The mindset of those who run businesses in the IT and computing industry means that these companies are notorious for creating good working environments for their employees. Maybe it is due to the fact that they are forward thinking people, want to build an environment that allows creativity to flourish or they have a simple belief that if their employees are happy, their businesses will reap the rewards.

The fact that these companies are leading the way in terms of employee satisfaction is something for the industry really to be proud of.

F5 Networks

F5 came in fourth place in Glassdoor’s rankings of the US’s best places to work list. Somewhat surprisingly, there isn’t an abundance of the usual modern tech company’s features – snooker tables and massage chairs. What seems to be the key here is the actual culture.

An F5 networks software engineer in Seattle, Washington told Glassdoor that a “very competitive salary, and great benefits that challenge the huge multi-nationals” are important plus points. “Plus, the culture is something that makes your day worth being in the office, the atmosphere where everybody understands we are in the same ship and we need to sail it together.”

Citrix

Another one of the best companies to work for, as voted by employees themselves is Citrix. Their philosophy is also based around teamwork and mutual respect. At Citrix, their four factors are – Great leadership and co-workers, Innovation, Collaboration and Flexibility, all of which they try to apply across the whole culture of the business. People are listened to, ideas nurtured and developed, employees empowered, and they work seamlessly with people all over the world, anywhere, any time and on any device.

This all means that employees feel empowered and valued as individuals and also as part of the team.

 NetApp

NetApp is another company which ranks up there as one of the best companies to work for. They offer healthcare, insurance, family, savings and other benefits programs including volunteer time off, and further education benefits. According to NetApp, their success in being a great workplace is down to the “unique offering of employee benefits and our culture of credibility, fairness, respect, pride, and camaraderie.

Creating a healthy work environment plays an important role in building employee enthusiasm and fostering the collaboration and creativity for which NetApp is known. Our daily activities and events help us build our community and maintain a healthy balance between work and play”.

Local Companies

Whilst these big global companies have a lot more scope to create an excellent workplace, local companies should also be given a mention. From the details above, you can see that what people value more than sparkling offices, games rooms and go-kart tracks, is a sense of importance and being a valued part of a team.

Local companies can still give people the opportunity to be listened to, creative and valued and be closely linked to the local community as well. Often you will find that your ideas go further and you might play a larger role in the team.

Whether you want to work for a huge international or a smaller local company, the wants and needs of the employees are the same. Regardless of the size of the company, the real issue is in the environment and culture of the workplace to enable employees to feel needed, important and to allow them to do the best job that is possible.

Karen Harding is the marketing manager at Objective IT, one of the South East’s leading web and software development companies. If you wish to learn more about how Objective IT could help your business, call today.