Amazon.com Inc. and Google parent Alphabet top LinkedIn's 2018 Top Companies offering their workers great benefits, perks and flexibility.
The annual ranking highlights the 50 companies that are most sought-after by professionals, based on proprietary LinkedIn data that examines billions of actions by more than 540 million professionals on LinkedIn.
In the United States, Amazon (No. 1) dethrones reigning top company Alphabet (No. 2) for the first time since the list’s inception in 2016. Following a tumultuous business year for both Uber and Twitter, Uber falls from No. 5 to No. 12 and Twitter dips the furthest in the rankings (No. 17 to No. 43).
Meanwhile, newcomers comprise over 30% of the list and represent a range of industries including retail (LVMH No. 19 and Nike No. 35) and sports (the NBA No. 33 and the NFL No. 39). The list excludes LinkedIn and Microsoft from consideration as is standard for all editorial efforts.*
The 2018 Top Companies realize they must find new ways to woo professionals and set an example for the way corporate America treats employees. Among the themes emerging:
- Purpose over perks: Foosball tables and all-you-can-eat cafeterias lose their appeal if workers cannot get the job done. Amazon (No. 1) attracts top talent by offering a corporate infrastructure that enables employees to see the impact of their work on a broad audience by not delaying launches with internal processes — even if employees need to find a vending machine for a snack.
- Diversity pipeline: Top Companies are testing bold tactics to build a diverse workforce. Oracle (No. 9) opened a charter high school on its campus to invest in STEM-based education, and Box (No. 44) eliminated four-year degree requirements to focus on hiring candidates for their skill sets over their degrees.
- Rethinking corporate healthcare: Employee health is top of mind for these companies, and they are breaking the corporate mold. Amazon (No. 1) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (No. 18) are part of a partnership with Berkshire Hathaway to develop a new healthcare company that aims to cut costs and improve coverage for employees. Apple (No. 6) is reportedly working on primary care clinics for employees that are expected to be at the forefront of combining technology with care.
"Professionals come to LinkedIn every day to talk about the things that matter to them — whether that's news, trends, ideas or insights — or to find the right people or jobs that will lead to new opportunities," says Daniel Roth, editor in chief, LinkedIn.
"LinkedIn Top Companies examines billions of these actions to uncover the employers that are most in demand. Our list is designed to give all professionals a window into the world’s best employers so they follow them, learn from them and discover job opportunities.”
Here is what the highest ranked LinkedIn Top Companies are doing to attract and keep top talent:
- Amazon now offers to prepay 95% of tuition, textbooks and fees for its employees to receive training in "professions of the future."
- Alphabet’s newest offices include sky-high dog parks, indoor fire pits and bouldering walls.
- Facebook extended its bereavement leave policy last year to up to 20 days, a policy developed after Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg suddenly lost her husband.
- Salesforce does continuous audits of its salary data and has spent $6 million trying to ensure equal compensation across gender and race.
- Tesla has a carpool program that allows employees to drive a Tesla to work.
- Apple offers its employees a 25% discount on the company’s devices.
- Comcast NBCUniversal employees get complimentary access to Universal theme parks, discounts on resorts and early access to NBCUniversal movies and TV shows.
- The Walt Disney Company made an initial investment of $50 million at the beginning of the year in an ongoing education program specifically designed to cover tuition costs for hourly employees.
- Oracle recognizes its developers as inventors and creators of “world-changing tech” and encourages them to file patents.
- Netflix doesn’t have policies on vacation time, paid parental leave, dress code or expenses. “We trust our teams to do what they think is best for Netflix,” the company says.
Meanwhile, finding and hiring great talent is vital to every organization. But Tara Finlay of Cornerstone Talent explains that understanding behaviors and identifying the engagement and reward strategies that support happiness and loyalty among workers is paramount.
Management at even the smallest company must take time to understand people and their behaviors as well as identifying the engagement and reward strategies that will promote their happiness and loyalty, Finlay explains.
“Managers play a key role in shaping the culture of the organization,” said Finlay. “Great managers build and develop engaged, high performing teams around them. It is essential to fully understand the impact your style and behaviors have on your team, colleagues and peers," Finlay said.
"Leaders must take ownership of the engagement of their teams, look at each person individually, understand their strong points and their developmental and motivational needs and respect diversity. Lead by example and model the behaviors that you want to embed into your culture.”