New year, new job? 2020 marks a shift to a "culture-first decade" in the workplace, with an increased emphasis on diversity in the workplace, growth opportunities and greater transparency with employees, according to leading jobs site Glassdoor. So if you're looking to move up the career ladder in the next 12 months, check out their top places to work in 2020, based on reviews by actual employees. 

Founded in 1916, Wegman Food Markets is a supermarket chain with more than 100 stores across New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Employees praise the family-run company for having a leadership that "actually cares" about its teams and hail its training opportunities, which include a budget of $4.5 million for staff tuition assistance each year.

Keller Williams is the world’s largest real estate technology franchise by agent count, with more than 1,040 offices and 185,000 associates. While Keller Williams dropped out of Glassdoor's top 30 companies to work for in 2019, the Austin, Texas-based company makes a return this year after a ranking of 13th in 2018. The firm has been praised for offering consistent training and education for its agents. 

Mayo Clinic was one of four health care companies to make it into the top 30, having been last recognised on the list in 2017. The Rochester, Minnesota-based non-profit organisation employs more than 65,000 staff, including nearly 5,000 staff physicians and scientists. Staff benefits include a pension plan, generous holidays and an employee assistance programme.

Viasat is a global communications company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and employing 5,500 people across 28 offices. Employees hail it for having a beautiful campus, a laid-back culture and great workplace benefits, including an employee assistance scheme, fitness facility reimbursement and a generous employee stock purchase programme.

Vi develops, owns and operates 10 high-end continuing care retirement communities across the US and comes 26th on the Glassdoor Employees Choice Award list, up from position 53 a year earlier. Headquartered in Chicago, the company prides itself on its staff development opportunities, which includes Rosetta Stone language training, a 24-hour online university and tuition reimbursement.

Real estate company Camden Property Trust was one of 26 organisations scoring 4.4 points out of a possible total of five on the 100-strong Glassdoor Employees' Choice Award list. Innovative staff benefits offered by the Houston-based firm include a 20% rent discount, a $4,500 scholarship fund and vacation rentals, where employees can stay in a Camden-refurbished property for just $20 a night.

New York City-based global management consultants McKinsey & Company is praised for having a smart, motivated and passionate team, with coaching part of company culture. It was also hailed by various members of staff listed on Glassdoor for having a commitment to career development. The draw back? The company has been criticised by some employees for long hours which could impact lifestyle. 

Now 23 on the 2020 best places to work list, Facebook has tumbled 16 spots on the previous year's rankings on the back of its score dropping from 4.4 to 4.5. It's a fairly dramatic fall from grace considering the social media giant claimed the top spot in the 2017 list. The precipitous fall has been blamed on employees no longer regarding the company as highly as they did after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and antitrust inquiries. 

Athletic apparel store Lululemon is 22nd on the list, making it the third highest retailer. The Vancouver-based company was praised by employees for its education and growth opportunities, as well as its average wage of $14 for in-store staff. But given its position has fallen from position nine on last year's list, it may have some work to do to keep up its reputation as one of the country's best employers.

Microsoft is the only tech giant to not have dropped in the Glassdoor rankings and is currently ranked at 21, up from 34 a year earlier. The Redmond, Washington-based organisation was hailed for its can-do attitude, dynamic workplace environment and good work-life balance, particularly in comparison to its peers. It also reimburses staff up to $800 per year for wellness-related expenses.

Santa Clara, California-based NVIDIA is one of 31 tech companies to make the 2020 Best Places To Work list and is the highest ranked of all companies which scored 4.4 out of a possible total of five points. NVIDIA offers its employees and eligible family members a variety of benefits to help them get and "stay healthy, save money, and have fun" and has been praised for having a strong drive to succeed.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was one of 14 hospitals and healthcare companies to make the 2020 list and its chief medical office Dr Stephen Hahn was in November confirmed as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. The organisation was praised for its career growth opportunities. It also offers staff various discounts and benefits.

Pennsylvania-based home improvement contractor Power Home Remodeling has made it on to the Glassdoor best places to work for five years running, which is perhaps unsurprising for a company which describes itself as a "dream-realization company". It holds more than 200 events for its staff each year, with a focus on development and leadership qualities, alongside entertainment. And at the end of the year it sends everyone to Mexico to celebrate their hard work.

San Antonio-based food retailer H-E-B employs more than 116,000 people, or partners, in its 400 stores across Texas and Mexico. The company aims to hire people with exceptional hospitality skills and in return offers staff a "terrific work-life balance" and a "positive, friendly atmosphere", according to two of its team. Its CEO Charles Butt was also recognised as in Glassdoor's Top CEO list for 2019.

Mathematical computer software provider MathWorks has been praised by its staff for having decent salaries and "going above and beyond" when it came to career development. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, MathWorks also has offices and representatives based around the world. Its guiding principle is "doing the right thing" for its customers, staff members, partners and communities alike, an ethos which has helped make it a top 20 place to work. 

At number 15 on the 2020 Best Places To Work list is Ohio-based CoverMyMeds, an electronic prior authorization platform aimed at healthcare professionals. Highlights for staff include a daily freshly-made lunch, automatic 401(k) enrolment at a 4% match, paid maternity and paternity leave, health insurance, and, most unusually, the option to use the company's kayaks. Apparently it's all about a comfortable work environment...

Nautical-themed Trader Joe's was voted the top supermarket company on Glassdoor's list, ahead of Wegmans Food Markets at number 30. In fact, the store which was founded in 1967 is no stranger to the top 30, with this being the fourth year in a row Trader Joe's has featured. The California-based chain has nearly 500 stores across the US and generally pays its floor staff – or "crew members", as it calls them – above minimum wage. It was praised by one for offering a more flexible work schedule than its rivals. Plus, they get to pretend like they work on a pirate ship and take home any leftovers. 

Boston Consulting Group is one of four companies from the city to make it into the top 20, taking 13th place. Founded in 1963, the management consulting firm employs more than 18,600 people across offices in over 50 countries and was praised for having a fantastic collaborative working environment and growth opportunities, as well as the ability to move between offices. It's a Group that has a strong reputation, reflected by the fact that it has been in the top 30 companies to work for for the last five years running. 

LinkedIn is another of the tech companies which has seen itself drop down the rankings. The California-based jobs company dropped from 6th position in 2019 to 12th in 2020, although is still ahead of giants including Facebook and Microsoft. With a total of 4.5 points out of a possible five, LinkedIn was noted for its "amazing" benefits including pet care, free food and a good work-life balance.

Google is the highest ranking of the tech giants on this year's Glassdoor list but still fails to make the top 10. Perks of working at Google include free food, on-site washing facilities and gym classes. But the ranking came after a year which saw its employees complain of "intimidation" tactics used against worker organisations and an internal poll found that staff were less inspired by the company's vision for the future than a year earlier.

Southwest Airlines puts an emphasis on "appreciation, recognition, and celebration" in order to promote a fun and healthy work environment. The Dallas-based company was hailed by staff for offering great flexibility and benefits, including travel privileges and a wellness programme where an employee and their spouse can earn up to $500 by taking steps to be more engaged with their health and well-being.

Online education company VIPKid soared into Glassdoor's top 10 for best place to work in 2020 after rising 58 places in last year's rankings. Founded in Beijing in 2013, VIPKid seeks to create a global classroom by connecting pupils with teachers online and members praised it for its flexibility. CEO Cindy Mi said the award spoke to its "passionate teacher community", adding it was proud to make the top 10. 

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Weston, Florida-based Ultimate Software's strapline is "People First" and this ethos certainly seems to be reflected in its employees' reviews of the organization, with one staff member saying that they felt they were "part of a big family". The provider of cloud-based human capital management solutions offers workers a generous benefits package, including paid maternity and paternity leave. Co-CEO Scott Scherr said: "When you take care of your people, they’ll take care of your business."

California-based company Intuitive Surgical received an average score of 4.5 out of five from employees, who benefit from a dynamic workplace environment and good work-life balance, although it can prove demanding at times. The company makes robot-assisted tools to make surgery less invasive and employs more than 5,000 people. 

The California-based research facility Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came sixth in the rankings for best places to work in the US. The Livermore Laboratory Employee Services Association arranges everything from farmers' markets to music events, and staff also benefit from flexible working. Its employees also this year pledged $2,740,935 to charitable causes this year, made through payroll deductions.

Sammons Financial Group (SFG) made it into the top five places to work in Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Awards, soaring up the rankings from last year's position of 22. The Chicago-based group offers life insurance, annuity and retirement planning products and has been praised for treating their works as valuable assets, enabling them to grow in their careers. CEO Esfand Dinshaw added that SFG was a "remarkable place to work because of our employees".

Where California-based fast food chain In-N-Out Burger really stands out as an employer is in the wages it pays its employees. The burger chain offers store associates an average wage of $13 an hour and rewards them career growth opportunities. Not only that, in 2018 it was reported that In-N-Out Burger store managers can earn a salary of over $160,000 – more than that of the average tech worker in Silicon Valley, and triple the national average. 

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Electronic signature software DocuSign is "dedicated to the success of their employees", reported one Glassdoor reviewer, and has a "positive culture", according to another. The San Francisco-based company has more than 500,000 customers and hundreds of millions of users across the globe. The 4,000-strong workforce benefits from generous paid time off, learning and development training, and free food, amongst others. 

Boston-based management consultancy Bain & Co has remained in second place in Glassdoor's roundup of the Best Places To Work, which means that it has been listed in the top four ever since the list began 12 years ago. And with its wellness schemes and private healthcare, the only consultancy firm in the top 10 has earned its place. The firm's current CEO Manny Maceda has a whopping 99% approval rating among employees.

Clinching the top spot for the Employees' Choice Award for Best Place To Work 2020 is HubSpot, the Boston-based social media marketing firm. With an overall score of 4.6 out of 5, it ranked highly in terms of career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, effective leadership and work-life balance. One worker praised it for a "truly diverse and inclusive" work environment. If you're looking for a new job for 2020, this could be the place to look.

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