If you are looking to get started with a job in technology, the right company can springboard your career and allow you to work with world-first, innovative systems and ideas - and the perks can be mind-blowing, too. There is more to a great tech job than perks, but it is the fringe benefits that get a company recognised as a great place to work.
What Makes A Technology Company Great?
There are several criteria used by different outlets to rank technology - and other - companies. These are most often judged based on the reviews of employees, based on what work attributes are important to them.
Usually, these include:
Overall company rating
Career opportunities
Compensation and benefits
Culture and values
Senior management and leadership
Work/life balance
Whether they would recommend to a friend
Six-month business outlook
For most people, the right technology company will provide an excellent salary, good leave options, and the opportunity to grow and develop. In addition, being in a technology company allows you to experience and use outstanding technology and the latest developments, spearheading design and implementing new processes.
With so many great technology companies making their way into lists of the best places to work, deciding which one is the best for you and your needs might come down to what makes them different and unique.
Top 10 Tech Companies To Work For In 2022
1. Google
Google might be the world's most well-known tech company, and there is a range of tech jobsavailable in locations across the globe. With offices designed to inspire innovation and community, working at Google is for you if you want to get involved in cloud computing, data handling or consumer hardware.
Google is notorious for employee perks that help them reach their central aim 'to create the happiest, most productive workplace in the world'. Googlers get the usual benefits in terms of insurance and a competitive salary, but they also offer free food and juice bars as well as fitness classes on-site, nap pods, and the opportunity to bring your pet to work.
Googlers get to beta-test new Google products, and can take up to 20% of their work time to pursue passion projects.
2. Amazon
Alongside the business aim of being 'Earth's most customer-centric company', Amazon offers software and technological development opportunities around the world. As part of this, the basic benefits package includes medical, dental and vision plans, life insurance and a thorough Employee Assistance Program.
Amazon also offers a Career Choice Program, which can pre-pay 95% of the cost of tuition, textbooks and other costs associated with getting a better education. Amazon announced plans in April 2021 that they would be investing $1 billion into wage increases throughout the workforce.
3. Microsoft
Microsoft is currently working on a number of futuristic projects like artificial intelligence, and it is an exciting place to work for someone who is interested in getting involved in different tech based projects. There are also a range of career opportunities to choose from.
Microsoft employees are encouraged to join networking, social and Employee Resource Groups to network and interact with colleagues that have similar interests and values, and volunteering is encouraged in the wider community too - which makes it a great place to work.
Microsoft believes strongly in the health and wellbeing of employees, offering employees $1,200 towards fitness classes or gym memberships and onsite healthcare options.
With substantial savings available on Microsoft products and discounts on the high street, the financial benefits of working at Microsoft are more than just a competitive salary.
4. Boston Dynamics
As a recognised leader in the robotics industry, Boston Dynamics encourages an environment of professional freedom and creativity alongside a continuous learning mindset.
Although the developing world of robotics is an exciting place to be if you are tech-minded, Boston Dynamics doesn't make the full list of benefits that employees get public, but some of them include medical coverage, including dental and vision, as well as retirement savings plans.
Employees can get free lunch and snacks at work, and enjoy the vibrant culture that is built around making sure that you have the freedom to be yourself - including a relaxed dress code.
5. Apple
Apple probably has the most recognised logo - and they are one of the most prolific tech companies out there. A career at Apple will certainly stand out on your CV. Being part of the tech team at Apple means belonging to a company that values courage and original thinking.
Collaboration is at the heart of the Apple world, and this leads to the innovation that we recognise - that no idea is too crazy.
One of the most fun perks of working at Apple is getting free apples - but there are also subsidized restaurants like Cafe Mac where employees can get home-cooked, high-quality food. With a wellness centre on campus that includes a chiropractor and mental health support alongside offices that are designed to make good ideas happen, Apple could be considered the pinnacle of world-beating tech - and the people who create it are treated as such.
6. Facebook [the MetaVerse]
There is no denying the huge impact of the MetaVerse on our everyday social life online - and working for them has some impressive benefits.
Referred to as the Life@ package, the support offered to employees is holistic and market-based. Included are the basics like medical and dental insurance and health checks onsite, but there is a clear focus on wellness thanks to the generous time off, financial perks and reimbursement for things like a gym membership or even ski passes.
Inside Facebook, is a collection of brightly coloured offices, designed to offer creative spaces and even places to play games and music, and generally spend time with colleagues to innovate and create.
7. Netflix
Netflix has built an empire using the mindset of 'people over process', and there is no better way to demonstrate that than the freedom given to employees with unlimited time off.
As part of the hiring process, it is interesting to note that Netflix hires everyone at the same level. Netflix pays at the top of an employee's personal market in an all-cash salary, and understands that being flexible and free is the right recipe for innovation.
There is, however, an expectation of excellence in every way - Netflix does not tolerate the 'brilliant jerk' that on paper seems to be the perfect tech expert but is really hard to work with. The values-oriented culture is built on candor and feedback.
8. Tesla
Tesla is in the news so often, as much for cryptocurrency and financial matters as for technology - but it is widely considered to be one of the most forward-thinking tech companies in the world.
With current projects working towards space, finding clean and sustainable energy, and moving into robotics, it is an exciting time to be part of Tesla for a tech graduate or experienced professional. Although it might be a demanding workplace that thrives on fast-paced work and long hours, it is full of inspiring and inspired people with a family shop vibe where everyone is appreciated. There is no corporate hierarchy and there is a safe, innovative and inclusive culture.
Other benefits and perks from working at Tesla depend on the area you choose to focus on, but there is something to be said about having an entrepreneurial company like Tesla on your resume.
9. Virgin
Working under the Virgin multinational banner, Virgin Media concentrates on mobile telephone technology and provides fibre television and broadband services throughout the UK. Focusing on 'building connections that really matter', a career with Virgin Media gets employee discounts - not only on Virgin Media products but also other businesses within the brand, like the airway Virgin Atlantic.
With workplaces designed to be as flexible as the working patterns, you can expect bright spaces, creative areas, and hot-desking to really bring people together. Virgin are looking for pioneers and big thinkers, and with a range of voluntary benefits that can be modified to suit your individual needs.
10. Hubspot
HubSpot is well-known for providing technology that is ahead of the curve in terms of managing customers, and they reflect this in the way they reward their employees.
With a culture of flexibility, belonging, and learning, Hubspot is another major tech name that offers unlimited vacation time, including a company-wide week of rest that happens in July.
Hubspot builds employees through leadership development and tuition reimbursement for further education. All employees are encouraged to think like founders thanks to the radically transparent nature of the company, and employees are encouraged to work autonomously through a combination of work patterns - in the office, at home or elsewhere, or a combination of both.
