Microsoft edged out Google, taking the number one spot in the annual '100 Best Place to Work Europe' study for 2008. Number three was Cisco Systems.The report is prepared by the 'Great Place to Work Institute', a global research and management consultancy, and is published in the Financial Times.
The institute, which has been rating firms over 25 years, studied 1250 companies in 15 European countries. For 2008, the list was divided between the 50 best large companies and the 50 best medium and small companies.
In a press release from Paris, Microsoft's chairman for Europe, Jan Muehlfeit commented:
"Microsoft is a company that was built on innovation and individual initiative, and that creative energy continues to pervade our culture. Ranking number one among large European companies is fantastic validation that we're doing the right things to keep our people engaged and satisfied in their work — and that bodes well for the long-term mutual success of Microsoft and its employees."
Reaktor Innovations, a privately-held company in Finland, landed the number 1 spot is the medium / small company category.
The entire report (with facts, statistics, comments and more) can be downloaded from the FT.com website here.