Each year, Fortune Magazine releases the list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the United States and for the company that leads the top it is a confirmation of its status in the industry. In 2012, Google took the leader position, becoming the best place to work in the United States.
In 2011, Google was ranked the fourth in the list, after SAS, Boston Consulting Group and Wegmans Food Markets. Fortune Magazine has boosted Google to the front leader position because of everything that Google did last year, from “revenue, profits, share price, paid search clicks, hiring – and so, too, was employee love”.
The Magazine writes that Google “climbed three slots in our ranking to reclaim the top spot” because “employees rave about their mission, the culture and the famous perks of the Plex”. And working for Google really does sound great. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company who provides access to bocce courts, a bowling alley and 25 cafes companywide, all gratis.
On Thursday, Google CEO Larry Page talked about the company’s position as the most sought company to work for. Page explained that the company has “taken the number one spot three times now, more than every other company. I want to thank everyone at Google for their hard work, which has made this possible”.
Zeus Kerravala, analyst with ZK Research, said that Google is the sort of company that “attracts people that are creative and entrepreneurial”. The company encourages creativity and “a lot of out-of-the-box thinking”. And if that alone isn’t enough to make it a great place to work, “combine that with a stock that’s soaring, market-leading share and people who feel empowered”.
Laszlo Bock, Google’s senior vice president for people operations, said that the perks are not the only thing that attracts people. You need to go beyond the “flashy, shiny things, like the massages and the food”, to find the real story about what makes Google culture work.
SAS Institute, the former frontrunner of Fortune’s list, is now Number 3. The company’s subsidize Montessori child care, unlimited sick time, intramural sports leagues and a free health care center were not enough to top Google.
In 2011, Google had 18,500 employees in the United States and a job growth rate of 33 percent.
