Also: Musk's U-turn, Macron v. Le Pen, why execs do dumb things.
Good morning.
It’s a big day for Fortune: We are publishing our 2022 100 Best Companies to Work For list.
For 25 years now, Fortune has published this list based on a rigorous methodology administered by our partner, Great Place to Work—now part of UKG. (You can read more about the methodology here.)
It is our most popular annual list, and, I would argue, our most important. Over the last half-century, the role of people in the value equation of big companies has risen steadily. As a result, companies that do the best job engaging their people also have the best shot at winning the future.
So who are this year’s winners?
Top of the list, for the second year in a row: Cisco. It also has the distinction of having been on the list for all 25 years. It has long prioritized its employees’ well-being, and never more than during the pandemic.
Number two on the list is another returnee: Hilton, which has been on the list for seven years. Despite the pain of the pandemic in the travel industry, Hilton pressed ahead with multiple commitments to helping its employees, including a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
And number three—another veteran of 25 years on the list—Wegmans Food Markets. This grocery chain, which spreads across seven eastern states, has managed to successfully compete against much bigger chains for over 100 years by taking extra care of its workers. It’s best known for an extremely generous scholarship program. (Read Beth Kowitt’s piece on Wegmans, and another list perennial, Publix, here.)
You can view the full list this morning here. And if you are looking for a new job, take heart: the current number of open job-postings at these 100 companies is 238,959—the most we’ve ever seen in the history of the list.
In honor of this 25th anniversary, Great Place to Work CEO Michael Bush and I will be hosting a group of our all-stars—including Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, Hilton CEO Steve Nassetta, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and Target CEO Brian Cornell—to talk about what they do to make their companies great employers. Others would do well to pay attention. You can sign up to participate here.
News below. And if you missed it last week, be sure to read this piece by Maria Aspan and Emma Hinchliffe on the mystery of MacKenzie Scott, who has turned out to be the world’s most enigmatic philanthropist.
Alan Murray
@alansmurray
alan.murray@fortune.com
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A brewing crisis in EV battery supply?
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Why executives do stupid things...over and over again
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This edition of CEO Daily was edited by Bernhard Warner.
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