BizKnowledge Watch

Facebook is the best place to work in the US, according to Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards which lists the top 50 best places to work. McKinsey & Company and Riverbed Technology follow up in second and third place, respectively.

The ranking of the top companies was determined by taking cumulative average ratings from the half-million employees. The survey asks employees to rate their satisfaction with their company overall as well as in key workplace factors such as career opportunities, compensation and benefits, work-life balance, senior management, culture, and values.

Here’s the complete list of this year’s Top 50 Best Places to Work.

(CC) Franco Bouly/Flickr

Bain & Company is the best place to work in the US, according to Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards which lists the top 50 best places to work. McKinsey & Company and Facebook follow up in second and third place, respectively.

To compile the list, Glassdoor used information collected from an anonymous 20-question survey that addresses eight workplace factors, including work-life balance, career opportunities, communication, compensation and benefits, fairness and respect, employee morale, recognition and feedback, and senior leadership.

To make the list, companies had to have a minimum CEO rating, a minimum rating in all eight categories, and at least 25 current employee-submitted reviews over the past 12 months.

Here’s the complete list of this year’s Top 50 Best Places to Work.

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New England Biolabs placed 1st overall in the Scientist’s latest survey of the “Best Places to Work in Industry”. Wyatt Technologies and Infinity Pharmaceuticals were awarded 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, in both the overall rankings and the Top Small Companies category.

Meanwhile, Monsanto topped the “Top Large Companies” category, followed by Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred International. Despite economic hardships in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries over the past year, many of the companies recognized by this year’s ranking have reported positive growth in their workforce.

Alongside remuneration & benefits, survey respondents cited training, educational development, and a sense of community as predominant factors in establishing a positive workplace.

For more information about the ranking, click here.

(CC) The CBI /Flickr

The director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Richard Lambert, said that it is even more important during the recession that students gain vital employability skills and experience of the workplace while at university, so that they are better equipped to compete in the increasingly competitive jobs market after graduation.

Launching a new CBI/Universities UK report, “Future Fit: Preparing Graduates for the World of Work“,  Mr. Lambert will highlight the importance employers place on ‘employability’ skills – such as self-management, team-working, customer awareness and problem solving – when recruiting graduates. He will also encourage more employers to offer work placements and internships to undergraduates, stressing the benefits they bring to both students and to businesses.

“To say that the class of 2009 won’t have it easy after graduation is an understatement – competition for jobs will be the most intense for many years,” Richard Lambert will say.