The AI era has undeniably arrived, and every company must become a digital company in some capacity. The new wave of workplace technology is reshaping how jobs are designed, how people are hired and trained, and how performance is measured.
For this year’s ranking, our partner Great Place to Work gathered confidential survey responses from over 640,000 employees at companies eligible for the list (with 1,000 or more U.S. staff) and ranked employers based on workers’ experiences.
Against the backdrop of the AI revolution, three themes stand out among these top employers: They are listening more closely than their peers. They are investing heavily in AI-ready careers. And even as work becomes more digital and always-on, they are doubling down on analog perks: enabling employees to spend more time with and care for the people they love most.
At many companies, 2025 felt like the year of the top-down mandate, especially around return-to-office rules. But inside the companies that employees rated most highly, change doesn’t start with a memo from the CEO. It starts with asking people what they need—and adjusting accordingly.
Meanwhile, Hilton’s new Crisis Concierge—which provides workers with a single point of contact for logistical support after the death of a loved one or team member—was directly inspired by a conversation one team member had with the CHRO. So it’s perhaps no wonder that 93% of Hilton’s U.S. team members agreed that management is approachable and easy to talk to.
Supermarket chain Wegmans (No. 5) similarly invites its workforce to help write the rules with its long-running Ask Bob channel. Frontline employees can send suggestions or ideas straight to Bob Farr, senior vice president of store operations. The strongest proposals are put into action, and the employees who came up with them are recognized, creating a constant loop of innovation and inclusion.
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“If people tell us something isn’t working, we move on it fast—and they can see that we moved,” explains Brian Doubles, Synchrony’s president and CEO. “That cycle of feedback and action is what keeps trust high.”
After 85% of employees expressed a desire for remote-work options, Synchrony launched a hybrid model that includes programs like Flexible Fridays, where staff are encouraged to avoid meetings and take off early, and Flexi Company Holidays. Today, 93% of Synchrony’s 10,000-plus workforce say they are encouraged to balance their work and personal lives. And Doubles says net earnings (at $3.6 billion in 2025) have more than doubled since the changes were made. “Listening is only meaningful if it leads to action,” he adds.
Zoom out across the 100 Best Companies to Work For and you see the same pattern. Only four of the top 100 offer no option to work remotely, while the majority avoid one-size-fits-all rules about in-office days in favor of team-level approaches.
AI is redefining the idea of “hybrid” work: Increasingly, it will mean pairing humans with AI agents—with these digital “co-workers” handling tasks, surfacing insights, and freeing up people to focus on what they do best. The companies on this year’s list aren’t waiting for that future to arrive: They are building for it now.
“AI is a once-in-a-generation turning point—a foundational shift closer to the internet or electricity than to other technology waves,” says Doug Beaudoin, chief people officer at consultancy Deloitte U.S. (No. 24). Meeting the moment means not just bolting new tools to current systems, he says, but “reimagining how work is performed” altogether.
Deloitte is making a $1.4 billion investment into upskilling its people—on the assumption that everyone, not just tech specialists, will need a baseline of digital fluency. Already, employees have taken more than 200,000 courses across AI, cloud, cyber, data, and software engineering through Deloitte’s Technology Academy. Meanwhile, its new Deloitte Certified credential will help people prove their new digital skills to future hiring managers. “Technology is an amplifier of human talent, not a replacement for it,” Beaudoin says.
Cisco (No. 3) is pushing AI adoption with its Teaming With AI program, which encourages employees across the business to experiment with generative tools in their day-to-day work—drafting documents, summarizing meetings—backed by training that stresses ethical use and critical thinking. The message: AI is something every employee, regardless of their role, can learn to work alongside.
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It just launched a new assessment tool for such candidates that looks past traditional credentials in favor of skills, “things like critical thinking, collaboration, and curiosity,” Carlier explains. The tool helps EY spot high-potential hires from nontraditional talent pools and personalize their career paths. Once inside EY, a companywide platform lets people apply to projects across the business, helping match the right people to the right work.
That learning by doing continues in programs like FutureHack, an immersive hackathon-style event where EY professionals team up to tackle AI transformation challenges. And an AI Adoption Network lets frontline workers feed ideas (and concerns) back into the firm’s AI strategy. “We’re equipping our people not just to respond to change, but to lead through it,” Carlier says.
The idea of worker “well-being” has moved beyond yoga mats and free snacks to include serious financial, medical, and emotional safety nets that empower workers to make the most of their time outside work. Think parental leave that runs into double-digit weeks on full pay; unlimited IVF cycles when medically necessary; surrogacy and adoption reimbursements; free virtual therapy and on-demand mental health support.
Add backup childcare, sabbaticals, menopause and neurodiversity programs, and cancer support, and you start to see a pattern: As work increasingly requires employees to be constantly plugged in, the perks are getting more human.
Support isn’t just a nice-to-have. Monique Herena, chief colleague experience officer at Amex, says supported workers are “able to be and deliver their best … and that ultimately strengthens our teams, our customer experience, and our long-term performance.”
At EY, staff can access $1,000 a year in reimbursements for “activities, experiences, and products that promote health and happiness”; $500 for commuting and pet-sitting costs to cover team get-togethers; and a $2,000 backup-care allowance for when usual arrangements fall through.
Last year, it rolled out its Moments That Matter training, so that every manager can honor their staff with personalized gifts to acknowledge life or work milestones. The benefits team emphasizes sending care packages: “That might mean a note of encouragement for someone caring for an ill family member, or a stuffed animal sent to a staff member expecting a baby,” explains chief people officer Dina Barmasse-Gray.
And at a company that began as a collaboration between founder David Overton and his parents, Bring Your Kids to Work Day and Bring Your Parents to Work Day are serious business. Different departments volunteer to host 20-minute activity rotations for the kids, ranging from cupcake decorating and pizzamaking to games and contests.
In an era dominated by algorithms and AI agents, it’s a reminder that the workplaces people rate most highly are built on something old-fashioned: showing up for the humans behind the job titles.
Additional reporting by Jake Angelo, Tristan Bove, Preston Fore, Jacqueline Munis, Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Sasha Rogelberg, Eva Roytburg
