For the second year in a row, eBay Inc. was named one of the top IT/Tech workplaces in Germany by the Great Place to Work Institute. It was the first time eBay Inc. had competed in the larger category (1,000+ employees) with major global players such as Microsoft. In fact, only Microsoft ended up ranking higher. It was the second ranking in recent weeks that reflected employees’ high satisfaction with eBay Inc. as an employer.
All employees from eBay Marketplaces, PayPal, mobile.de, brands4friends, eBay Enterprise, eBay Kleinanzeigen and Shopping.com businesses were invited to answer the Trust Index survey in October.
The results show that eBay Inc. businesses are ahead of the Top 100 companies in Germany, on average, in areas such as two-way communication, well-being and work-life-balance, compensation and pride.
Bettina Vaupel, senior director of human relations, eBay Germany, said, “I am so proud of being awarded a top rank. We have done a lot in 2012 and 2013 to improve our employer branding and make us more attractive as an employer ‘like no other.’ And we plan to get even better.”
A work environment that stresses efficiency and trust, accommodating the special requirements of the tech teams, is one of the key drivers of satisfaction on the survey, Vaupel said. The introduction of onsite events and meetups for tech employees also inspired more recommendations of the company as a great place to work, she said.
Tapping Employees for an Inside View on Organizations
The IT list of best workplaces is compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute and includes all the companies in the IT/Tech sector who made it onto the 2014 Germany’s 100 Best Workplaces list, which will be published in late April. The institute focuses on employee perceptions of an institution rather than its reputation with outsiders.
Two-thirds of the institute’s assessment is based on the confidential and anonymous feedback of all eBay Inc. employees in Germany. Employees were asked to agree or disagree with a range of statements that included: “Management has a clear view of where it’s going and how to get there” and “I feel I make a difference here.”
The Great Place to Work recognition follows hot on the heels of German weekly news magazine Focus ranking PayPal as Germany’s Best Employer in the Internet category. eBay Marketplaces was in 2nd place, mobile.de was 5th and brands4friends ranked 5th in the clothing industry.
Focus’ methodology also relied on employee opinions. The magazine randomly surveyed employees, who rated both the company and their managers. More than 19,000 employees were surveyed to shortlist the 800 best companies, across 22 industries in Germany.