Top 10 Software Companies to Work For in 2009 – According to Employees

Working for a software company seems to be a hot commodity these days, out of the 50 companies chosen to be on the Glassdoor.com Employees’ Choice Awards 15 of them were software companies. In 2008 more than 11,000 companies were reviewed by close to 75,000 employees. In order to review the companies the employees had to complete a survey by ranking those companies on a scale of 1-5, questions included:

• Opportunities for professional growth at company
• Opportunities for career advancement within company
• Your compensation compared with similar jobs elsewhere
• Your benefits package compared with similar employers
• Information and knowledge sharing within the company
• Communications from management about important issues and changes
• Company as a place you would recommend to others to work
• Company as a place you are proud to work
• Feedback you receive about your job performance
• Recognition and praise you receive when you do a good job
• Leadership abilities of Senior management
• Competence of Senior management
• Management support in permitting time off when you think it’s necessary
• Employer support in balancing between work life and personal life
• Fairness in how promotions are given and people are treated
• The level of respect shown by management toward employees
• Overall, how satisfied are you with the company as a place to work

• 25 Reviews from United States-based employees
• “Satisfied” ratings overall and across all categories
• A CEO with at least a 50% approval rating

• “A good place to work if you want to learn a lot and lead a normal life.”
• “One of the best places in the world to work.”
• “Great benefits that spoil the spoiled rotten.”
• “The People is what makes Google a top place to work at”
• “Best large company for a software engineer”
• “Great place to work but it’s hard to be noticed in such a huge pond of ridiculously smart people with too much free time”
• “Could be hell or heaven or anything in between.”
• “Good, but should do more to develop its current employees.”

• “Intuit: Work hard surrounded by the smartest people you’ll ever meet”
• “As good as it gets after the tech bust”
• “Company keeps its good heart while going global and embracing innovation”
• “Awesome place to work if you want to solve real customer problems and work with great people”
• “A great place to work , where professional growth and innovation are encouraged.”
• “Intuit – past the crossroads now, on the path to irrelevance ”
• “You think you know the culture, but it’s what you don’t know that hurts you.”
• “Great Employee Benefits, lack of Team Support, too concerned about Culture vers. getting work done.”
• “What you make of it”
• “Intuit is your father’s Oldsmobile with spinning rims and you’re racing for pinks – fun maybe, but it doesn’t bode well.”

• “Great place to work at if you are in the right department.”
• “A place for a longterm career, and not suitable for those simply looking for a job.”
• “A open and friendly place to work that makes the contributions you place feel valued and compensated.”
• “FactSet is a tremendously well-run business who takes care of hard-working, top performers.”
• “The company has continued to not only remain stable, but to grow and thrive, even during a difficult economic climate.”
• “Good place to get your foot in the door, but don’t be fooled — there is life after FactSet!”
• “Too many people disappearing these days…Replaced by recent college grads with little experience….”
• “No Career Path; Many Managers are simply "Sales People".
• “Very Political Environment”
• “Good to start but slow knowledge progress overall.”

• “Some flaws, but in general a fantastic place to work.”
• “I’ve made more money at Apple than any startup or established company I’ve worked for.”
• “If you have the energy, a great place to grow”
• “A great place to make a difference”
• “If you have to work for someone else, Apple’s about as good as it gets.”
• “Fast Paced, Fun work environment, but some room for improvement.”
• “Hard work, low pay, 4 year max until burnout. ”
• “great company, but long hours”
• “Awesome work place, low pay.”
• “Apple can be exciting to work for, but it’s a rough ride. Not for the faint-hearted.”
• “Hope you like having a chance at making a difference, and don’t mind never being famous, or getting paid real well.”

• “Cutting edge technology with plenty of room for growth”
• “Awesome Products, People, Culture, and Benefits.”
• “Great company, competitive salary and outstanding benefits.”
• “Citrix is great place to be with a work hard, play hard culture in a very exiting, dynamic industry.”
• “Company runs by political wrangling. Execs now focus on copying Apple on just about everything.
• “Great company that used to feel like a startup but now is a huge corporation.”
• “Citrix- good products, bad employee motivation to remain loyal.”
• “Great company culture and C-level leadership but ignorant and uneducated managers.”

9. Novell

• “Great company, despite what you read in the news.”
• “Professional management; company heading in the right direction”
• “A great place for stable, work-life balance. Not going to take over the world anytime soon.”
• “Great company, talented people but suffers from executives that are not in it for the long haul, just the money.”
• “Great pay, great workers, misguided and ineffective management.”
• “A potentially awesome company…so why do I feel so empty inside?”
• “Senior management is milking this place.”

• “Good company, not perfect, but better than most”
• “A great place to work if you’re motivated and like to take big challenges head-on”
• “Successful company that should evolve further”
• “Can be a great place to work, if you don’t mind the impact on your private life”
• “Work hard, play hard company.”
• “A good stepping stone to a better place”
• “Good place to work in an emerging area of software development.”
• “Salesforce.com is a great place to work if you are a hard-working top achiever.”
• “Get ready for some serious office politics.”
• “Not the kind of place one would want to call home”
• “Great company, but questionable career advancement”