Trying to develop a better work-life balance for employees? Consider taking a cue from any of the top 25 companies rated best for work and life balance, which include Nestlé Purina Petcare in the number one spot, Morningstar, Intuit and Southwest Airlines.
The employee-rated list, created by career website Glassdoor, is based on survey results from more than 150,000 employees at 36,000 companies. Employees rated how satisfied they were with the work-life balance offered at their companies.
Facebook, the No. 7 company, is popular for offering perks such as on-site laundry, food services and child care. These employee perks benefit the company, too. "Companies that have a strong work-life balance are optimized for long-term success," said Glassdoor CEO Robert Hohman. "Those companies tend to keep employers longer, and those employees tend to be happier. And I would argue, in turn, those employees tend to be more productive over the long term."
Recommended For You
An accommodating schedule also helps companies retain their best employees. Offering flexible scheduling is the most effective way of improving employee retention rates, says Dick Finnegan, a former human-resources director and CEO of C-Suite Analytics, which helps companies decrease employee turnover.
But not all employees are psyched about good retention rates. "People never leave, so there's not a lot of opportunity to grow or move around," said one Nestle Purina employee on Glassdoor.
So why is Nestlé Purina No. 1? One reason could be the pet-friendly atmosphere. Employees are allowed to bring pets to work, and having pets around "make everyone happier," wrote one employee on Glassdoor.
One employee at the SAS Institute, the third-ranked company, wrote, "The commitment to work/life balance comes from the top down and they believe in it. As a result, employees treat each other fairly and well. There is a tremendous sense of camaraderie."
Over at Morningstar, the eighth-ranked company, employees also praise the flexible schedule. "It provides a perfect working environment and flexible working time. In addition, it encouraged you to pursue your ideal career path (take CFA exam or take MBA courses)," wrote one employee. Another cited "lots of time off" and "flexible schedule" as pros for working there.
The 25 companies rated as having the best work-life balance are:
1. Nestlé Purina Petcare Company
2. MITRE
3. SAS Institute
4. FactSet
5. United Space Alliance
6. Slalom Consulting
7. Facebook
8. Morningstar
9. Susquehanna International Group
10. Colgate-Palmolive
11. Mentor Graphics
12. Autodesk
13. Sheetz
14. Agilent Technologies
15. Turner Broadcasting
16. Dupont
17. Southwest Airlines
18. General Mills
19. Biogen Idec
20. Scottrade
21. Chevron
22. Synopsys
23. MTV Networks
24. Intuit
25. National Instruments
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
