F5 Networks

You just can't mess with Beer Fridays. For the third year in a row, F5 Networks, once a scrappy Seattle startup and now a major provider of IT infrastructures, has once again left its competition in the dust with a refreshing, hoppy end-of-the-week tradition that has lasted since its early days. "Beer Friday," one employee tells us, "is core to the culture of F5." Even those who don't drink are fans of Beer Friday, which they refer to as "Free peanuts, chips and veggies Friday." Refreshments aside, in an office of more than 750 people (and 2,000 around the globe), they also just appreciate the chance for a weekly get-together with co-workers from other departments. There are other cool perks at F5 that employees love, too: free coffee that's ground to order, on-site massages, trips to exotic locales for 5- and 10-year anniversaries and cash bonuses for not driving to work. Even the quarter-operated candy machines go above and beyond, as one employee tells us, dispensing oh-so-Seattle chocolate espresso beans.

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