A relatively unknown software company based in San Francisco has clinched the title of “Best Place To Work in 2023,” according to Glassdoor, a firm that compiles and shares employee reviews of their employers.
The cushiest employer out there? Gainsight, a software-as-service company headquartered in SF’s Financial District. The company earned a favorable 4.7-star rating, placing it above other high-profile large companies like Bain & Company (4.6) and Google (4.6)—and also a full point higher than Glassdoor’s overall employer average rating of 3.7.
“The company has recognized that if we provide our workforce with balance, opportunities to grow and platforms to recognize each other, they reward us with their best possible contributions to our goals,” a Gainsight spokesperson said. “We believe you can win in business while being human-first, and this award is a validation of that mission.”
The software company was founded in 2009 and has at least 1,000 employees, many of whom are based at its SF headquarters. This isn’t the first time Gainsight has garnered recognition for its company culture; it ranked among the San Francisco Business Times’ “Best Places to Work” in 2014.
“As a person of color myself, I embrace the many programs that they promote that touch on diversity and inclusion,” said a Gainsight senior manager based in Elk Grove, in a review submitted to Glassdoor. Other employees underscored the company’s “family-friendly” and flexible work culture in their reviews.
The company is headed by Nick Mehta, a veteran software CEO. Gainsight credits Mehta, along with Chief People Officer Carol Mahoney, for cultivating the company’s “human-first purpose” and spearheading initiatives related to office culture and employee benefits.
The Best Employers in the Nation? They’re in the Bay
Gainsight isn’t the only Bay Area company with rave reviews: The SF Bay Area has 27 different companies on Glassdoor’s list of 100 Best Places To Work, ranking it first among all metropolitan areas.
The reason? The high concentration of technology firms based in the region. In fact, the tech industry had more “top companies” on Glassdoor’s list than any other industry, with a whopping 41 different organizations with high employee ratings. By comparison, the second highest-scoring industry was finance, with just seven companies making the cut.
Tech companies have a reputation for offering employees many perks, whether it be the private Google and Apple buses that shuttle employees to South Bay offices or the startup world’s infamous kombucha on tap. These perks, plus hefty paychecks and flexible working hours, mean that tech workers have historically been some of the happiest employees in the business.
Other big Bay Area names with positive employee ratings include Google (#8) and Adobe (#14). Cisco, Salesforce and Twilio ranked within the top 100 best companies, despite laying off scores of employees over the past few months.