Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

Fortune and our partner Great Place to Work have been publishing the Best Companies list for 26 years. If we’ve learned anything from more than two and a half decades of ranking businesses, it’s that everything is always changing. But building a culture of trust and transparency is essential to help everyone thrive, especially in rocky economic times.

METHODOLOGY

The Top Ten

Cisco Systems

Prev. #1

Information Technology

Cisco, like many technology companies, is at an inflection point after letting go of roughly 4,800 workers at the beginning of 2023. Layoffs can hurt even strong company cultures, but the digital communications and technology conglomerate does have a solid foundation that can help it weather the recent upheaval and maintain its No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year. Cisco’s inclusive workplace is built on a strong sense of purpose that comes through in projects like the Purpose Report and ESG Reporting Hub, where the company has been publicly detailing progress on its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives since 2005. Amanda Cumberland, director of ESG strategy and reporting, insights, and impact at Cisco, recently wrote about how proud she is of the difference Cisco makes for people and the world. “We don’t have it all figured out yet, but we want to keep learning and doing more,” she says.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings

Prev. #2

Hospitality

Hilton prides itself on making work life great for all its employees, with the goal of building “a fully human experience at work.” The hospitality company has focused its employee experience around improving wellness, professional growth, purpose, and inclusion—committing itself to global gender parity and 25% ethnic diversity in corporate leadership by 2027. A key priority has been supporting the mental health of its employees: In the past year, Hilton started offering free counseling to staff and access to an internal hub with a variety of mental health resources meant for engaging in and normalizing mental health conversations. With “Hilton Flex,” team members get more flexibility over when they work, which department they work in, and even how often they’re paid, a program that Hilton reports has helped improve retention.

American Express

+5 spotsPrev. #8

Financial Services & Insurance

For the third year in a row, American Express achieved 100% pay equity across gender globally, and across race in the U.S., unfortunately still a rarity for many firms. It also increased the number of employees who are eligible for company stock options; expanded mental health benefits; and began subsidizing virtual tutoring for workers’ children who need the extra help. Beyond those benefits, Amex continues to take the lead among its financial-firm peers in scheduling flexibility, allowing employees not required to be on-site full-time to “Work From Anywhere” up to 30 days a year. Some 80% of employees can work remotely day-to-day, while 99% of the workforce is eligible for hybrid work. Unlike other companies, Amex has proved its commitment to diversity and inclusion is more than just a talking point: The company is expanding its $1 billion investment in diverse suppliers and other such initiatives to $4 billion by the end of 2025.

Wegmans Food Markets

-1 spotPrev. #3

Retail

The 107-year-old grocery chain based in Rochester, N.Y., has made Fortune’s Best Companies list every year since its 1998 launch. Wegmans employs over 53,000 workers and maintains a $15 minimum wage, nearly double the national average. Workers laud the privately owned company for its intensive training program, commitment to flexible scheduling, and focus on providing employees the opportunity for advancement. For the past five years, Wegmans has consistently reviewed each job opening with a college degree requirement and shifted the language to say “preferred,” putting the emphasis instead on skills and relevant job experience. Still, Wegmans invests heavily in its employees’ education, giving away over $6 million a year in its scholarship competition: Since the program’s 1984 launch, Wegmans has awarded $135 million in scholarships to more than 44,000 employees.

Accenture

+1 spotPrev. #6

Professional Services

Accenture celebrates its 15th year on the Best Companies list thanks in part to its implementation of new mental health resources and continuation of its apprenticeship program. The professional services company emphasizes internal transparency with its Raise a Concern site, where workers can easily find support for issues, track how the investigation process works, and see how similar concerns were handled. It’s paid off, as nine out of 10 employees say that management is “honest and ethical” in its practices. In an effort to expand the talent pool, Accenture met its goal to fill more than 20% of fiscal hires this past year from the ranks of its apprenticeship program, a majority of whom don’t hold four-year degrees. In response to issues of social injustice and worker burnout, Accenture began its Building Bridges conversations, where employees were encouraged to talk about race, gender, and identity. The massive tech firm also announced in late March that it was laying off 19,000 workers globally, about 3% of its workforce.

Nvidia

-1 spotPrev. #5

Information Technology

Even though Nvidia employs more than 26,000 people worldwide, it prides itself in having no more than seven layers between the most junior worker and the CEO. To ensure new employees fit right in, Nvidia matches potential hires with current employees through Insider Interviews, which allows candidates to have informal conversations with future colleagues to learn more about company culture. Nvidia has implemented a new global allyship program and Inclusive Manager Playbook and increased the number of staff focused on recruiting diverse talent in an effort to create a more inclusive workplace. Last year, Nvidia addressed burnout with quarterly “free days,” where the entire company unplugs for two consecutive days each quarter so that everyone can rest and recharge.

Atlassian

+40 spotsPrev. #47

Information Technology

It’s fitting that Atlassian, a leading provider of collaboration, development, and issue tracking software for teams, would be leading the charge when it comes to employee flexibility in the new era of work. With nearly half (47%) of new hires living more than two hours away from a physical office, the company not only doesn’t have in-office work requirements, but it also doesn’t expect employees to work a traditional nine-to-five. That, however, requires intentionality in socializing employees and introducing new hires to the company and colleagues in the name of building culture. Atlassian asks new employees to share introductory blogs, assigns them all new-hire buddies, and offers a peer-to-peer recognition program called Kudos, where employees can win gifts of up to $250. “Everyone has an opportunity to get special recognition,” 93% of employees say.

Salesforce

-4 spotsPrev. #4

Information Technology

It’s been a tough few months for big tech firms, and Salesforce has not been immune, laying off approximately 8,000 workers since December 2022. Known for its leadership in gender pay equity, the company has doubled down on efforts to create a fair and equitable environment for all workers. Salesforce spent $5.6 million in the past year—and more than $22 million since 2015—to address any unexplained differences in pay. As a founding member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Parity Alliance, the company will work to expand equal pay and gender equality throughout the tech industry. The company has also expanded benefits over the past year, including introducing Cleo Teens, a program that offers guidance and advice for parents with kids ages 13 to 18. And as some states adopt legislation that limits health care access, Salesforce has offered to help relocate impacted employees and their families, offering financial assistance and temporary housing. In turn, Salesforce employees are eager to do good work: The company offers 56 paid volunteer hours per year, and workers have taken 303,000 hours over the past year to volunteer in their local communities.

Comcast

+7 spotsPrev. #16

Telecommunications

Comcast, the sprawling parent company of NBCUniversal and employer of 130,000 workers, is focused on attracting and retaining 33% people of color and 50% women at all leadership levels. Comcast also aims to be carbon neutral by 2035 and has committed $1 billion to closing the digital divide in the next decade through the Project Up initiative. The company’s Lift Zones program provides free Wi-Fi access in neighborhood community centers across the country. Since its September 2020 launch, Lift Zones has provided nearly 6 million free Wi-Fi user sessions to students, adults, veterans, and seniors. And the NBCU Academy, which launched in 2021, provides students from underrepresented communities a pipeline into newsrooms with job training and education on journalism fundamentals.

Marriott International

+13 spotsPrev. #23

Hospitality

The onset of COVID-19 hit the hospitality industry hard, and the past few years have been challenging, even for a multinational that encompasses over 8,000 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 139 countries and territories. Yet Marriott continues to work toward a better employee experience by building care into its DNA and actively listening to team members’ needs. Over the past year, Marriott has enhanced its retirement savings program, boosting matching, reducing vesting time frames, and broadening eligibility. With an eye toward inclusivity and diversity, Marriott also rolled out part-time management positions, which the company says allows it to tap into a broader talent pool. Moves such as these buffer employees’ trust in the company and helped Marriott jump from No. 23 in 2022 into the top 10 this year.