Fortune has their annual list of the 100 Best Companies To Work For out now. What I think is more important that where companies ended up, or their trending in the ranking is what the blurb that accompanies each entry has. The reason? That is the ‘why’ of the choice. The why gives insight into the culture, the very fabric of the company. Having worked at a number of organizations, a toxic culture can be no good at all.

The big patterns this year are: caring about the people who work for you, investing in people, reward community involvement and low turnover.

Here are the ‘sound bites’ I lifted from the list.

  • Trust between our employees and the company
  • Salaries were frozen, but profit sharing continued
  • 11% of the workforce, have been here more than 15 years
  • Culture of collaboration and openness
  • Good people can do their best work
  • “No asshole” rule
  • “If you tell anybody what to do here, they’ll never work for you again.”
  • On-site child care
  • Your time off is your time
  • No wonder full-time turnover rate is just 3%
  • Always “do what is right.”
  • Mentors
  • More than 1,000 new employees were added in the past two years, 40% from referrals
  • Culture of openness
  • Employee referrals account for 85% of new hires
  • Restocked its vending machines with healthy snacks and nuts, and employees get checks ranging from $100 to $300 for trying to get fit
  • Treats me as a peer
  • Fourteen “junior boards of directors” give employees at all levels input into decision-making
  • Employees who volunteer are rewarded with vacation
  • The most generous sabbatical program in American business
  • “No job is seen as better than another job, and no person is seen as better than another person.”