The Top 100 – are you on the list?
It’s that time of year again, when Fortune magazine releases its annual and grammatically-incorrectly-titled list of the “Top 100 Companies to Work For.” (It should be “Top 100 Companies for Which to Work.” It only sounds awkward the first 20 times you say it, but you get used to it really fast.)
I love diving into the content they generate for this feature, because they always have new and fun little sidebars to entertain and send the reader into total “wishful thinking” mode. Like the “Best places to work … and play” (how come Microsoft got two entries in there?!). Or the “Best cafeterias – and gyms to work off that lunch” (eBay got the double-dip on this one).
More practical (and more directly related to some of the categories on this blog) are the list of the 25 top-paying companies, and the 15 companies they flagged that offer “unusual perks.”
Now, as I’m filing this under “Fun With a Purpose,” and since I’ve given you links to what I consider the fun part of things, now it’s time to tie in the purpose. Whether you subscribe to the practical Covey school of “Begin with the end in mind” or the more intangible “thoughts are things” Law of Attraction school, the result is the same:
If you don’t know what you want, you don’t know for what you should go. (Yes, yes, I had to write it that way since I took the Fortune folks to task above. Say it 20 times and you’ll never need to say “Know what to go for” again.)
Reading that Fortune feature is an exercise in telling your brain what’s possible. Sometimes we get so mired in the way things are, right this minute, that we can’t imagine how things could be different. So take this opportunity to expand your mind, and consider how you could improve your job situation in 2008.
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Peter,
I appreciate your take on the Top 100 list. It is great to dream big. Perks and benefits certainly help make a workplace more enticing.
There are many other factors to seek in a workplace that are less tangible, but equally important. For example: mentorship, support for implementing innovative ideas, the latitude to be creative, emphasis on promotion from within and support from non-micro-managing leadership.
Working with people whom you respect and like is another important, although intangible factor that influences the work experience. Although pay and perks are great, in my opinion, working with people whom you admire and enjoy being around may be the most important factor influencing a positive work life! After all, many of us spend more waking hours with our work colleagues than our friends and families.
P.S. – How about the “Top 100 Companies for Workers?”
Miriam Salpeter
Keppie Careers – A Head Above the Rest
http://www.keppiecareers.com