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LinkedIn annually ranks 50 companies based on actions taken by the 546 million professionals on the networking website. The metrics used are job demand, engagement with the company, interest in its employees and retention. LinkedIn then normalizes the results to measure companies against peers.
Some of the trends LinkedIn is seeing among the top companies include thinking beyond perks, committing resources to diversity and rethinking healthcare. The analysts behind the list suggest that employee health and healthcare costs are a top concern for some of the 50 ranked companies. For example, Amazon (ranked No. 1) and JPMorgan Chase (ranked No. 18) have partnered with Berkshire Hathaway to develop a new healthcare company that is designed to cut the costs and improve coverage for employees. Additionally, Apple (ranked No. 6) is working on combining technology with care by working on primary care clinics for employees.
Stryker, Johnson & Johnson and Abbott have also ranked highly in Medical Design & Outsourcing‘s Big 100 list as some of the largest medical device companies in the world based on revenue, at Nos. 9, 2 and 20, respectively.
Here’s more about the three major medical device companies that made it onto the list, along with what some of their current and past employees have recently said on GlassDoor:
No. 30: Stryker
Stryker (NYSE: SYK) ranked in at 30 because of its “rapid trajectory” and new facility that focuses on employee wellness. LinkedIn reported that although the reimbursement landscape has been a problem for medical device makers, Kalamazoo, Mich.–based Stryker has had a lot of growth across all of its products, including knee replacements, surgical tools and spinal implants. The company has more than 33,000 employees and recently opened a new facility in Texas that features activity-based workspaces, circadian lighting that adjusts based on time of day, a basketball court and healthier food options.
“Pros: Stryker’s culture is second to none. I’ve been with Stryker for 13 years (my first job out of college) and hope to retire from this company. I’m a millennial and very few of my friends I graduated from college with are at the same companies they started with straight out of school. This is a company of go-getters that love getting things done and forming strong relationships with their colleagues. Cons: With a culture of type-A employees that have genuine fun at work, if you don’t set boundaries for your work/life balance, it can be easy to burn yourself out. The good news is that leadership from the CEO down very much encourages work/life balance – you just need to make sure you make it a priority for yourself.” —Current employee
“Pros: Compensation (both base pay and annual bonus), company culture, opportunities for growth and development, relationship-oriented organization, opportunities for community service. Cons: At times, the organization struggles to keep up with their pace of growth and in some cases lacks the infrastructure to effectively support that growth.” —Former employee
No. 45: Johnson & Johnson
LinkedIn noted that New Brunswick, N.J.–based Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) offers benefits that are equally diversified and include offerings that make family life easier for its more than 125,000 employees. The company touts $20,000 in financial assistance for adoption or surrogacy and $35,000 for fertility treatments, 17 weeks of paid parental leave and breastmilk shipping for mothers who travel for work. Johnson & Johnson also has pet insurance for pet owners with two coverage options.
“Pros: Great culture, true north compass, a strong heart for both patients and employees, strong focus on employee development and leadership. Cons: Conservative and struggling with fast-paced external innovation, slow in decision making, very compliance driven which is important for healthcare,, however, hurts agility in non-compliance heavy areas.” —Current employee
“Pros: Good environment with friendly employees, management very flexible. I asked during the interview if J&J upholds their credo and the interviewer responded yes. Nothing during my experience there would contradict this. Cons: Not much feedback provided, but understandable since stakeholders probably have a deluge of emails to respond to.” —Former employee
No. 50: Abbott
LinkedIn credits Chicago-based Abbott (NYSE: ABT) for its development of smart technologies that make the company a fast mover in the medical device space. One of the company’s defining moments when it came to its LinkedIn ranking was its mobilization to provide resources to employees in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Abbott had about 1,300 employees and 400 contractors on the island when the hurricane hit. The company sent everything from batteries and bug spray to financial assistance through its Clara Abbott Foundation to its employees. They also had the option to work every other day while they worked on rebuilding their homes and communities, according to LinkedIn.
“Pros: Great benefits, decent pay for the area. Promotions are attainable if willing to put in the work. Cons: Heavy workload; long hours. Don’t apply if you are not ready to work.” —Current employee
“Pros: Great salary and perks, training and promotions, discounts on products. Cons: Instability, high turnover, focused on bottom-line.” —Former employee
