Today Fortune released their list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For 2010”, and we wanted to do a little side by side comparison to see how their list stacks up against Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. While both lists rely on employee feedback, Glassdoor’s list exclusively represents Employees’ Choice as it takes into account all the anonymous company reviews submitted throughout the year, instead of a short period of time, and does not allow companies to nominate themselves – employees do that through surveys in which they rate and review their employer*.
What we found most interesting was that Glassdoor’s Best Place to Work, Southwest Airlines, was absent from their list, and our #2 slot, General Mills, was ranked #90. It was #1 on our list last year, and barely made Fortune’s rankings at #99. The number one company on Fortune’s listing, SAS, did not make the Best Places to Work top 50 because it had too few reviews to qualify, but it does have a 4.0 rating on Glassdoor, and the CEO, Jim Goodnight, has a 73% approval rating. Fortune’s #2 company, Edward Jones, was also lauded by employees on Glassdoor, however, it was #24 on our list.
Surprisingly Apple, which has been a mainstay on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work and Top Rated CEO lists, was also missing from among Fortune’s ranks. It was also interesting to see Genetech noted as #19 – while most employees surveyed on Glassdoor as “satisfied” with their company, new CEO Pascal Soriat has a low 28% approval rating, which made Genentech ineligible for the company from Glassdoor’s list. (Last year, Genentech ranked #17 on the 2009 Best Places to Work list under then CEO Art Levinson, who had a 94% approval rating)
In all, only 10 of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work cracked Fortune’s top 50, and 21 companies in total that were honored by Glassdoor made their “100 Best Companies to Work For 2010”.
Here’s how Fortune’s list compares to Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work:
How do you think the lists compare? Have they left off a really great place to work, or awarded a company that is only so-so? We welcome your opinion!
• NOTE: Folks at Glassdoor.com have participated in the Fortune application process at previous companies, and it typically has management dedicating considerable staff time and money in an attempt to “wow” the Fortune/Best Companies to Work For committee. In creating Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work, we decided our list would simply let employees voice be heard loud and clear.
