all the benefits they provide to their employees. Hence, they are employing them and helping them grow intellectually through various perks and programs, ultimately making them some of the best places to work.

At the end of the day, employees are also humans and aspire for a promising career and healthy growth.

Working as a SEO Analyst and Content Marketer at Vantage Circle, Angshuman always stays curious and is passionate about learning new things. Got any question? Drop a mail at editor@vantagecircle.com