Forbes recently released its 11th annual America’s Best Large Employers list—with some big names, big jumps and big surprises.
The top five employers are:
- Trader Joe’s
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Microsoft
- Stanford University
Despite ongoing uncertainty in the world of work due to the disruptive impacts of factors like AI and return-to-office mandates, “some companies appear to be navigating these rocky workplace waters while maintaining employee loyalty and engagement,” writes Forbes editor Rachel Rabkin Peachman.
How are the top-ranked employers navigating disruption while still centering their people? The rankings offer some clues:
Leadership investment
American Express made a big jump from 25 to 8 on this year’s rankings and Rabkin Peachman notes the organization is known “for its employee development opportunities and pathways to leadership.” Forbes specifically called out the company’s leadership skills-building sessions that trained more than 30,000 employees last year. Monique Herena, chief colleague experience officer at American Express, told the outlet that the organization holds leaders accountable and expects them to “build trust and care for their teams in the same way we do for our customers.”
After Herena’s 2024 induction into the National Academy of Human Resources’ Fellowship program, she told HR Executive that building trust between employees and leaders is core to the company’s leadership development approach, particularly in times of ongoing change and uncertainty.
“People will want to keep growing, learning and executing on your vision and goals if you build that strong connection, that trust—and it’s genuine,” she says.
Financial wellness
A number of high performers on Forbes’ list doubled down on how they addressed employees’ financial wellness in 2025.
In particular, Forbes highlighted 13th-ranked Delta Air Lines, which offers an emergency savings program, featuring company contributions, as well as its profit-sharing initiative, which this week doled out almost $1.3 billion to 100,000 employees.
“That’s more than four weeks of extra pay,” Rabkin Peachman notes.
That investment will likely resonate with many employees. New data from MetLife found that employee financial wellness has plummeted over the last decade, due to workers’ decreased ability to meet financial emergencies and control finances. Given ongoing high inflation, growing rates of unemployment and economic volatility, financial wellness is poised to continue to be a top driver of employee satisfaction, as well as engagement and retention.
“Current economic conditions mean employers are under immense pressure to manage costs while remaining invested in employee wellbeing at a time when their workforce is also stressed,” said Todd Katz, Head of U.S. Group Benefits at MetLife.
Purpose
The power of employee purpose in driving organizational success is well-documented, and the Forbes rankings bear out that reality.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for instance, landed in the No. 2 spot, and Rabkin Peachman acknowledges the “strong sense of purpose” employees get from their work. This is reinforced through on-site connection-building activities among employees.
“Every employee, regardless of role, understands that their work directly impacts the lives of children in Memphis and around the world,” Dana Bottenfield, senior vice president of human resources, told Forbes. “That sense of purpose is a powerful motivator.”
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