Meta, Apple fall off Glassdoor list of best places to work

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Glassdoor’s list of 100 best places to work in 2023 is dominated by tech companies, but this year two regular winners didn’t make the cut: Apple and Meta.

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Over 40 per cent of the companies on this year’s list are in the tech industry — despite waves of layoffs. Glassdoor, a platform for anonymous employer reviews, releases the annual list recognizing standouts among U.S. firms with more than 1,000 people based on feedback submitted by employees over the past year. Last year, Meta and Apple both came in around the middle of the top 100. The best company to work for is a new addition to the ranking: software company Gainsight.

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“Tech continues to be the best-represented industry on the list,” said Glassdoor’s lead economist Daniel Zhao. “But at the same time, tech has been on a roller coaster through 2022.” With some companies falling off the list and others entering for the first time, he said, “it’s a nice reminder that tough times often lead to a changing of the guard — companies that rely on old methods might fall by the wayside, and new companies often rise in times of crisis.”

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It’s the first time Apple hasn’t made the list since Glassdoor began releasing it in 2009. Meta has been ranked since 2011 and has held the number one spot three times, most recently in 2018. Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Bain & Company are now the only two firms that have made the list every year for 15 years.

Both Meta and Apple have faced challenges over the past year. The social media company has cut more than 11,000 jobs as it shifts focus to the metaverse. Glassdoor takes into account a company’s business outlook, and the change in strategy has left employees feeling “a little bit unsure of exactly how that’s going to play out,” Zhao said. At the same time, layoffs can devastate morale and do long-term damage to an employer’s brand.

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For Apple, the return-to-office push may be to blame, according to worker reviews. “Employees really do value the ability to work remotely or at least hybrid,” Zhao said. “The push for return-to-office hasn’t been received with open arms, we’ll say.”

Enter Gainsight, which builds platforms for customer service, product and community engagement. In their reviews, employees highlighted the company’s transparent leadership, diversity and inclusion, career opportunities and flexibility — from remote work to unlimited paid time off. Founded in 2009, Gainsight provides software to hundreds of businesses and says it’s remote-friendly and “human-first.”

“In times of crisis, this is often an opportunity for these up-and-coming companies,” Zhao said. “The best companies will go above and beyond to make sure that every part of the employee experience is best in class.”

Bloomberg.com