While some of the most influential companies in the world tout global work forces in the thousands, working for a smaller company has its own perks. An organization with fewer workers can offer more hands-on experience, flexibility, better access to management and more personalized career paths.
An emphasis on some of these factors helped the following companies be named to Glassdoor's Best Places to Work list, which includes rankings for small and mid-size companies with 1,000 employees or fewer.
The job site allows employees to review their employers based on their satisfaction with the company overall and their thoughts on the CEO, as well as other workplace attributes including career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, leadership within senior management and work-life balance.
Life.Church, an Oklahoma-based church with campuses around the country and an online presence, earned the No. 1 spot on Glassdoor's ranking. The church was founded in 1996 and currently has 36 job openings that include pastor roles as well as engineering, design and marketing roles.
While the average company rating on Glassdoor is 3.5 on a 5-point scale, Life.Church employees rate their employer at a 4.9. Ninety-eight percent of employees say they would recommend the company to a friend, and 99% approve of CEO Craig Groeschel. Some of the company's most highly-reviewed benefits include a 401(k) plan with matching based on years of service (starting at 5% once hired), affordable health care and paid family leave. Employees praise the company mission, as well as its commitment to professional and personal development.
The remaining best small and mid-size companies in the top five represent businesses in consulting, technology and human resources.
The yearly ranking takes into consideration more than 55 million employee reviews for 1 million companies. Here are the top five best small and mid-size companies to work for in the country, along with what employees are saying about the experience.
5. BambooHR
Headquarters: Lindon, Utah
CEO: Ben Peterson
Company rating: 4.8
Industry: Enterprise software and network solutions
Most common job review and average pay: Account executive, $74,896 per year
Number of open jobs: 14
What people are saying: "Amazing benefits. A management structure that really lets you know that your opinion matters. Everyone is very friendly and gets work done." — BambooHR payroll specialist (Lindon, Utah)
4. IGNW
Headquarters: Lake Oswego, Oregon
CEO: Andrew Cadwell
Company rating: 4.8
Industry: IT services
Most common job review and average pay: Business development manager, $141,000 to $185,000 per year
Number of open jobs: 157
What people are saying: "IGNW is truly a professional place to work. Staff and management are very friendly, helpful, collaborative, inspiring and good at what they do." — IGNW senior resource manager (Portland, Oregon)
3. 15Five
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
CEO: David Hassell
Company rating: 4.9
Industry: Computer hardware and software
Most common job review and average pay: Customer success manager, $120,550 per year
Number of open jobs: 16
What people are saying: "I've never been around a better group of PEOPLE. Everyone at 15Five is genuine, caring, and truly dedicated to helping everyone here achieve their goals." — 15Five outbound sales development representative (Raleigh, North Carolina)
2. CrossCountry Consulting
Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
CEO: Erik Linn and Dave Kay
Company rating: 4.9
Industry: Consulting
Most common job review and average pay: Senior consultant, $85,731 per year
Number of open jobs: 72
What people are saying: "Everyone works as a team and it is very hard to find a place so invested in your career and well-being." — CrossCountry Consulting senior technical consultant (McLean, Virginia)
1. Life.Church
Headquarters: Edmond, Oklahoma
CEO: Craig Groeschel
Company rating: 4.9
Industry: Religious organizations
Most common job review and average pay: Coordinator, $35,819 per year
Number of open jobs: 36
What people are saying: "Culture, work-life balance is amazing here. I've never worked at a place where I consider all my co-workers close friends." — Life.Church YouVersion product designer (Edmond, Oklahoma)
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