Yes, Virginia, There ARE still Great Places to Work

The declining situation of the global economy has shaken the foundation of the dream of vertical ascent and wracked the general confidence in “the way things are.” In times like these, it’s easy for skepticism and drear to set in, but just like the girl who wrote to The Sun in 1897 querying about the existence of Santa Claus, you must believe that there is still good in the world and that there are still good places to work.  

Yes, Virginia, there are still great places to work. Here are three:

GOOGLE

Google is legendary in creating a fun, creative environment for its "Googler" employees.

Not familiar? Check out this video.

What's In The Bag, Santa? Perks, and lots of them. Free tech devices, tons of food and visits from celebrities are just a few. CNN's slideshow, “Google: The King of Perks,” details some recently added ones.

Google is part amusement park, health club, mall and food court, “Googlers” however, should not be considered slackers. Google has created such an innovative environment that some suggest Googlers may spend TOO much time at work.

Let's Talk Business: Google's growth remains strong, always a plus for employees. Not a believer? If you’re so inclined, you can view Google’s latest financial reports here.

Get Started: It may be difficult to read about such a nice place to work and not want to be involved. Google might have a spot for you, chief!

RACKSPACE

Wow. These folks get it.

Rackspace is a cloud hosting provider based in San Antonio. Rackspace is also serious about keeping their workers happy to keep their customers happy, which is a pretty flawless business model, no?

What's in The Bag Santa? Tech companies have gained a bit of a reputation for cultivating casual workplaces filled with passionate people and Rackspace is no exception. During the company’s last growth spurt, they moved into an abandoned mall that now serves as the HQ for their hosting operations.

Once hired by the Texas based company, you become absorbed into a “Racker” culture that is fun, creative and smart. Very smart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mBznfn-RPA&feature=player_embedded#

Rackers themselves play the biggest part in that culture. Many blog about themselves, their company and life in general. The company hosts a culture blog that serves as a sounding board for employees and also a great marketing technique for recruitment.

Rackspace has some nice financial perks too, like stock options, quarterly profit sharing and 401(k) matching.

Let's Talk Business: Rackers can also be happy in part, because their company is growing.

Graham Weston, chairman and co-founder of Rackspace, believes his company can win with “Fanatical Support,” the company’s trademarked philosophy that focuses on customer service.

Get Started: Sound like something you might be interested in? Get involved!

NETAPP

This Sunnyvale, California based company is on CNN’s list of great places to work at spot No. 6, which is their third straight year in the top 10.

By The Way, What's In The Bag? According to a CNN Money article, it's cash. NetApp employees received huge bonuses last year (up to 31 percent of their salary) when revenues shot up to five billion dollars.

The article also states the most common hourly job at NetApp has an annual pay of $76,182. The most common salaried position at NetApp (Member of the Technical Staff Software) has an annual pay of $143,077.

You can read the complete CNN stats on NetApp here.

NetApp even has a Great Places To Work (GPW) initiative, which keeps them looking for new ways to be employee focused. This includes...are you ready? Friday afternoon Beer Blasts. To be fair, these also include food. Sorry, no available videos of the Beer Blasts.

Get Started: Looking for a piece of the $5 billion pie? NetApp is hiring.

NO GREAT PLACES TO WORK?

Yes, Virginia, there are. These places are fun, creative and enjoyable. There are employers who care about their employees as much as they care about the bottom line. Santa may have gone high tech, but there are still great places to work.