What Google Lacks in Diversity It Makes Up for in Salaries

Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com

Federal agencies don't even make it onto the salary list that Google tops.

Google last week made public its own workforce data showing it is made up of mostly white and male employees, in a move the company hopes will open up the conversation about the need for more women and minorities in technology fields in general.

Diversifying the tech talent pool would be good news, especially considering that employees at Google ranked the company at the top for compensation and benefits, according to Glassdoor’s new Top 25 Companies for Compensation and Benefits list.

Google employees touted the company as best on salaries, retirement contributions, health plans and the offer of a free bike to ride to work. The company boasts average high salaries for key information technology positions like systems administrator ($104,079), software engineer ($118,971), and senior manager ($178,300).

The majority of the remaining companies on the top 25 list were technology-focused: Facebook (3), Adobe (4), Epic Systems Corporation (5), Intuit (6), Salesforce.com (9), Qualcomm (13), Riverbed Technology (14), Verizon (15), VMWare (16), T-Mobile (17), Microsoft (18), Orbitz (22) and eBay (25). Top responses among these companies were the focus on work culture and environment, rewards such as fitness programs and free food, career development opportunities and potential for career growth.

Unfortunately, no federal agencies made the list, and when comparing Glassdoor’s list to the most recent Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, it’s difficult to see where agencies could measure up. In 2013, job satisfaction among feds dropped three points to 65 percent; pay satisfaction was down five points to 54 percent; and organization satisfaction fell three points to 65 percent.

Still, areas where the federal government can shine, particularly when competing with top tech companies for new Millennial talent: strong mission, challenging work and telework.

How does your agency stack up against the top 25 companies for compensation and benefits? 

(Image via Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com)