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Lab makes Glassdoor’s 2021 list of ‘Best Places to Work’

For the third consecutive year, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award, recognizing the Best Places to Work in 2021.

The Employees’ Choice Award, now in its 13th year, is based solely on the input of employees, who elect to provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer on Glassdoor, a leader on insights about jobs and companies. 

LLNL is comprised of a world-class workforce of more than 8,000 of the best and brightest scientists, engineers, technical and administrative staff, many of whom are drawn to the Laboratory for what it stands for, "Science and Technology on a Mission."

“I have always been amazed by the Laboratory workforce,” said LLNL Director Bill Goldstein. “However, this year in particular, our employees truly stepped up and proved their dedication to our mission despite the challenges we have faced. Our employees are what makes the Lab special and I am filled with pride as I think about how resilient, flexible and productive they have been despite the obstacles presented in navigating a global pandemic.”

This is the third year in a row that the Laboratory has ranked on Glassdoor’s top 25 “Best Places to Work - U.S Large.” This year, LLNL ranked 23 out of 100. Glassdoor’s average company rating is a 3.5; LLNL received an impressive company rating of 4.4 during the review period and maintains a 4.7 cumulative rating. Other accolades include LLNL being the No. 1 government/government contractor employer and the No. 1 laboratory employer. LLNL also is No. 9 on the list of large employers in the Bay Area and No. 5 of those headquartered in the Bay Area.

“LLNL, along with the rest of the world, experienced an unprecedented year in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and the incredible shifting of much of our workforce to remote work,” said Renée Breyer, director of Strategic Human Resources Management at LLNL. “In the midst of this shift, our hiring continued in significant numbers while we also worked hard to continually engage and support our workforce through these challenging times. Our culture of passion for mission helped us forge through this year, delivering on our commitments and developing our employees.”

“COVID-19 is in the driver’s seat and every employer has been impacted. This year’s winning employers have proved, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, they’ll rise to the challenge to support their people,” said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. “A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritized the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this year’s outstanding Employees’ Choice Award winners.”

On Glassdoor, current and former employees voluntarily and anonymously share insights and opinions about their work environments by sharing a company review, designed to capture a genuine inside look at what a specific job may be like at a particular company. When sharing a company review on Glassdoor, employees are asked to rate their satisfaction with the company overall, and key workplace factors like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management and work/life balance. In addition, employees are asked to describe the best reasons to work at their companies as well as any downsides.

“LLNL strives to be inclusive, diverse and up-to-to date with what's going on in the world,” according to the posted review from a Lab administrative assistant. “There are many options and opportunities throughout LLNL. LLNL gives options for alternative work schedules and even daycare for those who need it. Overall, it is an excellent place to work and I tell everyone to apply to work there.”

An LLNL software engineer titled their recent Glassdoor review, “Friendly people, work-life balance, meaningful work that serves the people on this planet.” 

Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work were determined using company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between Oct. 22, 2019 and Oct. 19, 2020. During the yearlong eligibility period, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 75 ratings for each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook), which are taken into account as part of the awards algorithm. The final list is compiled using Glassdoor’s proprietary algorithm, led by its Economic Research Team, and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews. Complete awards methodology can be found on Glassdoor.

The Laboratory is growing. In 2020 alone, LLNL has hired more than 1,400 employees. There are currently more than 295 jobs posted on the LLNL careers site in a variety of fields.

“We are proud to have been named as the No.1 government/government contractor employer for the third year in a row and the No. 5 employer headquartered in San Francisco,” Breyer said. “Being named as a ‘2021 Best Place to Work’ will help us to continue growing our stellar workforce. It is our hope that prospective employees will want to join our team and begin a career of national importance.”

For the complete list of the Glassdoor Best Places to Work winners in 2021, visit the web.