CarMax

Employees say: "CarMax is very much driven to create a welcoming and associate-first culture. I am confident that company leadership wants to create a company and business model that is ethical and respects customers and employees, instead of chasing short-term profitability."

Employees say:

"CarMax is very much driven to create a welcoming and associate-first culture. I am confident that company leadership wants to create a company and business model that is ethical and respects customers and employees, instead of chasing short term profitability."

This is the 20th year that CarMax, a used autos retailer, has appeared on the list.

The company has started using AI to support business processes and consumer-facing content, such as car reviews, to help free up employees' time. In addition, CarMax is using AI to power multiple customer experiences, such as giving online offers to customers to sell their car to CarMax in minutes, and providing personalized car recommendations to help customers buy their next car from CarMax quickly. CarMax also invests in its virtual AI assistant, Skye, to help streamline its customer experience centers and support customers as they are shopping, through steps like vehicle shipping and appointment preparation and management. 

For CarMax, community involvement is big. One of its longest-lasting key relationships is with KABOOM!, an accredited charity that builds playgrounds in underfunded and underinvested communities. Since the partnership formed in 2011, more than 11,000 employees have come together to build 206 play spaces.

• New hires receive a warm welcome even before their first day. As soon as someone accepts a job offer, the team leader calls to welcome them, and a mentor calls to answer any questions they might have before they start.


• Elaborate onboarding includes making sure new hires have clear direction about their schedule and are provided with smaller details, such as where they should park and what restaurants are nearby, before their first day.


• Workers can utilize the CarMax Connect web platform to get personalized information, aggregated news, and useful company resources.


• “It's the first company that I've worked for that makes you feel the company puts its employees first, and truly understands that it's the sum of its parts that make up the whole,” said one employee. “They're also very understanding when it comes to personal issues getting in the way of work and allowing you to take time off to address them, and not make you feel like you're letting the whole company down for doing so.”