2019 Workforce 100: Ranking the World’s Top Companies for HR

Change is a gradual process. As much as most organizations would like to see big results from a new program, initiative or benefit sooner rather than later, it could take some time to see the fruits of their labor. Long-term improvements in culture or employee morale may seem daunting, but the patient employer often is rewarded.

Now in its sixth year, the Workforce 100 recognizes companies that excelled in human resources over the course of the previous year. To determine which companies make the list, Workforce editors work with researchers from the Human Capital Media Research and Advisory Group, the publication’s research division.

The research team created a model to sift through publicly available data on HR performance to separate the best from the rest. To give employees more of a say in the rankings, we asked recruiting and job-review website Glassdoor to provide data on what workers are saying about the companies that made our list. From there, we combined that information with the public data available to create our 2019 Workforce 100 list.

This year we noticed that many highly ranked companies have gradually climbed the list since the Workforce 100 began. Southwest started out unranked in 2014, eventually moved to the middle of the list and made it to the No. 1 spot in 2019. Companies including T-Mobile, Microsoft and Hilton have seen similar trajectories. To explore how they made these gradual improvements, Editorial Associate Bethany Tomasian spoke to HR leaders at several of these organizations to get their story.

New to the Workforce 100 package this year, we collaborated with our research team to explore what best practices companies can rely on to be the best in human resources.

Congratulations to all the companies that made the 2019 Workforce 100 list!

#1. Southwest Airlines

Performance Index: 9.2
Industry: Airline
Number of Employees: 58,000
Headquarters: Dallas
Top Ranking HR Person: Julie Weber

#2. T-Mobile

Performance Index: 8.911
Industry: Telecommunications
Number of Employees: 52,218
Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington
Top Ranking HR Person: Liz McAuliffe

#3. Goldman Sachs

Performance Index: 8.756
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 36,000
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Dane Holmes

#4. SAP SE

Performance Index: 8.736
Industry: Software
Number of Employees: 96,498
Headquarters: Walldorf, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Top Ranking HR Person: Stefan Ries

SAP SE

#5. Deloitte

Performance Index: 8.728
Industry: Professional services
Number of Employees: 286,000
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Michele Parmelee

#6. EY

Performance Index: 8.6
Industry: Professional services
Number of Employees: 270,000
Headquarters: London
Top Ranking HR Person: Tony Steadman

#7. Facebook Inc.

Performance Index: 8.591
Industry: Social media
Number of Employees: 33,606
Headquarters: Menlo Park, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Lori Goler

Facebook Inc.

#8. Delta Air Lines Inc.

Performance Index: 8.363
Industry: Airline
Number of Employees: 80,000
Headquarters: Atlanta
Top Ranking HR Person: Joanne Smith

Delta Air Lines Inc.

#9. Microsoft Corp.

Performance Index: 8.302
Industry: Computer software
Number of Employees: 130,000
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington
Top Ranking HR Person: Kathleen Hogan

#10. Cisco Systems Co.

Performance Index: 8.236
Industry: Technology
Number of Employees: 74,200
Headquarters: San Jose, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Francine Katsoudas

#11. Johnson & Johnson

Performance Index: 8.225
Industry: Pharma, consumer products
Number of Employees: 135,000
Headquarters: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Top Ranking HR Person: Peter Fasolo

#12. Hilton

Performance Index: 8.224
Industry: Lodging, hospitality
Number of Employees: 170,000
Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Top Ranking HR Person: Matthew W. Schuyler

#13. HP Inc.

Performance Index: 8.219
Industry: Technology
Number of Employees: 53,000
Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Tracy Keogh

#14. Bain & Co.

Performance Index: 8.216
Industry: Management consulting
Number of Employees: 8,000
Headquarters: Boston
Top Ranking HR Person: Russ Hagey

#15. Ultimate Software

Performance Index: 8.121
Industry: Saas HCM software
Number of Employees: 5,100
Headquarters: Weston, Florida
Top Ranking HR Person: Vivian Maza

#16. Power Home Remodeling

Performance Index: 8.105
Industry: Exterior remodeling
Number of Employees: 2,461
Headquarters: Chester, Pennslyvania
Top Ranking HR Person: Jennifer Carreon-Montes

#17. Accenture

Performance Index: 8.025
Industry: Consulting services
Number of Employees: 477,000
Headquarters: Chicago
Top Ranking HR Person: Ellyn Shook

#18. Salesforce.com Inc.

Performance Index: 8.016
Industry: Software
Number of Employees: 35,000
Headquarters: San Francisco
Top Ranking HR Person: Cindy Robbins

#19. E. & J. Gallo Winery

Performance Index: 8.015
Industry: Winery and distributor
Number of Employees: 6,500
Headquarters: Modesto, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Michelle Lewis

#20. AbbVie Inc.

Performance Index: 8.008
Industry: Biopharmaceutical
Number of Employees: 30,000
Headquarters: North Chicago, Illinois
Top Ranking HR Person: Timothy J. Richmond

#21. Slalom

Performance Index: 7.955
Industry: Professional services
Number of Employees: 5,000
Headquarters: Seattle
Top Ranking HR Person: Sierra Snyder

Slalom

#22. Raytheon Co.

Performance Index: 7.858
Industry: Aerospace and defense
Number of Employees: 67,000
Headquarters: Waltham, Massachusetts
Top Ranking HR Person: Randa G. Newsome

#23. In-N-Out Burger

Performance Index: 7.849
Industry: Restaurants
Number of Employees: 28,000
Headquarters: Irvine, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Katherine Sauls

In-N-Out Burger

#24. Adobe

Performance Index: 7.838
Industry: Computer software
Number of Employees: 21,000
Headquarters: San Jose, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Donna Morris

Adobe

#25. Intuit Inc.

Performance Index: 7.799
Industry: Enterprise software
Number of Employees: 9,000
Headquarters: Mountain View, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Laura Fennell

#26. Edward Jones

Performance Index: 7.727
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 45,000
Headquarters: St. Louis
Top Ranking HR Person: Kevin Bastein

Edward Jones

#27. McKinsey & Co.

Performance Index: 7.726
Industry: Management consulting
Number of Employees: 30,000
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Michael Barriere

McKinsey & Co.

#28. Navy Federal Credit Union

Performance Index: 7.638
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 17,000
Headquarters: Vienna, Virginia
Top Ranking HR Person: Angela Culbertson

Navy Federal Credit Union

#29. HubSpot Inc.

Performance Index: 7.529
Industry: Software development
Number of Employees: 1,239
Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Top Ranking HR Person: Katie Burke

HubSpot Inc.

#30. Procore Technologies

Performance Index: 7.507
Industry: Construction project management software
Number of Employees: 1300
Headquarters: Carpinteria, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Michelle Greer

Procore Technologies

#31. DaVita Inc.

Performance Index: 7.452
Industry: Health care
Number of Employees: 74,500
Headquarters: Denver
Top Ranking HR Person: Eric Severson

DaVita Inc.

#32. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Performance Index: 7.451
Industry: Hospital
Number of Employees: 4,483
Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee
Top Ranking HR Person: Dana Bottenfield

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

#33. Humana Inc.

Performance Index: 7.43
Industry: Health insurance
Number of Employees: 41,600
Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Top Ranking HR Person: Tim Huval,

Humana Inc.

#34. Fast Enterprises

Performance Index: 7.424
Industry: Software
Number of Employees: 1,413
Headquarters: Centennial, Colorado
Top Ranking HR Person: Lindsey Sittko

Fast Enterprises

#35. Enterprise Holdings Inc.

Performance Index: 7.416
Industry: Private holding
Number of Employees: 100,000
Headquarters: St. Louis
Top Ranking HR Person: Shelley Roither,

#36. Stryker

Performance Index: 7.41
Industry: Medical technologies
Number of Employees: 33,000
Headquarters: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Top Ranking HR Person: Katy Fink

#37. Kaiser Permanente

Performance Index: 7.409
Industry: Insurance/health care
Number of Employees: 213,000
Headquarters: Oakland, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Chuck Columbus

Kaiser Permanente

#38. Apple Inc.

Performance Index: 7.399
Industry: Technology
Number of Employees: 132,000
Headquarters: Cupertino, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Deirdre O’Brien

Apple Inc.

#39. Dell

Performance Index: 7.36
Industry: Technology
Number of Employees: 145,000
Headquarters: Round Rock, Texas
Top Ranking HR Person: Steve Price

#40. American Express

Performance Index: 7.338
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 59,000
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Robert Childs

#41. Capital One

Performance Index: 7.337
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 47,600
Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Top Ranking HR Person: Jory Berson

Capital One

#42. Paylocity Corp.

Performance Index: 7.329
Industry: Payroll software
Number of Employees: 2,808
Headquarters: Schaumburg, Illinois
Top Ranking HR Person: Cheryl Johnson

#43. Hyatt Hotels Corp.

Performance Index: 7.321
Industry: Lodging, hospitality
Number of Employees: 120,000
Headquarters: Chicago
Top Ranking HR Person: Malaika Myers

#44. JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Performance Index: 7.305
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 256,105
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Robin Leopold

#45. AT&T Inc.

Performance Index: 7.297
Industry: Telecommunications
Number of Employees: 268,220
Headquarters: Dallas
Top Ranking HR Person: William A. Blase Jr.

#46. Morgan Stanley

Performance Index: 7.26
Industry: Investment bank
Number of Employees: 57,000
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Susan Reid

Morgan Stanley

#47. Amazon.com Inc.

Performance Index: 7.255
Industry: E-commerce
Number of Employees: 647,000
Headquarters: Seattle
Top Ranking HR Person: Beth Galetti

#48. Northrop Grumman Corp.

Performance Index: 7.216
Industry: Security
Number of Employees: 85,000
Headquarters: Falls Church, Virginia
Top Ranking HR Person: Ann Addison

Northrop Grumman Corp.

#49. The Dow Chemical Co.

Performance Index: 7.21
Industry: Chemicals
Number of Employees: 37,000
Headquarters: Midland, MIchigan
Top Ranking HR Person: Karen S. Carter

The Dow Chemical Co.

#50. FedEx Corp.

Performance Index: 7.205
Industry: Courier
Number of Employees: 450,000
Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee
Top Ranking HR Person: Judy Edge

FedEx Corp.

#51. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.

Performance Index: 7.194
Industry: Consulting services
Number of Employees: 25,800
Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Top Ranking HR Person: Betty Thompson

#52. Brown-Forman Corp.

Performance Index: 7.157
Industry: Distilled beverage/wines
Number of Employees: 4,700
Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Top Ranking HR Person: Kirsten Hawley

#53. USAA

Performance Index: 7.138
Industry: Insurance, banking, financial services
Number of Employees: 34,168
Headquarters: San Antonio
Top Ranking HR Person: Pat Teague

USAA

#54. General Motors Co.

Performance Index: 7.137
Industry: Automotive
Number of Employees: 180,000
Headquarters: Detroit
Top Ranking HR Person: Kim Brycz

#55. Google

Performance Index: 7.135
Industry: Technology
Number of Employees: 98,771
Headquarters: Mountain View, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Eileen Naughton

Google

#56. ADP

Performance Index: 7.11
Industry: HR management software
Number of Employees: 58,000
Headquarters: Roseland, New Jersey
Top Ranking HR Person: Sreeni Kutam

#57. Lockheed Martin Corp.

Performance Index: 7.105
Industry: Advanced technologies
Number of Employees: 105,000
Headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland
Top Ranking HR Person: Patricia L. Lewis

#58. Visa Inc.

Performance Index: 7.083
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 15,000 *
Headquarters: Foster City, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Jennifer Grant

#59. Abbott Laboratories

Performance Index: 7.016
Industry: Health care
Number of Employees: 103,000
Headquarters: Chicago
Top Ranking HR Person: Steve Fussell

Abbott Laboratories

#60. Boston Consulting Group

Performance Index: 6.996
Industry: Management consulting
Number of Employees: 16,000
Headquarters: Boston
Top Ranking HR Person: Matt Krentz

Boston Consulting Group

#61. Kronos Inc.

Performance Index: 6.995
Industry: Workforce management and HR software
Number of Employees: 5,780
Headquarters: Lowell, Massachusetts
Top Ranking HR Person: Dave Almeda

#62. World Wide Technology

Performance Index: 6.99
Industry: Technology service prodiver
Number of Employees: 5,000
Headquarters: Maryland Heights, Missouri
Top Ranking HR Person: Ann W. Marr

World Wide Technology

#63. SpaceX

Performance Index: 6.974
Industry: Aerospace
Number of Employees: 6,000
Headquarters: Hawthorne, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Brian Bjelde

SpaceX

#64. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Performance Index: 6.957
Industry: Cancer treatment and research hospital
Number of Employees: 20,871
Headquarters: Houston
Top Ranking HR Person: Shibu Varghese

#65. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.

Performance Index: 6.955
Industry: Insurance
Number of Employees: 34,000
Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio
Top Ranking HR Person: Gale King

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.

#66. VMware Inc.

Performance Index: 6.94
Industry: Computer software
Number of Employees: 24,137
Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Betsy Sutter

#67. Comcast Corp.

Performance Index: 6.927
Industry: Telecommunications
Number of Employees: 184,000
Headquarters: Philadelphia
Top Ranking HR Person: Bill Strahan, Vicki Williams,

#68. Wells Fargo & Co.

Performance Index: 6.91
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 271,453
Headquarters: San Francisco
Top Ranking HR Person: David Galloreese

#69. General Electric Co.

Performance Index: 6.888
Industry: Conglomerate
Number of Employees: 280,000
Headquarters: Boston
Top Ranking HR Person: Kevin Cox

#70. Boston Scientific Corp.

Performance Index: 6.868
Industry: Medical devices
Number of Employees: 32,000
Headquarters: Marlborough, Massachusetts
Top Ranking HR Person: Wendy Carruthers

Boston Scientific Corp.

#71. Kimberly-Clark Corp.

Performance Index: 6.866
Industry: Personal care
Number of Employees: 41,000
Headquarters: Irving, Texas
Top Ranking HR Person: Scott Boston

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

#72. IBM

Performance Index: 6.844
Industry: Information technology
Number of Employees: 366,000
Headquarters: Armonk, New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Diane Gherson

#73. Workday Inc.

Performance Index: 6.829
Industry: Financial and human capital management
Number of Employees: 10,500
Headquarters: Pleasanton, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Ashley Goldsmith

#74. Wegmans Food Markets Inc.

Performance Index: 6.807
Industry: Retail
Number of Employees: 49,000
Headquarters: Rochester, New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Kevin Stickles

#75. Keller Williams Realty Inc.

Performance Index: 6.782
Industry: Real estate
Number of Employees: 180,000
Headquarters: Austin, Texas
Top Ranking HR Person: Darrell King

Keller Williams Realty Inc.

#76. Texas Health Resources

Performance Index: 6.752
Industry: Health care
Number of Employees: 25,000
Headquarters: Arlington, Texas
Top Ranking HR Person: Michelle Kirby

#77. Aetna

Performance Index: 6.749
Industry: Insurance
Number of Employees: 47,950
Headquarters: Hartford, Connecticut
Top Ranking HR Person: Thomas W. Weidenkopf

#78. Costco Wholesale Corp.

Performance Index: 6.729
Industry: Retail
Number of Employees: 231,000
Headquarters: Issaquah, Washington
Top Ranking HR Person: Pat Callans

Costco Wholesale Corp.

#79. Mastercard Inc.

Performance Index: 6.728
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 13,400
Headquarters: Purchase, New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Michael Fraccaro

Mastercard Inc.

#80. Texas Instruments Inc.

Performance Index: 6.727
Industry: Technology
Number of Employees: 29,700
Headquarters: Dallas
Top Ranking HR Person: Darla Whitaker

#81. Travelers Cos.

Performance Index: 6.707
Industry: Insurance
Number of Employees: 30,000
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Diane D. Bengston

Travelers Cos.

#82. Verizon Communications Inc.

Performance Index: 6.694
Industry: Telecommunications
Number of Employees: 144,953
Headquarters: Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Top Ranking HR Person: Marc Reed

#83. Cummins Inc.

Performance Index: 6.69
Industry: Diesel/alternative fuel technology
Number of Employees: 62,600
Headquarters: Columbus, Indiana
Top Ranking HR Person: Jill Cook

Cummins Inc.

#84. 3M

Performance Index: 6.679
Industry: Consumer products
Number of Employees: 91,536
Headquarters: St. Paul, Minnesota
Top Ranking HR Person: Kristen M. Ludgate

#85. Siemens USA

Performance Index: 6.668
Industry: Conglomerate
Number of Employees: 50000
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Top Ranking HR Person: Mike Bokina

#86. Mars

Performance Index: 6.618
Industry: Products and services
Number of Employees: 100,000
Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Top Ranking HR Person: Eric Minvielle

Mars

#87. Fidelity Investments

Performance Index: 6.602
Industry: Financial services
Number of Employees: 40,000
Headquarters: Boston
Top Ranking HR Person: Bill Ackerman

#88. Nike Inc.

Performance Index: 6.557
Industry: Consumer products
Number of Employees: 73,100
Headquarters: Beaverton, Oregon
Top Ranking HR Person: Monique Matheson

#89. Chevron Corp.

Performance Index: 6.552
Industry: Energy products
Number of Employees: 51,900
Headquarters: San Ramon, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Rhonda J. Morris

#90. Procter & Gamble

Performance Index: 6.529
Industry: Consumer products
Number of Employees: 95,000
Headquarters: Cincinnati
Top Ranking HR Person: Tracey Grabowski

#91. Marriott International

Performance Index: 6.528
Industry: Lodging and hospitality
Number of Employees: 177,000
Headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland
Top Ranking HR Person: David Rodriguez

#92. Grant Thornton LLP

Performance Index: 6.518
Industry: Accounting company
Number of Employees: 8,556
Headquarters: Chicago
Top Ranking HR Person: Brenda Wagner

#93. Starbucks Corp.

Performance Index: 6.474
Industry: Consumer products/retail
Number of Employees: 238,000
Headquarters: Seattle
Top Ranking HR Person: Lucy Lee Helm

#94. Intel Corp.

Performance Index: 6.446
Industry: Technology
Number of Employees: 106,799
Headquarters: Santa Clara, California
Top Ranking HR Person: Matt Smith

#95. PwC

Performance Index: 6.435
Industry: Professional services
Number of Employees: 250,930
Headquarters: London
Top Ranking HR Person: Agnés Hussherr

#96. General Mills Inc.

Performance Index: 6.424
Industry: Food products
Number of Employees: 38,000
Headquarters: Minneapolis
Top Ranking HR Person: Jacqueline Williams-Roll

#97. KPMG

Performance Index: 6.413
Industry: Professional services
Number of Employees: 32,718
Headquarters: New York
Top Ranking HR Person: Darren H. Burton

KPMG

#98. Medtronic

Performance Index: 6.352
Industry: Health care
Number of Employees: 86,000
Headquarters: Dublin
Top Ranking HR Person: Carol A. Surface

Medtronic

#99. Merck & Co. Inc.

Performance Index: 6.351
Industry: Pharmaceutical
Number of Employees: 69,000
Headquarters: Kenilworth, New Jersey
Top Ranking HR Person: Stephen C. Mizell

#100. Eli Lilly & Co.

Performance Index: 6.318
Industry: Pharmaceutical
Number of Employees: 38,682
Headquarters: Indianapolis
Top Ranking HR Person: Stephen F. Fry

Eli Lilly & Co.

WORKFORCE 100 METHODOLOGY

The Workforce 100 is the rank order and scores of the 100 companies that performed best in seven core areas: workplace culture, employee benefits, diversity and inclusion, employee development and talent management, human resources innovation, leadership development, and talent acquisition. The working assumption behind the list is that high performance in these core categories provides a reasonable proxy for overall HR excellence.

This year’s change in methodology created a ranked list that made comprehensive HR participation and employee feedback on their respective employers the primary focus rather than excellence in one core area. Using this method, organizations that are recognized on multiple lists but do not perform perfectly will be ranked higher than organizations that are ranked in one area but perform better in a single discipline. In addition, organizations that are not as heavily represented in external recognition programs are still acknowledged for their HR efforts through the posted opinions of their employees.

To generate the score, researchers first looked at how many lists with HR relevance a particular company appeared on, which makes up half of the total score (maximum of 5 points). The other half of the score (also with a maximum of 5 points) was derived from an average of the company’s Glassdoor performance in areas pertaining to HR. These scores are then added together to create the final score.

Component Lists: