The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

Company rating: 4.6

Bain & Co. is a management consulting firm.

"The people are the number one reason I love working at Bain & Company. Everyday I enjoy the company I am in and continue to feel inspired and challenged!" — Bain & Company marketing coordinator (Boston, Massachusetts)

Company rating: 4.6

Boston Consulting Group is a global business and management-consulting company.

"Highly prestigious, unlimited growth potential, top-notch training, peers are the smartest/most creative in the world, free food and drinks all the time." — Boston Consulting Group finance/accounting employee (Boston, Massachusetts)

Company rating: 4.6

In-N-Out Burger is a chain of fast-food burger restaurants.

"Extremely flexible with scheduling, you work with similar personalities so everyone tends to get along, you move up quickly, you genuinely feel appreciated 9 times out 10, free meal every day that you work, great pay and excellent benefits for a rewarding job!" — In-N-Out Burger level IV employee (Los Angeles, California)

Company rating: 4.6

Google is the world's largest internet search site.

"Extremely intelligent and competent coworkers, exciting products, great management, amazing perks (insurance options, food, discounts on almost everything), opportunity to travel." — Google software engineer (Mountain View, California)

Company rating: 4.6

lululemon is an athletic apparel retailer.

"Awesome team members. Ongoing personal and professional development. Ability to learn, grow, and develop - truly feels like you have ownership over the business and are able to contribute to the success of the store." — lululemon assistant manager (Lynnfield, Massachusetts)

Company rating: 4.6

HubSpot makes sales and marketing software.

"There's a culture here where, no matter your role, if you have something to say, your voice will be heard. The people working here are consistently whip-smart, super hard working and generally fun to be around. Come for the free candy wall, stay for a great career." — HubSpot customer success manager (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Company rating: 4.5

World Wide Technology is a technology-consulting company.

"I can't imagine many other companies are encouraging their employees to cross train with other departments, holding future leader classes, or investing in their employees as much as WWT does. The executive team is readily available to anyone who reaches out. They are very level-headed and down-to-earth people who put the company before themselves." — World Wide Technology business development analyst (Maryland Heights, Missouri)

Company rating: 4.5

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a children's hospital pioneering research and treatments for kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

"The people here are fantastic and welcoming! It feels more like a family career than just a job. The researchers and facilities are top notch, and everything is collaborative." — St. Jude Children's Research Hospital associate scientist (Memphis, Tennessee)

Company rating: 4.5

Ultimate Software is a technology company that develops and sells HR software.

"The culture and the values are truly the foundation of this place. The culture of caring for People First comes from our CEO and it is felt and shared by almost everyone. Everyone is welcome, women are empowered, minorities are empowered. Hard work is recognized and pays off." — Ultimate Software specialty support specialist (Weston, Florida)

Company rating: 4.5

SAP is a multinational enterprise application software company.

"The SAP culture is one of teamwork and empathy. I have always felt that my colleagues and mentors are there to help me, answer any and all questions, and support me throughout my career journey. Also our senior leadership walks the walk and talks the talk, in that you can see SAP's core values demonstrated in their actions." — SAP solutions engineer (Washington, DC)

Company rating: 4.5

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm.

"The training and development opportunities at McKinsey are incredible. The firm places a tremendous amount of time and resources to ensure new colleagues are set up for success and can help clients solve their toughest problems from day one. You also have the opportunity to work on private and public sector clients' toughest challenges alongside truly incredible colleagues." — McKinsey & Company senior implementation coach (Washington, DC)

Company rating: 4.5

Keller Williams is an American international real-estate franchise.

"The culture is amazing - you've never met a more caring company!" — Keller Williams executive administrator (Austin, Texas)

Company rating: 4.5

E. & J. Gallo Winery is a family-owned winery and distributor.

"Great values and still holds true to a family focused company. Amazing benefits and a solid work-life balance. They invest in your education, your development, and are always exploring new opportunities to expand in the organization." — E. & J. Gallo Winery digital marketing strategist (Modesto, California)

Company rating: 4.5

Salesforce offers a business software as a cloud service that helps companies manage their sales, marketing, and application programming projects.

"This is one amazing place to work. Execs, across the board, are open and interested in your ideas from any level. The level of transparency is mind-blowing: from Marc sharing his yearly objectives on company-wide TV (where all employees can view and participate), to every single employee's annual goals posted for all to see — it's phenomenal to walk into a meeting with someone where you know what's important to them, and be able to share how your common goals can be accelerated by working together." — Salesforce senior director (San Francisco, California)

Company rating: 4.5

Power Home Remodeling Group is a home-remodeling company best known for replacement windows, siding, roofing, and entry doors.

"Power is a community where your peers and colleagues constantly encourage you to be your best. You are acknowledged for your accomplishments and held accountable for reaching your goals. The Executives not only know your name but they know you as a person because they make an effort to build rapport." — Power Home Remodeling special events coordinator (Chester, Pennsylvania)

Company rating: 4.5

Delta Air Lines is one of the world's biggest global airlines.

"Employees have a vested interest in improving reliability and performance of the airline, so teamwork among all departments is standard. With the ability to move between departments and grow internally, many employees (including myself) envision a lifelong career with this great company." — Delta department manager (Atlanta, Georgia)

Company rating: 4.5

Academy Mortgage is an independent mortgage lender.

"Academy's management truly cares about the customer, AND the employee. Where other companies talk about doing what is best for the customer, Academy actually lives up to that promise." — Academy Mortgage vendor manager (Draper, Utah)

Company rating: 4.5

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a nonprofit religious organization commonly known as the Mormon Church. It also employs more than 1,000 people, from accountants to IT professionals.

"Excellent Dental and Medical coverage. You work with people who don't swear, drink, smoke and have the same values. It makes the work environment so pleasant." — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints senior software engineer (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Company rating: 4.5

H E B is a food retailer that operates more than 340 stores in a number of formats, including superstores, supermarkets, and gourmet markets.

"Fun culture, latest tech, leaders & company value each person. You are a name not a number." — H E B Lead Developer (San Antonio, Texas)

Company rating: 4.5

LinkedIn is a job-hunting site and social network for business professionals.

"Great perks (free food, free coffee bar rivals Starbucks, free juice bar, free ice cream bar, just free bars... I can go on), great energy in the company to get things done (motivated by a sense of how much of a difference the products make in the lives of people in earning their livelihood or taking it to the next level). Feel proud to work here." — LinkedIn senior technical program manager (Sunnyvale, California)

Company rating: 4.4

DocuSign makes electronic signature technology.

"It sounds trite, but the people make DocuSign an amazing place to work. Everyone I have met during my time at DocuSign has been kind, considerate, and generally happy people, which makes it a pleasure to come into work each day." — DocuSign software engineer (San Francisco, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Southwest Airlines is a major US airline that focuses on low-cost fares.

"Company with a heart, great working environment, fun teams, fast paced work, leaders who care about employee development, excellent benefits, and an all around enjoyment to go to work each day for the company!" — Southwest Airlines business operations analyst (Dallas, Texas)

Company rating: 4.4

NVIDIA is a technology company that designs graphics processing units for the gaming market.

"Working at Nvidia is fun! The working environment is great, colleagues are very helpful and extremely smart. Everything happens here at Speed of Light. Lot of amazing benefits that are best in the industry." — NVIDIA senior network engineer (Santa Clara, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Fast Enterprises is a software development and installation company for government agencies.

"This company really does a lot to promote a great work atmosphere. From team building events to holiday parties, FAST makes it easy to build chemistry with your fellow co-workers." — Fast Enterprises software developer (Denver, Colorado)

Company rating: 4.4

AvalonBay Communities is real estate investment trust that invests in apartments.

"Spirit of Caring is real. Partners with American Red Cross to hold on site blood drives and offers a company match during times of disaster. Pays associates their full salary to volunteer at company-sponsored events (Habitat for Humanity builds, ForKids builds, regattas, food packing, etc.)." — AvalonBay Communities middle management (Arlington, Virginia)

Company rating: 4.4

Nestlé Purina PetCare is a pet-food manufacturer.

"Nestle Purina has created an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion. This organization cares about their employees which in turn feels like every employee adds value to the organization's success." — Nestlé Purina data analyst (Saint Louis, Missouri)

Company rating: 4.4

Blizzard Entertainment is an American video-game developer and publisher.

The culture is organic and evolves, and the pride of craftsmanship is evident everywhere on campus. Great perks, fantastic benefits, and they work hard to keep their talent!" — Blizzard Entertainment business operations (Irvine, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Paylocity is a payroll and human capital management software developer.

"Amazing growing company that puts their employee's and clients first - positive work environment, development opportunities, community service and employee engagement!! Work hard, play hard is a real thing!!" — Paylocity client services employee (Arlington Heights, Illinois)

Company rating: 4.4

Intuit is a business and financial software company.

"Great culture, benefits package continues to innovate and improve, 30+ year old start up that is a bit more mature than the younger tech companies in SF and the valley. People have families here and respect personal commitments outside of work." — Intuit Principal Product Manager (Mountain View, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Adobe is a software maker best known for its design and photo-editing software.

"People are genuine and collaborative. People are focused on technology and innovation. Conducts a 4 day Tech Summit just for engineers. Great benefits and work/life balance." — Adobe employee (San Jose, California)

Company rating: 4.4

The NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit university hospital in New York City affiliated with Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College.

"You'll never find benefits this good at another job. People are cool to work with. Overall more laid back culture than you'd find at a profit hungry company. Also a gigantic hospital with endless opportunities." — NewYork Presbyterian Hospital staff accountant (New York, New York)

Company rating: 4.4

VMware, a subsidiary of Dell Technologies, provides cloud-computing and platform virtualization software and services.

"The culture is amazing, work life balance is great, technology and products are great. We have extremely talented folks who are ready to go the extra mile for the customer. The compensation & benefits are one of the best in Bay Area." — VMware customer success manager (Palo Alto, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Concur offers business travel and expense-management cloud software.

"Amazing work-life balance, a place that truly cares about its people. They take massive steps towards LGBTQ equality, workplace diversity, increasing women in leadership and community stewardship. It feels like your coworkers are your family." — Concur knowledge manager (Bellevue, Washington)

Company rating: 4.4

Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices

"Great systems, processes in place that'll give you wonderful experience. Great company culture, employee first attitude, flex hours & benefits. Make you feel part of the company." — Boston Scientific senior quality engineer (Marlborough, Massachusetts)

Company rating: 4.4

Forrester is a business and technology research and advisory firm.

"The training programs are in-depth and beneficial, and the transparency of the executive team is outstanding (and rare!). I feel empowered to grow not just in my current role, but within the company long-term." — Forrester account development manager (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Company rating: 4.4

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is a collection of boutique hotels and restaurants.

"At Kimpton I am part of a culture that challenges me to be my best self, challenges me to be a leader in the industry and also surrounds my team and I with some of the best leaders in the industry." — Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants director of food and beverage (San Francisco, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational medical devices, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods manufacturer.

"Great career opportunities and adaptation of disruptive technologies. Supportive management and provides a lot of learning opportunities to employees. Good working culture." — Johnson & Johnson Senior IT manager (Bridgewater, New Jersey)

Company rating: 4.4

Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software like Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, consumer electronics, and personal computers and services.

"Food is great and cheap, work-life balance allows for me to actually be a normal person outside of the weekends. Benefits are next level, people are incredible, truly if you have ever worked at a place and loved it, I guarantee it is better over at Microsoft." — Microsoft Group business administrative employee (Redmond, Washington)

Company rating: 4.4

Ellie Mae is a cloud-based platform for the mortgage finance industry.

"Teams are very collaborative and everybody's input is valued. 'You build it, you own it' philosophy ensures that every team feels a strong sense of ownership towards everything they build." — Ellie Mae software engineer (Pleasanton, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Hilton is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts.

"Interesting and challenging work. Not just a hospitality company, but also a company focused on technology and innovation. Amazing culture, one that values everyone's voice and is always looking to improve." — Hilton project leader (McLean, Virginia)

Company rating: 4.4

Yardi Systems develops web-based property and asset management software.

"The employees are friendly and welcoming, the management cares about the employees, coworkers want to help and are always available to answer questions, great benefits such as profit sharing and tuition reimbursement, dress code is business casual, fun company events such as jersey day, Customer Service week, and pumpkin carving." — Yardi Systems technical account manager (Santa Barbara, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Smile Brands is a dental service organization.

"They believe in smiles for everyone, patients, employees, and providers. The benefits here are great, 401K, health, vision and dental insurance and they are very flexible with your work schedule, full time and part time. Managers always help you learn new things and bring out the best in you." — Smile Brands director (Irvine, California)

Company rating: 4.4

Progressive Leasing sells a customer payment software product that provides lease-purchase technology solutions to businesses.

"Management truly cares about the individual and we don't feel just like a number here. The culture here is amazing and we treat each other like family here. We get training throughout the year in updates and skills to improve as leaders." — Progressive leasing supervisor (Draper, Utah)

Company rating: 4.4

Memorial Sloan Kettering is a cancer-treatment center.

"Tuition reimbursement, great vacation accrual, ability to move internally. The best part about working at Memorial Sloan Kettering is that you are contributing to a greater good. Although it is stressful at times - at the end of the day, I felt that my work was truly meaningful." — Memorial Sloan Kettering physician office assistant (New York, New York)

Company rating: 4.4

Texas Health Resources is a faith-based, nonprofit healthcare system.

"Good patient/nurse ratios, great benefits, tuition reimbursement, overall positive work environment, diverse staff and patient population, good communication for corporate." — Texas Health resources registered nurse (Fort Worth, Texas)

Company rating: 4.3

Protiviti is a global business-consulting and internal-audit firm that employs more than 3,700 people.

"The people/culture is second to none. This is a family. We enjoy working and playing together. The hiring process continues to foster the culture by hiring bright individuals who are well rounded and are go getters but who also foster a work-life balance." — Protiviti director (Orlando, Florida)

Company rating: 4.3

Oshkosh Corporation is an American industrial company based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that designs and builds specialty trucks, military vehicles, truck bodies, airport fire apparatus and access equipment.

"People first culture. Talented teams throughout the company willing to help. Very successful, yet committed to being even better. Incredible products." — Oshkosh Corporation vice president of business development (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)

Company rating: 4.3

Wegmans Food Markets is a regional supermarket chain with stores in the mid-Atlantic and New England.

"Great work environment, decent pay and benefits for retail work. Encouraged to grow and move up in company. Friendly environment." — Wegmans Food Markets customer service representative (Collegeville, Pennsylvania)

Company rating: 4.3

SpaceX, which is short for Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company.

"Everyone here is trusted to make smart decisions so we spend time focusing on the goal rather than getting hung up on the little things. Everyone here is approachable and relaxed so it makes the workplace feel like somewhere you actually want to be every day." — SpaceX Material flow planner (Hawthorne, California)