America's Happiest Workplaces
Last year, Google (GOOG) emerged as the "Happiest Company in America" in an annual ranking byCareerBliss.com. But happiness is such a fleeting emotion: Google is nowhere to be found among the top 50 companies in the job-information website's most recent survey.
The CareerBliss rankings are based on more than 100,000 worker-generated reviews. Employees rate their workplaces on such factors as work-life balance, relationships with bosses and co-workers, compensation, growth opportunities, a company's culture and the opportunity for employees to exert control over the daily work flow.
Each review is given a score from one to. In all, data from employees at more than 10,000 companies were analyzed.
Click through the following slide show for details on how the top-rated workplaces fared, including their overall "Bliss Scores." In addition, the three top-rated categories for each workplace are given.
This year's survey reiterates what most workers probably know: Great co-workers make a huge difference in job satisfaction. The highest-rated factor shared by each of this year's top 10 workplaces is "the people you work with."
Bliss Score: 4.198
Top-rated categories: The work you do (4.33), the people you work with (4.32), the company you work for (4.32)
Takeaway: San Ramon, Calif., company Chevron (CVX) -- the nation's second-biggest integrated oil and natural gas company, after Exxon Mobil (XOM) -- receives high marks for offering incentives to employees who meet established goals, as well as for its career-planning program.
Bliss Score: 4.201
Best-rated categories: The people you work with (4.43), the person you work for (4.35), the work you do (4.34)
Takeaway: Ericsson (ERIC), the Stockholm maker of telecommunications equipment and mobile broadband gear, gets high marks for its programs and centers designed to assess and develop employees for leadership roles.
Bliss Score: 4.205
Best-rated categories: The people you work with (4.47), the company you work for (4.52), the place you work (4.36)
Takeaway:Fidelity Investments, based in Boston, distributes the products of mutual fund superpower Fidelity. It gets high marks for its professional and managerial training and development programs, as well as for offering tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits and concierge services. Chairman Ned Johnson touts the Japanese concept of kaizen, in which numerous small changes produce big improvements over time.
Bliss Score: 4.206
Best-rated categories: The people you work with (4.44), the work you do (4.39), the person you work for (4.35)
Takeaway: The Air Force, the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces is headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Va., but its combat forces are deployed around the globe. The Air Force gets high marks for providing enlisted personnel with education programs as well as insurance and other benefits.
Bliss Score: 4.208
Best-rated categories: The work you do (4.43), the people you work with (4.38), the way you work (4.35).
Takeaway: Homebuilder Centex merged with PulteGroup (PHM) of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., in 2009 and today represents the division of the business catering to entry-level buyers. The nation's largest homebuilder gets high marks for its emphasis on continuing training in such fields as construction management, information technology, land management and mortgage banking.
Bliss Score: 4.215
Best-rated categories: The company you work for (4.52), the people you work with (4.49), the person you work for (4.33)
Takeaway: BASF (BASFY), headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, is a chemicals company with more than 100,000 employees, 385 production sites and sales in almost every country in the world. It gets high marks for team-building programs.
Bliss Score: 4.234
Best-rated categories: The people you work with (4.49), the company you work for (4.45), the place you work (4.42)
Takeaway: Nordstrom (JWN), a Seattle company that operates 90 upscale apparel stores as well as 90 off-price outlet stores, is no stranger to "best of" lists; it's often recognized for its customer service. Nordstrom gets high marks from employees for promoting from within and for a streamlined accountability philosophy that relies on the judgment of workers.
Bliss Score: 4.236
Best-rated categories: The company you work for (4.42), the people you work with (4.41), the way you work (4.31)
Takeaway: New Brunswick, N.J., health care giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) produces a plethora of drugs, personal-care products and medical devices. Consumers trust such well-known brands as Band-Aid, Tylenol and Neutrogena. Johnson & Johnson gets high marks from employees for its diversity programs, including efforts that assist working mothers and female executives.
Workplace: Fluor (FLR)
Bliss Score: 4.238
Best-rated categories: The work you do (4.46), the people you work with (4.45), the company you work for (4.36)
Takeaway: Irving, Texas, engineering and construction company Fluor (FLR) has projects in numerous industries, including utilities, transportation and health care, as well as government agency work. Fluor gets high marks from employees for establishing a culture of mentoring and professional development.
1. Hilton Worldwide
Bliss Score: 4.360Best-rated categories: The people you work with (4.63), the place you work (4.52), the way you work (4.51)
Takeaway: Hilton Worldwide, based in McLean, Va., and formerly known as Hilton Hotels, operates 3,750 hotels in about 85 countries. It also has the country's happiest workers, according to CareerBliss.com. "When employees feel that there is growth and expansion, the sentiment in the workplace is positive," says Matt Miller, CareerBliss.com's co-founder and chief technology officer.
Hilton's chief human resources officer, Matt Schuyler, confirms this. "Every day, our more than 140,000 team members . . . work hard to fill the Earth with the light and warmth of hospitality. As an employer, we know that if we treat our team members well, they will, in turn, treat our guests well."
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