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- America's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® is out. Here's how it was earned.
America's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® is out. Here's how it was earned.
No essay. No census. Their people told us how they feel, and we did the heavy lifting.
Louis Carter
November 04, 2026
 WELCOME TO The Work Ahead |
The Work Ahead is AI-era culture intelligence for CEOs and CHROs, from the research behind Most Loved Workplace®. Every Wednesday.
This week: America's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® is out. Here's how those companies earned it, and how to see if you're on track for next year.
Let's dive in 👇
Lou
▶️ Lou's Take
Lou’s Take: How it was earned. The companies on the list got there because their people told us how they feel about coming to work. A culture you describe is a claim. A culture your people describe is proof.
Around the Corner
America's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® went live this morning.
Every year, someone asks me how a company gets on it. The short answer: its people put it there.
Not by writing essays about themselves. Not by surveying every single person until their teams were exhausted. Their people told us how they feel about coming to work, and we did the heavy lifting with them: the interview, the survey, the math, the action plans.
The Evidence
Most recognition measures what people think, or what a company says it does. We measure whether people actually love working there: how emotionally connected they feel to the place and to each other.
That's why the method matters. A culture you describe is a claim. A culture your people describe is proof.
Three things make it work:
No essay. Your team doesn't spend months writing about your culture.
No census. We need a representative sample that meets our minimums, not every single person.
Action plans, not just a score. We walk through the results with you, so you know what to keep doing and what to fix.
The Fallout
For employers: If you read the list and thought "that should be us," the gap is usually evidence, not culture. You may already have more proof than you think.
For employees: Read what people at these companies say about their work. Then ask yourself the harder question: what would you add if you worked there? The people these companies love to keep are the ones who do more than the job asks.
For your CFO: Certification is earned once and used all year: branding, marketing and ESG reporting.
Your Move → See if you're on track for 2027
Take the free eligibility check. It takes about a minute.
Type your company name into the free eligibility check.
Read your preliminary eligibility result and your Employer Brand Score.
If you're close, book a 15-minute call and we'll show you what's missing.
If you thought "that should be us," good. Let's find out.
🏆 On the list: Petfolk, #4
Petfolk is #4 on America's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces®. It's a veterinary care company based in Boca Raton, Florida, with 300 employees, led by CEO Audrey Wystrach.
Its CEO regularly serves as an associate veterinarian in its clinics and makes it a point to know every employee by name.
In 2026, Petfolk earned Most Loved Workplace® Certified, plus Most Loved Workplace® for Inclusivity, for Mental Health, for Women and for Young Professionals.
💼 Most Loved Jobs: hiring now on the list
Want to work where people love the work? These companies on America's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® are hiring. Each link opens the company's Most Loved Workplace® jobs page.
Parkview Health (health care, Fort Wayne, IN): see open roles →
Databricks (technology, San Francisco, CA): see open roles →
Jack Henry (financial services, Monett, MO): see open roles →
Momentum Life Sciences (life sciences, Indianapolis, IN): see open roles →
KnowBe4 (technology, Clearwater, FL): see open roles →
Already Most Loved Workplace® certified? Congratulations to every company on the list. Renewing keeps your certification current; ask our team what's included. Your badge license covers digital and print branding, marketing and ESG, and companies on the list can ask about the America's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® badge. Just reply to this email.
Forward this to a CHRO
Know a CEO or CHRO who should read this before their next workforce decision? Forward this email.
See you next week,
Lou
from Louis Carter, Founder & CEO, Most Loved Workplace® and Best Practice Institute
P.S. Not on the list this year? Book a free 15-minute session and we'll show you exactly what's missing for 2027. Book my free session →
The Work Ahead is published weekly, every Wednesday, by Louis Carter. AI-era culture intelligence for CEOs and CHROs, from the research behind Most Loved Workplace®.
Sources: Most Loved Workplace® methodology and certification pages.