Fortune Magazine has declared Google the best company to work for in the US for a second time since 2007. The search giant beat out 99 other companies in the list and moved up from fourth place in the same poll a year ago.
Google had a fantastic year in 2011 with revenue, profits, share price, paid search clicks and hiring all on the rise. This, in turn, apparently makes for an outstanding work environment with seemingly endless perks. Employees commented about their mission, the culture around Google and of course, the awesome perks. The Mountain View headquarters contains a bowling alley, bocce courts and around 25 cafes companywide - all free of course. One Google staffer pointed out that employees are never more than 150 feet away from a well-stocked pantry.
As reported by Mercury News, perhaps some of Google's workspace success can be credited to air quality. Google co-founders are said to have an acute sense of smell and sensitivity to toxins - so much so that they have created an atmosphere with air quality that rivals a hospital rather than a traditional office building.
The results from Fortune are consistent with those we reported last month from Glassdoor where Google was ranked as the fifth best place to work. In that study, Facebook earned the number three spot among tech giants while Apple placed tenth. Interestingly enough, neither Facebook nor Apple were included in the top 100 list from Fortune.