Best Workplaces, Employee Listening
The companies that stayed on top this year didn’t slow down. They listened more.
That approach helped leaders at Synchrony and AbbVie — ranked No. 1 on the 2026 Fortune Best Workplaces in New York and Chicago, respectively, for two years running — make decisions quickly, even as workplace expectations and technology keep changing.
“Listening isn’t something you do once in a while. At these companies, it’s constant — and it leads to action and a stronger business,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work®. “Listening is how good decisions get made. Most leaders love to talk. The best ones listen at least as much.”
When employees see leaders act on what they say, they’re more likely to speak up, take risks, and keep the business moving.
The gaps between Fortune Best Workplaces in New York, Chicago, Texas, and the Bay Area and other workplaces aren’t about perks or policies — or nice weather. They’re about whether employees believe leaders are listening and doing something about what they hear.
“People don’t need perfection,” says D Crum, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at AbbVie. “They need to know their feedback matters and is considered.”
That pattern shows up in the data. Across the Best Workplaces™, 87% of employees say leaders seek out and respond to ideas, compared to 55% at typical workplaces.
Companies where all voices are heard experience 5.5 times the revenue growth of less innovative companies, according to Great Place To Work research.
How Synchrony uses employee listening
At Synchrony, listening is not tied to a single channel or annual event.
“It’s a whole ecosystem,” says DJ Casto, Synchrony’s chief human resources officer. “If you’re only listening one way, you’re only hearing part of the story.”
Synchrony uses quarterly surveys, in-person group discussions, Ask Us Anything forums, input from employee resource groups, intern feedback, and regular one-on-one check-ins between managers and their teams.
But it’s not just about hearing what employees say.
“Asking for feedback isn’t enough,” Casto says. “Employees need to see you heard them and acted. That cycle of feedback and action is what builds trust, and when trust is high, everything else moves differently.”
You can see it in the numbers: Synchrony has ranked in the top five Fortune Best Workplaces in New York™ for five years, and No. 1 for the past two. Nearly 9 in 10 employees say management delivers on its promises, leaders’ actions match their words, and workers are kept informed about decisions — higher than other companies on the Best Workplaces in New York list.
Those expectations shape how decisions are made.
When employees said they wanted more flexibility, Synchrony got rid of required days in the office and redesigned its workspaces, so time together worked better.
When employees said they wanted more AI access and training, the company rolled out SynchronyGPT and an AI Field Guide so people could apply it to their everyday work.
The result: Nearly 80% of employees say AI will positively impact their careers, and 82% say it will create new growth opportunities for the company.
“We’ve learned that the say-do ratio matters,” Casto says.
“Listening isn’t something you do once in a while. At these companies, it’s constant — and it leads to action and a stronger business,” says Michael C. Bush. “Listening is how good decisions get made. Most leaders love to talk. The best ones listen at least as much.”
How AbbVie builds trust through regular feedback
At AbbVie, the same approach shows up across the company, with employees in more than 70 countries. AbbVie has ranked in the top 10 Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago™ for five straight years and No. 1 for the past two, a climb from No. 28 in 2020.
“Listening is a leadership skill that is often underused in the workplace, especially when pressure to deliver outcomes increases,” Crum says.
At AbbVie, listening happens through surveys, pulse checks, feedback tools, 360-degree feedback, and regular conversations between employees and managers.
That feedback doesn’t stay within teams. Leaders use it to make better decisions across the company.
“When leaders take the time to listen, and listen well, they make clearer decisions, remove roadblocks faster, and build the trust and shared accountability needed to execute change,” Crum says.
When employees said they could use more support in accelerating change, AbbVie responded by creating a company-wide approach to lead purposeful change in everyday work, providing resources to help leaders support their teams.
Listening builds trust, and that trust shows up in how people work. At AbbVie, employees are far more likely to try new things and adapt quickly. And 80% call it a healthy place to work, 43% higher than typical workplaces. In 2025, an internal survey showed that employee engagement hit 84%, higher in every area than the year before.
“Listening strengthens how teams lead and work together, which helps companies achieve more,” Crum says. “When teams feel heard, they move faster and with more alignment because they understand what is working, what isn’t, and where people need support.”
Four ways leaders can improve workplace listening
1. Be clear, even when the answer is no
“Our approach is simple: clear yeses, clear noes, and clear reasons,” Casto says.
Employees don’t expect every idea to move forward, but they do expect honesty and to understand why decisions are made. “What erodes trust is silence, so we close the loop every time,” Casto says.
2. Hear from more than just the loudest voices
“Hearing from quieter voices takes intention,” Crum says. “Don’t assume the loudest voices represent the full story.”
At AbbVie, leaders use smaller group conversations and direct outreach to hear from more people, including those who may not always speak up.
3. Be clear and direct with feedback
At both AbbVie and Synchrony, feedback isn’t saved for formal reviews. It happens regularly.
“Transparent feedback means we’re clear and direct with each other,” Crum says. “We don’t leave people guessing about expectations, their performance or decisions.”
AbbVie has made transparent feedback a company-wide focus, including a new self-paced, interactive course that helps employees practice giving and receiving feedback.
4. Treat listening as a skill you can teach
At Synchrony, senior leaders spent a full year training more than 300 senior leaders on the behaviors that build trust, including listening.
Through a partnership with West Point’s Leadership Institute, the company introduced “knee-to-knee” listening. After a conversation, ask, “What did you hear?” not, “What did I say?”
"Listening is underused, but it’s a learnable skill,” Casto says. “We’re seeing the results in trust, engagement, and business performance.”
Want to get recognized as a Best Workplace?
Think your company has what it takes to rank among the best?
