Nate Smith
Jan. 10th, 2026
Recently I have been reviewing the list of Fortune 500 companies that are the best to work for. I wanted to determine what factors of HR management these companies use, their approaches and why their employees wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. This led me to choose companies in separate industries, I went with Hilton, Cisco, and Accenture from the 2025 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list. These organizations consistently receive high employee ratings for their culture, trust, and engagement, showing the direct correlation of how key HR outcomes are linked to effectiveness in HR practices.
At Hilton, employees often described their workplace as focused on respect, recognition, and internal growth. This directly mirrors HRM concepts around employee engagement and development. Hilton’s HR strategies emphasize their training programs, career pathways from any position, and open lines of communication for consistent feedback so employees feel valued and know they can make a difference. Directly tying into the idea that high-quality data and metrics improve an organization daily and annual outcomes. This approach also reflects on evidence-based HRM, where decisions about talent development are backed by performance data rather than a single managers intuition.
Cisco is another great example, Cisco’s culture encourages collaboration, innovation, and inclusion. From an HR perspective, Cisco uses benchmarking and internal surveys to continuously measure employee experiences and use this data to change or adjust their HR initiatives, which correlates directly to what I have learned in my MGMT 453 class, such as matching what we learned about comparing organizational practices to high-performers to stay competitive in the industry. Great managers at Cisco are known for treating employees as individuals, not just a number, and helping convert employee talent into performance, a core principle in managerial effectiveness frameworks.
Accenture emphasizes continuous learning and leadership development. Its HR management is heavily focused in training opportunities that help employees adapt to changes in their everyday workflow. Which aligns with the idea that HR practices should simultaneously develop employees and address the needs of the company. Leaders who create opportunities for growth help build trust and retain the company’s top talent, which Accenture definitely demonstrates through their robust learning practices.
Reflecting on these companies has helped me to determine what kind of manager I will strive to be. A manager who uses data to help guide my decisions, invests in the employees and their overall growth, and brings a culture of trust and inclusion for all employees. The most challenging aspects I see of trying to become this type of manager, is going to be balancing the goals of the company while meeting the individual needs of my employees. Along with using HR metrics responsibly to support decisions without losing sight of the employee as a person, not a number.