Programmers, engineers and IT staff are in-demand. The mission of these Tech Culture Awards is quite simple. We have surveyed and selected companies who are looking for the best and brightest tech talent and are willing to go the extra mile to provide what they believe is the ideal tech culture.
We realize no list can be perfect or fully complete because – work cultures are constantly changing and to survey and evaluate all potential applicants could take a century or more.
To narrow the field, in order to be eligible to win, organizations must fill out a detailed questionnaire and submit a processing fee. The form itself is self-selecting – meaning, you have a good sense if you are able to answer the questions in an impressive manner or not before you even apply.
Our editorial team spent months pouring over these submissions, reviewing photos, cross-checking details where possible and assembling the detailed justification for why each company was selected.
We further poured over submissions and gave each a grade and summary while pulling out impact statements we feel are differentiators.
Our hope is to capture the spirit of each company’s commitment to building what they believe is the ideal tech culture and presenting it to you in a digestible format. Our biggest challenge was picking what not to share because so many applications were brimming with important differentiators.
After reading through the responses, what has become quite apparent is there are geographic and demographic variables which need to be taken into account. For example, free alcohol may be more attractive in specific age groups. Having a location in an expensive city may not be desirable for workers who don’t want an expensive home. Likewise, having a location away from the city will be a turn-off to some workers as well.
The point is, you shouldn’t just look at the grade we give – read through the submissions to get a sense for yourself if each company fits your needs.
Please keep in mind the perspective of the answers may vary from third-person – when we are interpreting their answers to first-person when we believe it’s best to not edit at all. We feel these responses are what you would get if you were in an interview situation and asked the company specific work-culture questions.
In addition, we sometimes decided to exclude a section from one company or highlight the same section from another if we felt the answer added little additional value or great value respectively. In some cases, confidentiality requests prevent us from sharing entire answers with you.
The companies selected were given grades ranging from B to A+. Nice Systems received the only A++ because their culture is really that good. Telstra applied for their Australia and New York offices. Both won. The Australia office received an A but we felt the New York office deserved an A+.
It is our hope that the annual Tech Culture Awards become the industry standard measure which separates the truly best environments worth competing for.
If your real-word experience agrees with what we’ve presented or differs, we want to know about it. Please respond in the comments below each entry.
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COMPANY NAME |
LOCATION |
GRADE |
SUMMARY |
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Medford, MA |
A |
A superior tech culture with focus on worker wellness, charity, leading collaboration tools, fun and solid perks. |
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Fremont, CA |
A+ |
A great tech culture which shows the value placed on workers from training to empowerment, excellent corporate vision communications, perks and solid worker communications. |
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New York, NY |
A |
Fast growth, in the city that never sleeps, lots of opportunity and great benefits. |
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Bellevue, WA |
A+ |
Located in the center of this mouth-watering gastronomic Mecca, Bsquare blends start-up culture with public company transparency while providing experience in a fast-growing area, IoT. |
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Minneapolis, MN |
A |
Fast growth, team members can make an impact, significant longevity, frequent culture surveys, good perks, collaboration tools as well as Wii-powered fun. |
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Seattle, WA |
A |
Work in the heart of Seattle in its tallest building and benefit from strong corporate vision, a dynamic startup environment and a place where your contribution is valued. |
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San Francisco, CA |
A+ |
Join a company built to last, growing at a steady pace while offering solid benefits, above-average medical, standing-desks, amazing training and other competitive amenities. |
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Oslo, Norway |
A |
Work in Europe at a company where teamwork is valued, a very flat hierarchical structure, solid collaboration tools and above-average worker retention. |
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Harrisburg, PA |
A |
A well-respected employee-owned tech company, great training, incredible employee longevity, solid medical a focus on work/life balance, charitable causes and more. |
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Parsippany, NJ |
A |
Flexible work arrangements, world-class collaboration tools, decades-old industry legacy and a place where your satisfaction and teamwork is valued and you can further help mold the organization. |
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Austin, TX |
A+ |
Huge company stability, 9.7 year employee tenure, a focus on employee satisfaction, incredible training opportunities as well as great room for advancement. |
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Houston, TX |
A |
Solid empowerment and work/life balance are strengths as is caring management who work side-by-side with others. |
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San Mateo |
A+ |
A culture which encourages growth and learning while focusing on charitable causes, a jovial work environment with a strong focus on family. |
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New York, NY |
A+ |
A special family, lots of hugs, established company with amazing benefits and start-up culture. Unrivaled longevity. |
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Columbia, MD |
A |
Family-culture, P2P Employee award program, “You are your own CEO,” great perks and people-first atmosphere, health/nap room, hackathons and solid training. |
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Gurgaon Haryana, India |
A+ |
Comprehensive benefits, great focus on worker satisfaction. Solid room for advancement, hackathons, coding contents and people focus is a core value. |
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Bucharest, Romania |
B+ |
Family focus, room for advancement, work with the latest technology, employee of the month awards, meetings at mountain lodges and more. |
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Irvine, CA |
A |
Solid perks, looks for A-team players, great training, ultra-low turnover, Apple Radio piped in and try-before-you-buy lunch paid by the company before you start. |
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Baskingstoke, UK |
A |
Overwhelming evidence that this is an amazing work environment from turnover of 5%, great opportunities for travel, rapid growth, perks galore, work/life balance, charitable giving, advancement, training and benefits. |
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Scottsdale, AZ |
A+ |
Collaborative, amazing perks, really show care for workers, room for growth, great longevity, charitable, superior training and great two-way interaction between mangers who are called coaches and employees. |
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Palm Harbor, FL |
B+ |
Fun and dynamic, good perks, diverse team, focus on advancement and merit based increases. |
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Ra’anana, Israel |
A++ |
The company nailed every single metric from benefits to medical – it is impossible to imagine what could be improved. |
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Atlanta, GA |
A |
Room for advancement, great benefits and training. Nap pod, employee suggestion program, yoga classes, established company, impressive tenure, great perks and options for fun. |
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Commerce, MI |
A |
Great perks, room for advancement, strong employee focus, training offers are solid. Great meeting places, focus on longevity and worker satisfaction. |
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Irvine, CA |
A |
Solid corporate vision, employee empowerment, open-door policy, focus on well-being, amazing longevity and good perks. |
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Boston, MA |
A |
Great perks, recognition with cash incentives, family-feel, room for advancement, great benefits, good perks, collaboration tools and a no-nonsense place to work. |
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Mississauga, ON Canada |
A |
Innovative culture, focus on growth, innovation and fun, weekly Lunch & Learns, no co-pay, full family coverage, transparent organization, flat organization and room for advancement via hyper growth. |
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Calgary, AB Canada |
A |
SPLICErs (worker nickname) are foodies, willing to help others, eager to learn, quick to adjust, risk-takers and looking to improve. They work in a friendly culture actively screening for workers who fit and want to be a part of an organization with great benefits, collaboration tools, training and perks. |
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Sarasota, FL |
A- |
A fun and techie culture, solid employee recognition, trophies, awards and sales incentives with good perks and inventive meeting places. |
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New York, NY |
A |
Great access to CEO, company has own constitution, great collaboration connectivity, unlimited vacation days policy, good perks and fun and of course a relaxing lounge with an artificial fireplace. |
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Sydney, Australia |
A |
Work for an exciting carrier evolving into a provider of connectivity. The company offers great opportunities to meet with industry leaders as well as start-ups. Focus on shared spaces, not desks, P2P recognition and Work Life Coaching Program. |
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New York, NY |
A+ |
Great salary, leave policy, benefits, investments in training, room for advancement and career development, paid volunteer leave, family-style lunches, ability to "make a difference." |
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Santa Clara, CA |
A |
Great tech pedigree and a start-up culture which believes in cubes, not open spaces. Free lunches, charitable focus, importance placed on worker satisfaction, personal development, focus on speed in development and network transformation. |
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New York, NY |
A |
Multinational company allows workers to learn different culture. Focus on health, charity, worker development, training and recognizing top achievers. Core attributes are speed, simplicity, and trust. |
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Holmdel, NJ |
A |
Core values are “One Vonage, Indivisible,” “Before Us, The Customer,” “Innovate Relentlessly,” “Excellence, Served Daily,” “Do The Right Thing” and “Be Accountable.” Strong focus on valuing employees, room for advancement, community service, free food allowance and more. |
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San Francisco, CA |
A |
Fast growth, importance placed on philanthropy, promotion from within, open office floor plan, strong employee focus. |