The 25 Best Companies To Work For In 2012

There's a lot of hype out there about the best tech places to work for — Google, Apple and Facebook are well-known dream work places.

But what about the lesser-known companies with smart, driven colleagues, sweet perks and endless room for growth and mentorship?

To find out, we turned to Glassdoor.com for a list of the 25 best companies to work for right now.

The list is based on an annual ranking determined by anonymous inputs from employees. For any tie breakers, we used the CEO approval rating — and sometimes previous ranking — to find the winner.

25. Procter & Gamble

Company rating: 3.7

CEO approval: Bob McDonald, 91%

2011 ranking: #25

PRO: "Highly talented and dedicated coworkers. Everyone is willing and able to take on huge responsibilities/workloads and work long hours. Great company values...respectful and fair to everyone. Great job security and stability through good economies and bad. Excellent training and development not only for your career, but for you life, too. Excellent healthcare and retirement benefits. P&G believes 'the interests of the company and employee are inseparable' and it shows."

CON: "Not a place for people who want an easy 9-5 job. Must be willing to take personal sacrifices for the good of the team. Requires patience with a time-consuming process for agreeing on decisions, and tolerance of difficult Corporate requirements. Tough competition for promotions."

For any tie breakers, we used the CEO approval rating to find the winner.

Source: Glassdoor

24. Wayfair (formerly CSN Stores)

Company rating: 3.8

CEO approval rating: Niraj Shah, 76%

2011 ranking: #18

PRO: "Wayfair has a fast-paced, ever changing environment that thrives on the 'go-get-em' mentality. People who work hard, are motivated, and want to learn are definitely rewarded. There are so many opportunities here to grow & develop yourself and your career here, but like anything else it’s totally up to the individual to take advantage of these opportunities."

CON: "Salary comes up a frequently as a con. And while I agree that we may be on the lower end of market value, I think it's important to realize that we work amazing hours (9-6), have great benefits, and entry level employees have 16 paid vacation days. This is basically unheard of anywhere else. I would, however, agree that the bonus structure should be more rewarding/inciting."

For any tie breakers, we used the CEO approval rating to find the winner.

Source: Glassdoor

23. Costco Wholesale

Company rating: 3.8

CEO approval rating: Craig Jelinek, 86%

2011 ranking: #19

PRO: "Amazing pay. The company is formed well with a lot of care towards their employees and customers. Since the system is developed well, you fall in love with Costco and the Mission and you inevitably work your best because your heart actually in it!"

CON: Because Costco tries to promote people from within the company, "many incompetent people get selected to be a leader. Many people are not fit to lead a busy store such as this. Some of the management is really corrupt too. They can act fake etc. But as long as you do your job and get paid well, nothing else really matters."

For any tie breakers, we used the CEO approval rating to find the winner.

Source: Glassdoor

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