Business
The secrets and rituals behind the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Europe
Good morning. How does a company become—and stay—a great place to work? To celebrate the publication of Fortune’s 2025 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Europe, which we produce with Great Place to Work (GPTW), now a part of UKG, I spoke with GPTW CEO Michael C. Bush and leaders from Hilton Worldwide and Cisco Systems, two top-ranking companies on our Europe and global lists. One strong takeaway? To build a shared culture across borders, the leaders on this list create common rituals and practices that reinforce core values.
Celebrate success. Laura Fuentes, who is chief human resources officer of Hilton and head of Hilton Supply Management, talked about the importance of having a global “Team Member Appreciation Week” that “anchors our people in a culture and a moment of gratitude.” Creating “holidays” that are common to team members working across more than 8,800 properties creates what Fuentes calls “cultural anchor points that provide a moment of coming together, of refilling our tanks and going back out to do the work that we do.”
Get together to give back. This was a theme that CEOs also talked about at the CEO Initiative dinner that was hosted in the Washington home of CEOI member and Laurel Strategies CEO Alan Fleischmann earlier this week: the power of finding shared moments to come together for a cause that speaks to the core values of your company. Hilton has its Travel with Purpose Week. As Sara Morales, SVP of people and communities at Cisco, put it during our webinar: “Doing good for the world is doing good for business. It drives performance, engagement, and has an incredible impact outside of Cisco.” As a side benefit, it’s a compelling reason for remote workers to meet each other in real life.
Build trust across cultures. Trade patterns and alliances may shift but great companies understand the importance of rotating across geographies to develop talent for leadership roles. At an individual level, they create space for people to embrace their own culture. It also means creating what Morales called “a path for everyone to participate in the AI economy.” And at a macro level, programs like Hilton’s “crisis concierge” reinforce the message that the company cares. “It all starts with leadership,” said Bush. “You can’t lead a great company and build high trust if you don’t care about people first.”
Check out the 100 companies that made our Europe list here.
Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com
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CEO Daily is compiled and edited by Joey Abrams and Jim Edwards.
