7 reasons no other company can touch Facebook, the best place to work in America

"The most important thing is the people who work at Facebook," Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer, told Glassdoor.

"The best thing about working at Facebook is that we encourage people to bring their full selves to the work," she said. "We all believe in what we are doing and and we value our relationships with others. We're a strengths-based culture and are looking for people who are excellent at what they do best. If you've got the skills, we'll give you the shot."

Employees report on Glassdoor that there is a lot of autonomy and trust at Facebook.

Don Faul, a former Facebook executive, told The Wall Street Journal that, compared to other tech companies that place more importance on "manager" titles and hierarchy, Facebook employees are often placed in roles that cater to their strengths and are encouraged to question and criticize their managers.

And this kind of freedom is perhaps one of the best drivers for employee engagement.

"You get zero credit for your title," he said. "It's all about the quality of the work, the power of your conviction, and the ability to influence people."

Facebookers have responded well to the company's mission — to "Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together" — saying on Glassdoor that meaningful and challenging work that impacts billions of people is what attracted them to and keeps them at the company.

"I love the people who I work with and impact I get to have with my work. I learn something new every day and grow every day from new challenges. I look forward to going to work every day. I can't imagine a better company to work for," one employee writes.

"Our mission here at Facebook is to give people the power to build communities and to bring the world closer. This is something we live by in the workplace as well. No idea is a dumb one, and you are encouraged to make an impact," a site logistics analyst writes.

In keeping with the company's mission to build community, Facebook's leadership works hard to keep their employees connected.

Every week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior leaders host a Q&A to update Facebookers and address questions and concerns. During these meetings, Zuckerberg routinely entrusts his employees with company secrets including news of not-yet-released products and company goals. And, for the most part, employees keep this trust.

"It's an important part of Facebook's culture," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. "People ask thoughtful questions about why our company is going in certain directions, what I think about things happening in the world, and how we can continue improving our services for everyone. I learn a lot from these Q&As, and the questions people ask help us build better services."

"That level of transparency is alarming when you see it at first," a former employee told Recode's Kurt Wagner. "But there's something [special] about knowing you're getting an unfettered response."

Employees report on Glassdoor that they are are especially appreciative of working with smart and innovative colleagues.

"It's great working here, there's nowhere else I'd rather be," writes a data scientist in Menlo Park. "You are working with very smart people who are energized and believe in the work they are doing."

Facebookers say that working with smart coworkers motivates them to keep up their A game.

"There are phenomenally smart people to work with, which raises your own bar every day, and a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction whenever you do something impactful at work," one employee writes.

When it comes to moving up the ladder, Facebook employees report to Glassdoor that they have great opportunities for growth. Facebookers report that they are very satisfied with the career opportunities at Facebook.

We know money isn't everything when it comes to job satisfaction — but it certainly helps.

In fact, while a higher salary won't necessarily boost your happiness, researchers from the University of British Columbia and Michigan State University found that people with higher incomes reported feeling less sad, something Facebook employees surely know well.

According to data gathered by Glassdoor, a software engineer at Facebook makes about $126,780 per year, while, on the lower end of the spectrum, a software engineering intern at Facebook makes about $7,080 a month.

Facebook offers great perks including free food, a vibrant office environment, easy transportation to and from work, on-site health and dental centers, and laundry services.

"Facebook tends to take simple life stressors away so that you can concentrate on what's important; bringing the world closer," a site logistics analyst writes.

The company especially stands out in the parenthood department.

Facebook is one of the first companies to offer coverage of up to $20,000 for egg-freezing, it provides $4,000 in "Baby Cash" to employees with a newborn, and its employees love that they can enjoy parenthood on their terms, giving the tech company's maternity and paternity leave policies an almost perfect score on Glassdoor.

Current employees are particularly excited to report that Facebook makes its 17 weeks-paid-leave policy available to women and men, whereas Google offers 18 weeks of paid maternity leave but between seven and 12 weeks of paternity leave.

Facebook also offers a compelling case study for how companies can make parental-leave policies work. Even the company's CEO takes advantage of the parental leave policy.

Overall, Facebookers report on Glassdoor being extremely happy with their benefits.

"There is literally nothing bad about it — the perks and benefits are incredibly generous, and only get more so over time," writes a current employee in Menlo Park, California.