Dive Brief:

• Microsoft took the top spot on Comparably's list of large companies with the best perks and benefits in 2019. Rounding out the top five big companies were Facebook, which was last year's winner, Google, HubSpot and Amazon. Seattle-based Highspot took the number-one honors for small to midsize companies.
• Comparably said it based the rankings on employees' ratings. In key statistics about big company winners, 89% of their workers reported being satisfied with their benefits; 86% rated their office perks as good or fantastic; and general satisfaction with perks and benefits was an 86 out of 100 ratio. The top wellness benefit across company size was fitness club membership.
• "While salary is a factor to consider when determining where to work, it is not necessarily the most important aspect to job seekers," said Comparably CEO Jason Nazar in a news release. "There are other ways to keep employees satisfied. By going above and beyond with extra perks and giving more than just ancillary medical and dental benefits, the companies on our Best Perks & Benefits list show employees that they care about other areas of their lives."

Dive Insight:

Microsoft also took top honors on a list of 100 U.S. companies in June for its contributions to creating healthful communities and families. Just Capital, which awarded Microsoft this top spot, said the company was among the best overall and in its industry in its commitment to its workers, the environment and its community. Microsoft, for example, regularly conducts pay equity analyses and concluded in 2017 that for every $1 made by men, women of the same job title and level also earned $1, Just Capital said.

As employers consider how to emulate Microsoft and its fellow winners, it's worth noting that workers tend to regard competitive salaries as including perks and benefits, according to a Randstad USA report. "It's no longer enough for organizations to pay on par with other companies," Jim Link, CHRO of Randstad North America, said in the statement. "Being competitive now means employers must offer salaries and benefits that differentiate themselves in a very tight labor market."