Technology

What makes an organization a good place for technology professionals to work

For the 25^th year in a row, Computerworld has surveyed large, midsize and small organizations across the U.S. to find out which ones are the Best Places to Work in IT. Along the way, we&ve learned a lot about what the companies and other organizations that have made our 25 lists have in common. We&ve seen what goes into becoming a Best Place to Work.

Salaries, paid time off, health insurance and retirement plans all contribute. But the things that seem to really set organizations apart are benefits that reflect an attitude: We value our employees, we listen to our employees, we empower our employees, we want our employees to be challenged and grow professionally, and we want them to enjoy both their work and their personal lives.

Itnot much of a secret that Workday is a great place to work. In addition to being ranked by Computerworld as the No. 4 large company among the 2018 Best Places to Work in IT, last year it came in at No. 7 in Fortunelist of the best companies to work. The challenge may be holding on to what has made the young company great as it grows.

The company, founded in 2005 by David Duffield and Aneel Bhusri, makes cloud-based software for finance and human resources. Both founders came from PeopleSoft — Duffield was founder and CEO, and Bhusri held several senior leadership roles. From the very beginning, the Workday founders placed heavy emphasis on several core values, the first of which recognizes the value of employees — it is committed to hiring the best and treating them well. That value was so important, in fact, that Duffield and Bhusri personally interviewed the first 500 employees of Workday.

What does it take to create a challenging and engaging place to work According to Paul Blowers, CIO of Plante Moran, thereno secret sauce, but there are a few critical ingredients.

Recognizing and developing staff, promoting growth and camaraderie, and encouraging individual freedom are among the top principles Blowers and other company leaders emphasize to nurture an inclusive culture for Plante Moran, a professional services firm with nearly 2,500 employees, 71 of those in IT. And those initiatives contributed to the Southfield, Mich., firm being named the No. 3 midsize company on Computerworld2018 Best Places to Work in IT list.