Last week we announced the World's Best Workplaces™, whose extraordinary cultures are transcending borders and making a difference on a global scale.
This year’s list features 25 organisations, chosen after surveying more than 9 million employees globally about their experience in the workplace, and representing the work experiences of over 25 million employees.
“The powerful impact of these great companies on our planet is a sacred trust,” says Michael C. Bush, Global CEO of Great Place To Work. “Of the more than 9 million employees surveyed, more workers at these remarkable companies say their company trusts them and wants them to grow as people and professionals. These economic powerhouses also strengthen the communities where they operate, and are leaving behind a better world than the one they inherited.”
Take a look at how some of these incredible organisations enable their people to thrive:
Experian
Experian (rank 14 on this year's list) is the world's leading global information services company, employing over 3,000 people in the UK alone. We recently spoke to Jacky Simmonds, Chief People Officer, about how their partnership with Great Place To Work allows them to drive their culture and business forward.
"We've always had a very clear ambition to elevate Experian as a top tech employer and to be one of the best workplaces globally," says Jacky. "It was in 2021 that we first started doing Great Place To Work surveys.
"We use the results of the survey to encourage innovation. One of the questions we ask employees will be around, 'Are there any barriers to getting your job done?' or 'Is it easy to get things done?'. Those two are quite important because if you've got barriers to getting your work done, that might be taking up more of your time rather than innovating and driving business forward. We use the data and insights to really foster that innovation culture and keep boosting it to the next level."
| Listen to the podcast: How Experian Has Developed A Culture of Innovation For All, By All
Admiral
For over two decades, Admiral has partnered with Great Place To Work to measure and invest in their workplace culture.
Admiral's commitment to its people has been unwavering, and has seen them ranked a UK’s Best Workplace™ every year since the List was first published in 2001. Their incredible company culture has resulted in impressive global recognition too, including Certification in seven countries and ranking at number 25 on this year's World's Best Workplaces List.
UK People Director Lorna Connelly shares how empowering managers supports all of Admiral's people to thrive:
"We invest lots of time in ongoing training and coaching for our leaders to ensure they feel supported and empowered, and understand that their role is really to bring out the best in people.
We give our people the confidence, the trust in the organisation, to take some risks sometimes. If things don't go as planned, or we find out something doesn't work, then that's fine. That's an important thing for us increasingly: that real diversity of thought and working, not in silos, but really as a team, and as an organisation as well."
| Report: The Culture Dividend (ft. Admiral)
Specsavers
Ranked at number 12 on the list, Specsavers has created a culture where people truly feel they belong.
87% of colleagues say they're treated as a full member regardless of their position, and 83% feel they can be themselves at work – far above 65% at the typical UK workplace.
| Learn more about Specsavers' culture
AbbVie
Since spinning off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013, AbbVie (ranked 6th on this year's list) has made culture a strategic business priority. As HR Director (UK) Anna Oliver explains, this has meant truly embedding their values across the organisation:
"Why I believe AbbVie is so successful is that we have strong values and we live by them. It's very easy to have a set of behaviours, a set of principles, a set of values that are just written down. But to actually continually deliver and live these values, day in, day out, is what I see AbbVie does. AbbVie leaders do it, and in turn, AbbVie employees do it as well."
| Listen to the podcast: How AbbVie Embeds and Lives Out Their Values to Drive Great Culture
Trek Bicycle
Ranked at number 23 on this year's link, Trek Bicycle's leadership, spearheaded by CEO John Burke, emphasises a people-centric approach and is committed to fostering a positive workplace culture.
The company has partnered with Great Place To Work for over a decade, and in that time has used their Trust index results to scale their culture, tripling their company size and boosting profitability.
By breaking down employee survey data to a granular level, Trek fostered a sense of ownership among its leaders. This encouraged managers to take accountability for their teams’ satisfaction and performance.
| Read More: How Trek Became One of the Best Companies To Work For in Europe
Hilton
At hospitality giant Hilton (ranked 1st on this year's list), psychological health is top priority. In a fast-paced, client facing sector, mistakes are inevitable – it's how you react that counts, as Kay Harriman, Senior HR Director (UK&I), explains:
"What's really important is that we've got one shared goal that we all buy into. If for some reason things don't go as planned, that's okay – so long as the intention was there to give our guests a reliable and friendly service. If it didn't quite work out, then what’s important is that we learn from the experience and use it as a growth opportunity."
| Read More: The Secret to Hilton's Psychological Health in the Workplace? Leaders Who Walk the Talk
Discover the full list of the World's Best Workplaces 2025.
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