Shockingly-high salaries and polychromatic playgrounds, while attractive, are not the only characteristics job seekers are taking into consideration when searching for new jobs or deciding whether or not to stay with a company, a new study has found.
“In 2025, the companies with high employee satisfaction and retention rates are the ones that take workplace culture and individual development seriously,” says Yassin Aberra, the CEO of Social Market Way, a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO.
The team at Social Market Way have conducted a study revealing which companies employees are most happy to be a part of and what to stick around at.
Work-life balance, room for growth, and a sense of community and purpose are integral to keeping workers happy and loyal, the study shows. Here, Yassin and the Social Market Way team reveal the top 50 companies that employees won’t quit in 2025.
The study
Social Market Way conducted the study by taking 100 companies from the US and UK, and analyzing their employee satisfaction and company culture scores, based on reviews on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high). Employee satisfaction and company culture scores were weighted 60% and 40%, respectively, and then summed to produce the final score that represents how happy employees are with their company as well as the quality of the company culture.
TABLE: TOP 50 COMPANIES RANKED
| RANK | Company | Country | Rank (#) Market cap | Industry | Employee satisfaction | Company culture rating | Score |
| 1 | Adobe | US | 42 | Software | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Anglo American | UK | 550 | Mining | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.46 |
| 3 | Alphabet (Google) | US | 5 | Tech | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.42 |
| 4 | British American Tobacco | UK | 224 | Tobacco | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.38 |
| 5 | NVIDIA | US | 2 | Tech | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.36 |
| 6 | Salesforce | US | 28 | Software | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.36 |
| 7 | Microsoft | US | 3 | Software | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.32 |
| 8 | Philip Morris | US | 67 | Tobacco | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.32 |
| 9 | Diageo | UK | 294 | Beverages | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| 10 | Standard Chartered | UK | 674 | Banks | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| 11 | BT Group | UK | 1016 | Telecommunication | 3.8 | 5 | 4.28 |
| 12 | Intuit | US | 79 | Software | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.26 |
| 13 | Costco | US | 22 | Retail | 4 | 4.6 | 4.24 |
| 14 | Rolls-Royce Holdings | UK | 322 | Aerospace | 4 | 4.6 | 4.24 |
| 15 | Cisco | US | 44 | Tech | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.22 |
| 16 | IBM | US | 54 | Tech | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.22 |
| 17 | Johnson & Johnson | US | 26 | Pharmaceuticals | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| 18 | Eli Lilly | US | 13 | Pharmaceuticals | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.18 |
| 19 | Merck | US | 38 | Pharmaceuticals | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.18 |
| 20 | Unilever | UK | 109 | Consumer goods | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.16 |
| 21 | Apple | US | 1 | Tech | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.14 |
| 22 | Mastercard | US | 21 | Financial services | 4 | 4.3 | 4.12 |
| 23 | ServiceNow | US | 47 | Software | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.12 |
| 24 | RELX | UK | 205 | Professional services | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.12 |
| 25 | AbbVie | US | 30 | Pharmaceuticals | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.08 |
| 26 | AMD | US | 56 | Tech | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.08 |
| 27 | American Express | US | 55 | Financial services | 4.1 | 4 | 4.06 |
| 28 | Walt Disney | US | 60 | Entertainment | 4.1 | 4 | 4.06 |
| 29 | InterContinental Hotels Group | UK | 1018 | Hotels | 4.1 | 4 | 4.06 |
| 30 | Chevron | US | 34 | Oil&Gas | 4 | 4.1 | 4.04 |
| 31 | AstraZeneca | UK | 58 | Pharmaceuticals | 4 | 4.1 | 4.04 |
| 32 | QUALCOMM | US | 80 | Tech | 4 | 4.1 | 4.04 |
| 33 | Antofagasta | UK | 916 | Mining | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.04 |
| 34 | Coca-Cola | US | 35 | Beverages | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4 |
| 35 | Summit Therapeutics | UK | 1342 | Pharmaceuticals | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 36 | T-Mobile US | US | 36 | Telecommunication | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.98 |
| 37 | Visa | US | 15 | Financial services | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.98 |
| 38 | Procter & Gamble | US | 24 | Consumer goods | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.98 |
| 39 | Abbott Laboratories | US | 68 | Medical devices | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.98 |
| 40 | Reckitt Benckiser | UK | 505 | Consumer goods | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.98 |
| 41 | Ashtead | UK | 614 | Rental&Leasing services | 4 | 3.8 | 3.92 |
| 42 | London Stock Exchange | UK | 251 | Financial services | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| 43 | Royalty Pharma | UK | 1217 | Pharmaceuticals | 4.5 | 3 | 3.9 |
| 44 | HSBC | UK | 84 | Banks | 4 | 3.7 | 3.88 |
| 45 | Aon | UK | 242 | Insurance | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.86 |
| 46 | Netflix | US | 25 | Entertainment | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.86 |
| 47 | Goldman Sachs | US | 76 | Banks | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.86 |
| 48 | Berkshire Hathaway | US | 9 | Investment | 4 | 3.6 | 3.84 |
| 49 | 3i Group | UK | 446 | Investment | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.82 |
| 50 | Imperial Brands | UK | 739 | Tobacco | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.82 |
The Top 3 Companies
1. Adobe
With a score of 4.5, American computer software company Adobe comes in first, ranking highest in both employee satisfaction and company culture rating.
With its core values of accountability, authenticity, and innovation, Adobe encourages a healthy work-life balance by offering flexibility in employees’ work schedules, on-site fitness centers, and mental health workshops. The company also provides numerous opportunities for employee recognition, professional development, and social engagement.
“Adobe epitomizes the ideal workplace because it nurtures its employees and their future potential through resources that build both hard and soft skills,” says Yassin.
2. Anglo American
Coming in second with a score of 4.46 is Anglo American, the British multinational mining company. With a strong emphasis on the values of respect, integrity, accountability, collaboration, and innovation, the company’s WeCare programme protects the livelihoods of employees and their families, while the Ambassadors for Good is a volunteering program that gives employees a chance to give back.
The company’s latest employee engagement survey found that an impressive 89% of responses indicated a sense of pride in working at Anglo American.
3. Alphabet (Google)
Scoring 4.42 is Google’s parent company, Alphabet. With options for remote work and compressed workweeks, Alphabet also provides mental health initiatives, generous paid parental leave, on-site fitness centres, and community networks. Professional development resources also include skills training workshops and conferences.
“It makes a world of difference when companies are invested in the future potential of their employees so that both employer and employee can evolve together in a symbiotic relationship,” says Yassin.
Yassin Aberra, CEO of Social Market Way, commented:
“In 2025, it’s no longer enough for companies to be offering competitive salaries and basic benefits alone. When searching for a job to commit to, the modern workforce is increasingly attentive to work-life balance, future development, and a strong guiding ethos.
“A quick glance at the core values and benefits of the top scoring companies—Adobe, Anglo American, and Alphabet—tells us that a focus on developing both individual potential and interpersonal community building, are key factors for employee satisfaction. If companies want to avoid a rise in the phenomena of ‘quiet quitting’—when employees do the bare minimum without putting in any added effort or enthusiasm—then they must remember that what they have with their employees is not simply a transactional exchange, but a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship.”
