These Are the 10 Best Workplaces in the Fortune 500
Among this year’s Fortune 500, only 16 companies are recognized for having great workplace cultures. These employers have earned high marks from their workers, who completed an extensive workplace culture and trust index survey administered by Great Place to Work, Fortune’s longtime partner for our annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Read below for the top 10 companies within the Fortune 500 that are loved by employees.
Alphabet (Google)
Google has been on the 100 Best Companies list for 10 years, with this being its seventh time at No. 1, thanks to sparking the imagination of its talented and highly compensated workers, and by adding perks to an already dizzying array of freebies. Last year it enhanced health care coverage by offering virtual doctor visits, second-opinion services, and breast-cancer screenings at headquarters. One Googler explained, “The company culture truly makes workers feel they’re valued and respected as a human being, not as a cog in a machine. The perks are phenomenal. From three prepared organic meals a day to unlimited snacks, artisan coffee and tea to free personal-fitness classes, health clinics, on-site oil changes, haircuts, spa truck, bike-repair truck, nap pods, free on-site laundry rooms, and subsidized wash and fold. The list is endless.” Read the Great Place to Work review here.
Stryker
With a workforce of more than 12,000 employees spread out over 172 sites, Stryker offers more than 60,000 medical devices, including implants used in joint replacement surgeries and surgical navigation and endoscopic systems. To make sure employees understand how their products are used, they encourage them to observe surgeries and attend trade shows and ride along with sales reps during meetings with customers, as well as hear patient stories. One inspired employee remarked: “I see the face of someone who is alive because of our product, and that’s amazing.” Read the Great Place to Work review here.
Salesforce
This global cloud computing company knows how to give back: CEO Marc Benioff and his wife, Lynne, have become San Francisco’s favorite philanthropists, rivaling the legendary Levi Strauss. Their most spectacular donation has been $200 million for a new children’s hospital bearing their names. This social commitment is an extension of the company’s culture: Salesforce.com has logged over 1.3 million volunteer hours and donated more than $100 million in grants. Employees receive seven paid days a year to volunteer, and one employee told us: “We have the flexibility and support to volunteer on our own, yet be supported by the company.” To prove it, staff member donations are matched, dollar for dollar, by the company. Read the Great Place to Work review here.
USAA
Football-fanatic employees scored last year when this financial institution serving military families became the official Military Appreciation Sponsor of the NFL. In Phoenix, USAA employees and NFL Pro Bowl players helped refurbish a park; in Denver, employees and the Broncos hosted nearly 100 military members for a first-ever event to bring the military and the NFL together. In Washington, D.C., employees made the dreams of fans come true when they were able to meet the starting quarterback of their team. Last year Stuart Parker, an 18-year USAA veteran who flew C-141 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm, kicked off his promotion to CEO with a coast-to-coast tour for face time with employees. Read the Great Place to Work review here.
Aflac
This supplemental insurance company based in Columbus, GA, celebrated its 60th birthday last year with an entire year of events: parties, contests and giveaways ending with a special day ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Parent-friendly perks: onsite child care (only $520/month and open for the company Christmas party), 30 days paid paternity, onsite chaplains, and a work and family resource center. Nearly half of employees use flexible scheduling here: “dream schedules” allow employees to begin work as early as 5:30 AM, and PTO can be scheduled by the day, week or hour.Read the Great Place to Work review here.
Goldman Sachs
The Wall Street firm’s employees love working here, hence its presence on the list every year since since it was first published in 1998. Money is one reason. Wellness is another reason. The firm has an on-site fitness center and a medical clinic staffed with doctors, nurses, dermatologists, gynecologists and physical therapists. In recent years the company has been holding a Resilience Week featuring speakers who discuss such topics as “Happiness and Stress.” Read the Great Place to Work review here.
Hilton Worldwide
Women represent 51 percent of this hotel chain’s U.S. employee population — and 52 percent of non-executive managers. The company has a Women’s Mentoring Program and a Women’s Team Member Resource Group, which hosts special events for women’s leadership. Starting in 2016, the company is surging ahead of the industry by ramping up paid leave to two weeks for dads and adoptive parents — and giving moms ten weeks off following childbirth. Read the Great Place to Work review here.
Publix Super Markets
There is a strong family feeling at this employee-owned supermarket chain, which operates more than 1,100 stores in six Southeastern states. Turnover here is incredibly low, averaging 5% for full timers and 38% for part timers. Nearly 20,000 employees have worked at Publix for more than 15 years, and one reason they stay is a stock ownership plan that automatically plunks shares into employee accounts at the end of each year. The contribution ranges from 7% to 10% of their pay. Cost to employees is zero. And for the last 55 years, Publix stock has grown on average by almost 16% annually. All these factors have made Publix the largest employee-owned company in the nation. Read the Great Place to Work review here. ALSO READ Bag Boy Confidential: My Five Days As a Publix Employee
Whole Foods Market
100 Best Companies rank: No. 75
Fortune 500 rank: No. 181
Anyone who shops at the country’s leading natural food supermarket chain knows it is passionate about its mission of selling organic food, GMO labeling, and animal welfare. Many employees (called “Team Members”) say this mission aligns with their personal beliefs. Whole Foods Market strives for an egalitarian culture and caps its executive salaries at no more than 19 times that of the average worker. The company’s unique gain-sharing plan rewards teams for coming under budget. The team’s monthly surplus is distributed among team members—based on number of hours worked—and has averaged about 6% of workers’ total wages. “Getting that extra boost of money when you work on a great team and know that you have earned it is a great feeling,” says one employee. Read the Great Place to Work review here.
Cisco Systems
Maker of such network products as routers and switchers, which help computer users connect to the internet, Cisco is also a serial acquirer of other companies. Since its founding in 1984, it has bought 186 companies. They also acquired a new CEO last year, Chuck Robbins, who replaced John Chambers, who had held the reins since 1995. Cisco has achieved strong recognition in Silicon Valley as a leader in work-life programs. More than 3,000 employees now do their jobs from home, and has a state-of-the-art child care center with 600 kids. Read the Great Place to Work reviewhere.
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