Tysons; 48,500 employees
This Massachusetts firm—which in October announced a merger with Dell—has a presence around the globe, including a Tysons office with close to 400 employees as well as seven other area locations. Ranked number 18 on the Great Place to Work Institute’s 2014 list of the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces, the corporation offers a world of opportunity—along with career-development plans and an average of 120 hours of training for tech staff so employees can learn and grow. This 36-year-old IT giant helps clients store, protect, and analyze information—for example, through cloud computing—and the work, employees say, not only is interesting and complex, but they’re proud to help a hospital protect patient data or help the government keep citizens safe. While megafirms aren’t for everyone, EMC’s flexibility is better than most: Web-based meetings, telecommuting, and other options help preserve work/life balance.
Perk: Three paid days a year for volunteering.