Announcing the Global Top Employers 2021

It is with the greatest pleasure that we announce the Global Top Employers 2021. This year, 16 organisations have been successfully certified as leaders in HR for their outstanding strategies and people practices in at least 20 countries each.  

These organisations are certified for their consistency in enriching the world of work on a truly global stage. They are:   

• Boehringer Ingelheim 
• British American Tobacco 
• DHL Express 
• DHL Global Forwarding, Freight 
• Infosys 
• JTI 
• Novartis 
• Orange 
• PepsiCo 
• Philip Morris International 
• Saint-Gobain 
• Sandoz 
• Sanofi 
• SAP 
• Takeda 
• Tata Consultancy Services 

As the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices, we are proud to certify a total of 1 691 organisations in 120 countries/regions for the year ahead. These Top Employers positively impact the lives of over seven million employees globally. 

The Top Employers Institute Certification Programme assesses the people practices of participating companies through the independently audited and fact-based HR Best Practices Survey, which covers six domains and 20 subtopics across the entire HR spectrum.   

Top Employers Institute HR Best Practices Survey Domains  

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges for societies across the world. It unleashed a new era of change for companies worldwide, whose survival and growth could influence the lives of millions of employees and their families. 

"In addition to the adverse impacts on global health systems and economies, businesses faced the significant hurdle of supporting their people in adapting to new ways of work. In our research, we were glad to see that Top Employers put their employees first from the outset of the global health crisis. They responded and adapted quickly to the ever-changing situation,” says David Plink, CEO of Top Employers Institute. 

Despite the challenges, it was business as usual and Top Employers were held to the same high standards as with every previous year.  

“We also saw great opportunities and positive changes, including increased focus on well-being, a greater need work-life balance, and a reduction in time spent commuting,” he adds.   

Top Employers Institute also took the opportunity to align their certification process across all regions, moving away from three separate cycles to one certification celebration globally.  

We are proud to share this year’s announcement and congratulate all Top Employers that have been certified in their respective countries/regions at our first global virtual event to be held on 28 January, which will bring together over 12 000 attendees on one day, united in shaping a better world of work.