Glassdoor Announces Top Companies for Work-Life Balance According to Employees

SAUSALITO, Calif., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Even in the wake of the economic downturn and significant job reductions, the majority of employees (54 percent) report good work-life balance while 43 percent wish they had better work-life balance, according to a recent survey(1) conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of career and jobs community Glassdoor.com.  To shed further light on employee sentiment in this important area, Glassdoor today announced the top 25 companies offering the best balance between work and personal life.  The top five companies in this category, according to employees,  include: Nestle Purina Petcare, MITRE, SAS Institute, FactSet and United Space Alliance.

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"As technology has made it easier to work remote and the lines around the 9-to-5 work day have blurred, we feel it's important to highlight those companies that recognize employees' needs beyond the demands of their jobs. This list from Glassdoor honors those companies where employees feel work-life balance is encouraged and valued," said Robert Hohman, co-founder and CEO of Glassdoor.

Nestle Purina Petcare received the highest rating (4.6 on a 5-point scale) from its employees over the past year in regard to work-life balance. Employees here appreciate perks like the company store, gym, on-site daycare and credit union, as well as the freedom to bring their pets to work. Employees also comment on the flexible work schedules and managements' understanding of non-company related obligations.

"At Nestle Purina, we recognize the importance that work-life balance plays in our associates' satisfaction at work. This is why we have placed such a strong emphasis on providing amenities and resources to help our associates achieve a healthy balance, a factor that we feel contributes to the organization's high performing culture," said Nestle Purina Petcare CEO W. Patrick McGinnis.

The complete list of the Glassdoor 2011 top 25 companies for work-life balance is below, along with corresponding 2011 rank.

Glassdoor's list of top companies for work-life balance relies solely on the input of employees who elected to participate in a 20-question survey(2). Specific to work-life balance, the survey seeks to find out how satisfied employees are with senior leaderships' support and understanding for balancing work life and personal life, and for how flexible employers are in giving employees the time off they need to handle everything from car maintenance to home-life issues. The list is derived from surveys submitted between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011.

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(1) This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Glassdoor from March 9-11, 2011 among 2,045 adults ages 18 and older of whom 1,145 are employed full time, part time and/or are self employed, 1,030 are employed full time and/or part time and 166 are unemployed but looking. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For the purposes of this study "employees" were defined as U.S. adults 18+ employed full time and/or part time unless otherwise indicated.

(2) The company review survey gathers employee feedback in which we ask people to offer "pros," "cons" and "advice for senior management", as well as ratings for key attributes like career advancement, work-life balance and senior management competence. In addition, employees also rate how satisfied they are with their employer overall and how well they feel their CEO is leading the company.

About Glassdoor.com

Glassdoor.com is a free and anonymous jobs and career community offering an inside look at companies and access to millions of job listings. Glassdoor helps employees, job seekers, employers and recruiters find and share detailed information about more than 115,000 companies, such as Facebook, Accenture, AT&T, Oracle, Starbucks and UPS.  This proprietary user-generated content includes salary data, company reviews, interview questions and reviews, office photos and CEO approval ratings. Glassdoor was founded in 2007 and launched its website in 2008. Headquartered in Sausalito, Calif. Glassdoor has raised $22.2 million from its founders, Benchmark Capital, Sutter Hill Ventures and Battery Ventures. More information about Glassdoor can be found on its blog, Facebook, and on Twitter.

Glassdoor.com is a registered trademark and JobScope is a trademark of Glassdoor, Inc

SOURCE Glassdoor.com