North Bay Business Journal

Glassdoor.com top 25 companies for work-life balance in 2012 (click to enlarge)

SANTA ROSA — Agilent Technologies, whose Electronic Measurement group is based in Santa Rosa, and National Instruments, which has a research facility in the same city, were ranked 3 and 7, respectively, out of 25 top companies for work-life balance, according to survey results released today.

Agilent scored 4.4 and National Instruments 4.3 on a five-point rating scale in an online survey of employees conducted over the past 12 months by Sausalito-based employer reviews and job search site Glassdoor. The scale ranges from 1 for “very dissatisfied” to 3 for “OK” to 5 for “very satisfied. Both companies were among eight to return to the list this year.

“In today’s highly connected world, striving for work-life balance can feel virtually impossible given greater access to our jobs around the clock,” said Rusty Rueff, a Glassdoor career and workplace expert who ran global human resources departments at Electronic Arts and PepsiCo. “Companies that make sincere efforts to recognize employees’ lives outside of the office will often see the payoff when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent.”

The survey was based on at least 20 approved company reviews received between July 26, 2011, and July 25 of this year and at least 10 approved company reviews in that period from 2010–11. The final ranking of each company was determined by its overall work-life balance rating.

Glassdoor said its work-life balance list relies solely on input from employees who elected to participate in an online company review survey. The survey asks for the pros and cons of working for the employer and encourages submissions of “advice to senior management.”

Agilent’s overall rating over time is 3.5, based on 239 ratings reviewed by Glassdoor. The rating for the 29 reviews submitted by employees at the Santa Rosa campus was 3.4.

National Instrument’s overall Glassdoor rating was 3.8, based on 290 reviews.

Employees also are asked to rate how satisfied they are with their employer overall, how well they feel the top executive is leading the company and key aspects of the workplace such as career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, and work-life balance.

Started in 2007, Glassdoor is backed by Benchmark Capital, Sutter Hill Ventures and Battery Ventures.