Boston, June 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDG’s Computerworld – the leading technology media brand empowering enterprise users and their managers – is pleased to announce the 2019 Best Places to Work in IT list (click to tweet). The annual list is compiled based on a comprehensive questionnaire completed by IT staff regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, career development, training and retention. Once the final rankings are calculated, the winning organizations are sorted by company size. Topping this year’s list in the respective divisions are Owens Corning (large), Ultimate Software (midsize) and Cloud for Good (small).
“The market for IT talent remains very tight, and employers continue to focus on identifying and retaining the best people,” said Computerworld executive editor Ken Mingis. “Our 2019 survey shows again that the Best Places to Work in IT are dynamic organizations that provide top pay and a broad array of programs and benefits designed to make them attractive places to work. Many show that they have a commitment to training, diversity and improved communication and teamwork.”
Compensation and Benefits
The 2019 Best Places to Work in IT list highlights progressive organizations fostering a work environment of professional growth, collaboration and respect. The companies value their employees, taking the necessary steps to position them for success and reward them for their efforts. This has led to productive and engaged employees, as well as strong retention rates for the organizations.
The Best Places organizations understand what their employees value most about their jobs, and have adjusted their budgets and policies as needed. Unsurprisingly, employees reported “fair compensation” as the most important aspect of their job. Our winning organizations recognize this and have responded accordingly; 96% have budgeted salary increases for the current fiscal year, while 82% of employees reported they are satisfied with their base salaries. Moreover, the winning organizations have implemented compensation packages providing additional value for employees. These include 401(k)/403(b) plans (97%), individual employee performance bonuses (91%), employee referral bonus programs (87%), overtime pay (83%) and profit sharing or employee stock ownership programs (56%).
IT teams continue to value the same benefits as in previous years of our questionnaire. The top-ranking benefits were health insurance, paid time off, and flexible hours. Once again, the winning organizations are meeting expectations, with 100% providing health insurance and paid time off, and 97% offering flexible hours. Specifically, 88% of the organizations offer employees a choice of health plans; meanwhile, employees at these firms receive an average of 21 days of paid time off after just one year of service.
Career Development
In recent years, employee training programs have emerged as a critical component of a dynamic workplace environment. This is particularly true in the tech space as new technologies continually cause roles to evolve while businesses shift to a digital-first strategy. In fact, according to IDG’s 2019 Digital Business Research, organizations are currently researching or piloting artificial intelligence (62%), machine learning (57%) and 5G (55%) to support digital growth.
IT staff needs access to the latest training offerings so they can remain effective in their roles and advance in their careers. The Best Places organizations recognize this and are investing in career development opportunities for their employees. In fact, the average budget for employee training in the latest fiscal year was just shy of $1 million, coming in at $977,884. Additionally, IT workers at these organizations received an average of nine days a year to participate in training. This trend is likely to continue, since 55% of the winning organizations plan to increase their training budget going forward. IT staffing numbers are expected to grow too, since 67% of organizations on the Best Places list plan to increase their head count this year.
Diversity and Inclusion
The organizations included in this year’s list have shown a clear commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Research has shown that a diverse work environment not only leads to higher employee morale, but also greater productivity and collaboration. This sentiment is certainly shared by employees: 70% of Best Places respondents said working with a group of people who are culturally diverse is an important aspect of their job.
The Best Places organizations have embraced this philosophy; 98% have nondiscrimination policies in place while working to create an environment of equality. Respondents were overwhelmingly positive when responding to questions on this topic. In fact, over 90% of employees noted their organization treats everyone fairly and equally, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and age.
Employee Morale and Company Culture
In addition to these policies and benefits, there are several abstract factors that have led to a positive work environment for IT staff. These include access to new tools and technologies, employee wellness programs, telecommuting options, opportunities to get involved in interesting projects, and much more. Ninety-seven percent of employees reported they have a good relationship with their co-workers, 92% are proud to work for their organization, and 91% feel their organization is run ethically and honestly. This year’s winning organizations have successfully built a strong company culture where employees feel appreciated and are given the tools to progress in their careers.
Learn More About the Top 100 Organizations
The complete 2019 Best Places to Work in IT report can be read on Computerworld.com. The website features articles profiling several winning organizations, a video highlighting standout benefits and perks offered by the top companies, and an archive listing all honorees dating back to 1994.
Computerworld’s Best Places to Work in IT 2019:
Large Organization Rankings (5,000+ U.S. employees)
- Owens Corning
- Worthington Industries
- Vanguard
- Asurion
- Applied Materials
- Prudential Financial
- Norton Healthcare
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- Discover Financial Services
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- VMware
- University of Notre Dame
- Erickson Living Management
- Kaiser Permanente
- FedEx
- EBSCO Industries
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- TD Ameritrade
- Portland State University
- Principal Financial Group
- Dignity Health
- Motorola Solutions
- CDW
- Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Zimmer Biomet
- Genentech
- MSC Industrial Supply
- Health Care Service Corp.
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
- RSM US
- Sharp HealthCare
- Fannie Mae
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Total Quality Logistics
- Raytheon
- Jack Henry and Associates
- Aflac
- SAS
- DTE Energy
- Holman Enterprises
- Southern Co.
- Nationwide Mutual Insurance
- Mitre
- Memorial Healthcare System
- Christiana Care Health Services
- Atrium Health
- Kroger Technology
Midsize Organization Rankings (1,001 – 4,999 U.S. employees)
- Ultimate Software
- AARP
- Kronos
- Nicklaus Children's Hospital
- Align Technology
- Enova International
- Box
- Plante Moran
- Illumina
- Halifax Health
- Informatica
- CHG Healthcare
- National Information Solutions Cooperative
- Avanade
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
- FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)
- Carvana
- CME Group
- Janney Montgomery Scott
- Axon
- Robert W. Baird and Co.
- Workiva
- DriveTime
- Genesis HealthCare System
- Power Home Remodeling
- Caesars Enterprise Services
- Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties
- Tokyo Electron U.S. Holdings
- American Fidelity Assurance
Small Organization Rankings (<1,000 U.S. employees)
- Cloud for Good
- KnowBe4
- Axxess
- AgileCraft
- CarGurus
- NCAA
- AP Intego Insurance Group
- Dataprise
- Sev1Tech
- BCU (Baxter Credit Union)
- Accelirate
- Paramount Software Solutions
- Connectria Hosting
- Liquidnet Holdings
- NRECA
- MetroStar Systems
- Planned Systems International
- oXya
- Health Catalyst
- Avaap USA
- Pariveda Solutions
- Nitel
About the Best Places to Work in IT list
The Best Places to Work in Information Technology (IT) list is an annual ranking of the top 100 work environments for technology professionals by IDG's Computerworld. The list is compiled based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, career development, training and retention. In addition, Computerworld conducts extensive surveys of IT workers, and their responses factor heavily in determining the rankings.
About Computerworld
Computerworld is the leading technology media brand empowering enterprise users and their managers, helping them create business advantage by skillfully exploiting today's abundantly powerful web, mobile, and desktop applications. Computerworld also offers guidance to IT managers tasked with optimizing client systems — and helps businesses revolutionize the customer and employee experience with new collaboration platforms. Computerworld's award-winning website (www.computerworld.com), strategic marketing solutions and research forms the hub of the world's largest global IT media network and provides opportunities for IT vendors to engage this audience. Computerworld is published by IDG Communications, Inc. Company information is available at www.idg.com.
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About IDG Communications, Inc.
IDG Communications connects the world of tech buyers with insights, intent and engagement. We are the world’s largest media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers. Our premium brands, including CIO®, Computerworld®, CSO®, InfoWorld®, Macworld®, Network World®, and PCWorld® engage a quality audience of the most powerful audience of technology buyers providing essential guidance on the evolving technology landscape.
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