Fortune List: Google Tops Best Companies to Work For 2013

In the latest year-ender list that came out of Fortune magazine, Google bested every bustling enterprise on the planet, when talking about providing a suitable environment to inspire talent and propel genius.

Fortune did not categorize or provide needed details on how the list was arrived at; many pundits are taking potshots on the whole selection process, wondering why the mighty Apple or gregarious Facebook are nowhere to be found.

Google on Top

Google is no doubt a place worth throwing your expertise into. Salary perks will negate any doubting Thomas from the onset. Added to this, insurance benefits like paying your spouse for a period of 10 years should you die under their employ. And if you’re feelings the pangs of pressure, 100,000 hours of free massage (nearly) should be a great come-on.

Employee satisfaction, however, is hard to quantify especially when each and every budding professional has his/her own different view of what’s good and what’s great. In the corporate world, separating the awesome from the so-so can be a daunting task without proper guidelines and criteria.

This is why the list has invited a lot of speculation and in a way is also catching flak.

Filling the Details In

Although, part of the criteria is employee retention, this is not specified in black and white. Google with all the food available in the workplace, all the games and the gym at your fingertips, and that enormously-enjoyable football table, is poised to capture the top spot; but the question lies mainly in how it landed at the peak.

Lacking of actual methodology, however, makes the list a little suspicious. With no data propelled forward, or any count by percentages, Fortune’s list looks like a giant made of clay, standing on questionable foundations.

Of course, there were catchy blurbs being cited alongside each company presented. Wegman’s Food Market gets the fifth spot besting Edward Jones, which got the eighth spot. Perhaps retirement planning seasoned with personal financial services is on the rise, and is so much fun than decades ago.

In contrast LinkedIn’s own list did cite Google along with Apple, Microsoft and Facebook as top employers, with another social media company Twitter not far behind.

Fortune’s Top Ten Employers

1. Google

2. SAS

3. CGH Healthcare Services

4. Boston Consulting Group

5. Wegman’s Food Markets

6. NetApp

7. Hilcorp Energy Company

8. Edward Jones

9. Ultimate Software

10. Camden Property Trust

No, if you’re rooting for Facebook or Apple, they didn’t make the cut. For a total listing, visit here.