Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to identify the companies liked best by employees, in our annual ranking of the World’s Best Employers
The Great Resignation—the tidal wave of people voluntarily resigning from their jobs —shows no signs of slowing down. The global phenomenon began in early 2021 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, hitting the U.S., Europe, China, India, and more. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 4.2 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2022 alone.
Along with higher salaries, better benefits and advancement opportunities, and work-life balance, job seekers and career changers cite purpose-driven work as a top priority. Research and consulting firm Gartner surveyed more than 3,500 employees worldwide in October 2021 and found that 65% said the pandemic made them rethink their relationship with work. More than half (56%) reported it made them want to contribute more to society.
Do-gooder values are not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when considering multinationals. Meaningful environmental and human impact are often tangential to a corporation’s core profit-driven mission—and are frequently called out as greenwashing or virtue signaling.
Not the case with pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Pfizer PFE , say some employees, which in partnership with BioNTech, manufactured and shipped the first Covid-19 mRNA vaccine approved for emergency use by the FDA in December 2020.
“Everybody on the team was glued to the TV after the announcement was made,” recalls Pfizer Chief People Officer Payal Sahni. “There were a lot of tears as we watched CNN show trucks filled with our vaccine begin to be distributed.”
Sahni, who’s been with Pfizer for nearly 26 years, says that the company’s unique position to create impact rather than stand on the sidelines when it came to addressing the pandemic made the organization—made up of 79,000 global employees—stronger.
“We were able to really live our mission,” says Sahni, pointing to “breakthroughs that change patients’ lives.”
When Pfizer made history again in August 2021 by creating the first Covid-19 vaccine fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “employees were over the moon,” she says. “We had our highest level of survey engagement in 2020 and 2021, with employees expressing how being a part of creating the vaccine and protecting so many lives will forever be part of their legacy.”
Strong Companies With Big Benefits
This historic breakthrough helped Pfizer land at No. 29 on our annual list of the World’s Best Employers, along with perks such as generous time-off, flexible work schedules, free mental health services, and opportunities to transfer to new roles in the company.
For the past three years, Forbes has partnered with market research company Statista to compile the ranking by surveying 150,000 full-time and part-time workers from 57 countries working for multinational corporations and institutions to determine which ones excel in impact and image, talent development, gender equality, social responsibility, and more.
