Human resource management and practices are incredibly powerful in elevating a company from good to great. When we look at Delta, Hilton, and Zillow, we see these organizations consistently show up on Best Places to Work lists, and employee feedback shows that which HR principles that their people care about.
Delta:
Delta employees say that it is not “just a job” but instead a career where people care about and support one another. Delta even shared $1.4 billion in profit with their workforce in 2024 (Delta News Hub, 2025). Sharing this profit with their employees demonstrates evidence based HRM; Delta uses employee performance data to allow them to invest in profit sharing (Garvin, 2013). All of these factors boost employee morale and retention.
Hilton:
Hilton was ranked number one Best company to work for. The benefits that they offer their employees are vast, including wellness programs, education assistance, and travel perks- all of these which employees list as reasons they feel valued (Hilton News, 2025). These benefits reflect strategic HRM, where the organizations practices align with organizational strategy to attract and retain talent (Swift, 2025).
Zillow:
Zillow has a “Cloud HQ” work model that balances employee autonomy with in-person connections like company retreats. Their employee data shows higher job satisfaction and stable productivity (Carberry, 2025). Their dynamic approach also reflects evidence based HRM, using data and analytics to impact people related decision making, similar to Google’s Project Oxygen (Garvin, 2013).
The Type of Manager I’d Like to be:
Using these examples, the type of manager I would like to be is one who listens, invests in my people’s individual strengths, and uses real time data to influence decision making. Balancing performance while protecting well being can be a challenge, but these companies show that aligning HR strategy with performance strategy pays off through loyalty, innovation, growth, and retention.
References:
Carberry, B. (2025, April 4). Zillow named one of the 2025 100 best companies to work for by great place to work and fortune. Zillow Group. https://www.zillowgroup.com/news/zillow-named-one-of-the-best-companies-to-work-for-2025/
Delta earns no. 15 spot on the fortune 100 best companies to work for® list. Delta News Hub. (n.d.). https://news.delta.com/delta-earns-no-15-spot-fortune-100-best-companies-work-forr-list
Fortune 100 best companies to work for® 2025. Great Place To Work®. (n.d.). https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/100-best/2025
Garvin, D. (2013). How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management. . Harvard Business Review.
Hilton named the no. 1 best company to work for in the US. Stories From Hilton. (2025, April 2). https://stories.hilton.com/releases/hilton-named-the-no-1-best-company-to-work-for-in-the-us
Swift, M. (2025). Strategic HR Management. Oregon State University.