15 of the Best Tech Companies for Employee Perks

Google office

Gone are the days when employees were content to settle for whatever office conditions a company might bother to offer to them. These days, employees want to work in a space that is fun and exciting. They want high-tech toys, great employee lounge space and the ability to say that they truly like going to work. After all, there is increasingly the option for people to telecommute to work or to start their own businesses from home so there has to be a compelling reason to get people to make the drive to the office every day. Tech businesses are the businesses that seem to understand that best.

Here are some of the best tech businesses to work for if you're looking for a company that gives perks to its employees.

Google

Google: Google is considered by many to be the all-time number one company when it comes to employee perks. It has been named the top of the Top 100 companies to work for by Fortune Magazine due to the fact that it has a number of free amenities on-site including laundry, doctors, free food.

However, there's more to life at Google than just these little perks. Benefits include awesome tuition reimbursement, the right to bring your dog to work with you and the fact that there's a lot of leeway to be creative when working for this company. The game room, the evening cruises and the rock climbing getaways are some other favourites here. Not everyone loves working at Google but it sure beats working at most offices.

Amgen

Amgen: This biomedical technology company in California knows that parents these days don't want to leave their kids at home with a nanny. That's why they went ahead and installed an on-site daycare facility where parents can drop the little ones off so that they can go see them during their breaks. There's a huge cafeteria on site that serves family-style meals so everyone can get together and have dinner even if you has to work late.

A photo-developer, a gym and a florist are also on-site to assist employees in taking care of the basic things that need to be done each day. All of these smart moves for the business mean that employees are less likely to need to get out of there early.

IT Department @ Quicken Loans

IT Department @ Quicken Loans: It's the small things that really add up when working for this company, things like the free cappuccino machine and the constant access to cutting-edge technology. But it's more than that; bigger treats include such things as fully-paid trips to concerts and NBA games, trips that your family is welcome to join you on at no extra charge.

Sprint

Sprint: Sprint is one of a handful of companies that purchase homes for its employees. No, it's not such a sweet deal that you're going to get a free house. But you do get about two per cent taken off of the top of the price of the home if you're an employee who buys the property from Sprint. You save some money and you get a new place without a lot of hassle if you need to relocate to continue your job.

Cisco

Cisco: There is really very little that can motivate you to come to work if it's not the chance to get more money. Cisco offers on-the-spot bonuses of up to $2,000 to employees who are coming into the office and doing really well at their jobs. You're not going to get that benefit when you work for yourself from home!

Yahoo!

Yahoo!: This company could probably do better for its employees than it does but it's still a pretty decent place to work. When things are getting stressful, you can go for a massage at the on-site health spa or you can go enjoy some downtime in the game room. You can also take care of a lot of your daily messages on-site since there's a dentist, dry cleaner, salon, oil change and car wash on the premises.

If you're into the idea of free stuff, Yahoo! will give you music subscriptions, Flickr upgrades and other services of theirs at no cost. It just means you have to like Yahoo! to enjoy working there.

Pixar

Pixar: If you're working at Pixar, you're probably interested in film so it's nice that you get to attend free film screenings and lectures about film on-site during your work hours. And even interns like some of the smaller perks of working at Pixar like the free cereal bar that's got twenty of your favourite cereals in stock. But it's mostly the fact that Pixar has one of the coolest office spaces on the planet that makes people really want to come to work here.

Microsoft

Microsoft: This company takes care of all of the basic employee benefits that you can imagine including health care, tuition reimbursement and paid holidays. Then it goes a step further with interesting benefits like reimbursement assistance if you decide to adopt a child, ergonomics consultation for your office space and a paid health club membership. Random other perks of working at Microsoft include 25 on-site cafeterias, access to a private lake on the grounds and the chance to enjoy whale-watching trips.

SAS

SAS: This software company just keeps adding to the list of benefits its employees can enjoy when they come into work. Parents can take advantage of the Montessori daycare and assistance in helping their kids find a good university. Everyone can enjoy the swimming pools and start-of-the-art fitness centre. And the fact that the company regularly throws huge parties for its employees isn't really a bad deal either.

Digitas Health

Digitas Health: This is a healthcare marketing company that believes Fridays are a day for fun. In the summer, all employees get to leave early to enjoy the warm weather and long days. In the winter, they can stay inside and enjoy 'Beer Fridays' with their co-workers. If they can provide you with something you want on Fridays then you're happy to keep coming in during the rest of the workweek.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy: This domain registrar doesn't give great things to everybody who works there but it's possible to win big as an employee of the company. That's because there are annual contests operated by GoDaddy which result in approximately $1 million of employee gifts and prizes. The ultimate thing to try to win is the one year of paid rent or mortgage that an employee can get if he or she is lucky. In a flailing economy, that's something that everyone could use!

Qualcomm

Qualcomm: This chipset maker faced some trouble last year due to a series of patent litigation lawsuits but that didn't prevent the company from continuing its history of offering perks to the employees working there. Fully-paid health care is available on-site, there is assistance to help you purchase a home computer and there are other basic benefits for full-time staff.

Intuit

Intuit: This finance software company has a five-tier set of benefits designed to appeal to different types of people. The most popular benefits are those associated with pay; incentive pay and on-the-spot bonuses are favourites. However, employees appreciate other benefits including time off for volunteer projects and maternity / paternity leave, on-site gyms and subsidised health club memberships and extensive medical insurance.

Genentech

Genentech: This biomedical technology firm offers 21st Century benefits to employees like on-site daycare for their pets and a farmer's market featuring organic produce. Pet insurance, a personal concierge service, an emergency lift-home service and Friday afternoon beer parties are among other reasons that people like to show up to work at Genentech.

Homestead Technologies

Homestead Technologies: No matter how much you like going into the office, one of the best perks is still the chance to get paid time away from work. This web development company goes above-and-beyond the call of duty when it comes to time off: you get a paid day off for your birthday. You get to participate in a company-wide, all-expenses-paid luxury retreat each year. You get unlimited paid sick leave. And if you're there long enough, you can earn month-long sabbaticals. They figure the key to keeping you around is to make sure they frequently let you miss the place.