These 5 Companies Were Rated Best for Work-Life Balance. Is Yours Anything Like Them? Next to compensation, work-life balance is what employees prize most. Scheduling flexibility and the freedom to spend time with families are essential.
Edited by Dan Bova
How would you rate your company's work-life balance? After all, work-life balance is critical for preserving morale, and it might be more important in your own endeavors than you think.
Related: Work-Life Balance Is Simple. To Succeed at Work, Get a Life.
Rather than speculating about what work-life balance changes would be most appropriate or effective for your office, you could simply examine what "the other guys" are doing. Then emulate the work-life balance moves that made them so successful.
Who are those other guys? According to an Indeed survey that analyzed more than 72 million reviews, the following companies were listed, just this past April, as the best at achieving work-life balance:
1. Keller Williams Realty
Keller Williams Realty was founded in 1983, and is currently headquartered in Austin, though it has more than 900 offices around the world (and 139,000 agents). By agent count, that makes it the biggest real estate franchise in the world. Employees value the company because they're treated as individual contractors, which means they have virtually unlimited scheduling flexibility and unlimited earnings potential.
Because the company also offers a profit-sharing system and ongoing education opportunities, employees are further incentivized to perform -- all without ever sacrificing their freedom.
2. Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker is another real estate company that made it into the top five. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Madison, N.J., the company has more than 90,000 agents around the world and has developed a reputation for social responsibility. In reviews of the company as an employer, one review described Coldwell as "not the type of work you need to take home with you."
Related: Chasing the Myth of Work-Life Balance
Employees there aren't expected to stay connected 24-7, and they have the flexibility to work from home and adopt varying schedules to handle personal responsibilities, in addition to work responsibilities.
3. Cisco
The tech giant Cisco has established a fantastic reputation for caring about its employees, in part because of its popular "Human Network" campaign. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the company is well known for giving its employees flexibility with hours and the power to launch and pursue their own passion projects at work.
Cisco is also known for respecting family life and allowing employees more freedom to address familial concerns. The company sometimes even allows fully remote positions for mothers and fathers looking to spend more time with their young children.
4. Kaiser Permanente
You probably recognize Kaiser Permanente as the largest managed-care company in the United States. Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Oakland, Calif., this is a company, not surprisingly, that values its employees' health. Kaiser Permanente actually sponsors many health initiatives for its employees, offering flexibility for doctors' visits, vacations and time off to make sure employees remain in top physical (and mental) condition.
On top of that, Kaiser Permanente encourages professional growth, with in-house development opportunities.
5. Google
Google isn't a particularly surprising entry on this list, given the enormous publicity it's gotten for its unique employee perks. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., Google offers a long list of benefits meant to help employees stay healthy and give them ample time to work on personal projects.
Among other bonuses, Google offers free, gourmet, healthy food; free fitness classes and gym equipment; and massage credits employees can use at any time. It also offers flexible hours and scheduling for most employees, as well as an impressive amount of vacation time so workers can reset and stave off burnout.
Other top companies that made the list included Capital One, Century 21, Nike, Northrop Grumman and Pfizer Inc. Lower on the list were American Express, Fidelity Investments, Dell, Lockheed Martin and Johnson & Johnson.
Related: Adopt These 12 Habits for a Better Work-Life Balance
You may not be able to afford the same work-life balance perks as a billion-dollar international enterprise, but you can learn from the strategies and successes these companies have implemented and seen. Clearly, the lesson here is that the more freedom and flexibility you give employees while maintaining a work culture that favors productivity ... the better.
