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.
Yet what stands out in today’s 100 Best Companies to Work For isn’t just who’s using AI most or best: It’s who is rebuilding the social contract at work so people feel supported, trusted, and future-ready as the AI transition gathers pace. Now in its 29th year, the ranking is a barometer of how employees are feeling—and the pressure on companies to get that transition right is palpable.
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.
Listening-led cultures
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.
At global hotel giant Hilton (No. 2), chief human resources officer Laura Fuentes says the company’s people-first culture begins with designing policies and benefits “hand in hand with our team members, not just for them.” In response to workers’ feedback, Hilton recently expanded digital tipping across all of its nonunion U.S. hotels.
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.
65%
Share of U.S. job postings requiring work to be fully on-site
4%
Share of the 100 Best Companies to Work For that offer no option to work remotely
Sources: Robert Half, Great Place to Work
At Synchrony Financial (No. 1), the largest U.S. provider of retailer-branded credit cards, listening is baked into the company’s motto: “To be the best, you need to lead for all. And to do that, you need to listen to all.” To put that language into practice, the financial services firm runs Ask Us Anything sessions with senior leaders; monthly leadership roundtables; and regular pulse surveys that feed straight into decisions on workplace flexibility, benefits, and career development.
“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.
Building AI-ready careers
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.
Other companies on the list are similarly moving to make AI feel less like a threat and more like a helpful partner. Delta Air Lines (No. 9) has introduced AI coach Nadia—an always-on digital coach that helps employees set goals, prepare for performance conversations, and think through career moves. It sits alongside the airline’s talent hub, where workers can map out the skills they’ll need to win potential future roles.
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.
At EY (No. 30), AI evolution is happening at every level of seniority, says Ginnie Carlier, EY Americas chief talent and culture officer. While other firms have trimmed entry-level hiring as AI takes over the admin tasks normally palmed off to younger workers, EY is actively investing in early-career talent.
27%
Share of workers with access to paid parental leave
51%
Share of workers who say paid parental leave made them feel more loyal to their employer
82%
Share of workers who say volunteering through work made them feel more loyal to their employer
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor; Deloitte
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.
Designing better benefits
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.
At American Express (No. 4) in the U.S., this includes 20-plus weeks of fully paid parental leave for all parents—whether they’re welcoming a child through pregnancy, adoption, or surrogacy—as well as up to $35,000 in reimbursements per child, twice. Workers and their families have access to free counseling and coaching. Many offices have on-site wellness centers staffed with doctors and nurses. And employees can work from anywhere for up to four weeks annually—on top of existing hybrid arrangements.
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.
Recognizing that it’s nearly impossible to keep work and life in separate boxes, restaurant chain the Cheesecake Factory (No. 25) leans into the blur—inviting family life into the workplace and celebrating it.
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
This article appears in the April/May 2026 issue of Fortune.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
