In a world of constant disruption, one truth endures: exceptional companies put their people first. We are proud to unveil the newest 2025 Top Employers. These organisations are joining aglobal community of companies redefining what excellence in HR looks like today.
In June, 48 new Top Employers joined over 2,400 organisations across 125 countries and regions that have been officially Certified as Top Employers, collectively impacting the lives of more than 13 million employees worldwide. Their achievement reflects an unwavering commitment to creating work environments where people thrive.
A global standard for exceptional HR
The Top Employers Programme is the world’s leading authority in recognising excellence in people practices. Certification is earned, not claimed, through our rigorous HR Best Practices Survey. This fact-based assessment is a set of questions for key HR domains that measure how well your organisation performs in each area and how consistently every organisation implements its people practices.
Backed by extensive research, our survey is revised every year to reflect evolving industry trends and best practices. Which evaluates organisations across six key domains and 20 strategic HR topics, including:
People Strategy
Work Environment
Talent Acquisition
Learning and Development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Wellbeing and more.
Becoming a Top Employer means more than meeting a standard. It signifies a dedication to continuous improvement, a strategic approach to HR, and a genuine investment in people at every level.
As we reflect on this year’s achievements, David Plink, CEO of Top Employers Institute, shared these words:
“Consistency in a not-so-consistent world? In a time of constant change—where technological, economic, and social shifts are ever-present—exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations. This year’s Top Employers have showcased this strength, by demonstrating outstanding dedication to their employees. We are proud to celebrate these companies and their achievements in 2025.”
See the complete list of the newly Certified Top Employers below:
Discover the Top Employers Certification Programme and explore how we can enable your organisation with our data-led insights to stand out as an employer of choice.
Ready to start your Top Employers journey? Learn more about the benefits of becoming a Top Employer. Contact us now.
How Mukuru use the Top Employers Programme to future-proof their organisation for their people
Mukuru is a leading next-generation financial technology services platform for Africa’s emerging consumers. Founded in 2004, Mukuru is a digital platform that empowers its customers to take control of their futures by putting financial freedom in their hands. Powered by advanced technology, Mukuru provides access to convenient, secure, reliable, and affordable financial solutions. Their products and services are designed to make it easier for you to do what you need to do when you need it done.
We caught up with Savina Harrilall, Chief People Officer, and JP van Zittert, Head of OE and Total Rewards at Certified Top Employer Mukuru. We spoke to them about their journey to become a Top Employer, how that fits in with their overall strategy, and how it has impacted their organisation since being in the programme.
How did you start your Top Employers journey?
As part of her first 100 days, Savina conducted a strategic analysis of its people practices to better understand the aspects that served the business and those that required iterations or introductions. Through a collaborative process in 2022, we then identified the essential capabilities required to transform our function from a transactional focus, primarily on hiring and firing, to one that aligns with the organisation’s long-term sustainability needs. This capability mapping informed our functional assessments, which led to structural refinements. More importantly, it facilitated the identification of necessary actions, practices, and processes that must be initiated or evolved.
As an employer operating across the African continent, with a presence in the UK and EU, we needed to benchmark our people-practice performance and consider strategies to achieve our goal of becoming a global magnet for top FinTech talent. The Top Employers Programme provided a valuable reference point for the initiatives we implemented following the co-creation of our People Strategy and aligned people levers. Our people aspiration is to be recognised as a people-led organisation supported by a fun and inclusive culture that fosters highly engaged communities of individuals.
We aim to empower our employees to perform at their best, take ownership, make an impact, and grow. Our People-First philosophy strengthens our relationships with both employees and customers. By leveraging our diverse skill sets and backgrounds as a competitive advantage, our efforts are aligned towards creating an environment where all individuals can bring their authentic selves. Our emphasis on enabling individuals and fostering collaborative organisational communities drives innovative solutions for our customers while cultivating a culture that celebrates our employees. A people-conducive culture leads to high employee engagement and creates an environment where everyone feels like they truly belong. The insights gained from the Top Employers Survey allowed us to pinpoint critical areas for focus and refinement, enabling us to shift the dial toward being recognised as an employer that genuinely values and recognises its people as the heartbeat of our business.
How were you able to align your Top Employers’ results with your broader strategy implementation?
We wanted to track our progress on the strategy and our progress as part of our broader strategy implementation annually. The Top Employers Programme was a neutral/objective partner that benchmarked and validated our process. When we had our first Validation in August 2022, it served as the foundation to create a baseline of Mukuru’s current practices and identify areas that we needed to focus on. The Validation outcome allowed us to align and refine our People practices at a tactical level (post our people-function capability map) to make progress on our People Strategy.
The follow-up validation, 8 months later, enabled us to objectively track our progress and further identify those areas that required more and different levels of focus. It was a team effort, and progress here is reflective of our Take Ownership, Innovate, and Solve Continuously, which are all Mukuru values.
Our engagements with internal stakeholders to ensure that our focus was still meeting and referenced against business needs remained a key success factor. This aligns with our connection with customer value. All of the work that we have and continue doing is towards achieving our People Aspiration, which is that we are recognised as a people-led business that is underpinned by an inclusive, fun culture, with highly engaged communities of individuals and that our people are enabled (through our people practices, and processes) to perform, take ownership and grow. We are committed to creating a culture and climate where our people thrive, feel like they belong, and can impact our business indelibly.
Can you tell us a bit more about Mukuru’s values? What drives your organisation?
Our core values at Mukuru are:
Connect with our customers
Create belonging
Take ownership
Growth through learning
Work and play with passion
Innovation and solve continuously
What were the biggest hurdles you faced in becoming a Top Employer?
This is not a hurdle or obstacle but a critical success factor – bringing the existing Human Capital team on board, ensuring alignment to the shared vision of the People Strategy and getting buy-in and understanding of how we benchmark our people capabilities, practices and processes to the TE standards was pivotal for us to be able to see if and how we were shifting the dial of the People function at Mukuru, but also being measured against global standards, and not marking our own homework, could be a game changer for our roles and function.
This was an internal focus, but we were determined to make it faster than the expected 36 months. This meant that a lot of time investment, long hours, innumerable hours of stakeholder engagement to get buy-in and input, refinements, and experimenting with stuff all served as our self-created pressure. Fortunately, it yielded the desired outcome: coordination and internal team alignment to ensure the delivery of key Top Employer practices.
What do you think you would do if you could go back in time and do something differently?
I don’t think there would be anything significant we would change. From the start, we all engaged, took ownership, and ran with the pieces that we could contribute to. We knew what our goal was and worked relentlessly in pursuit of it. We initially set a goal of 36 months to be certified, and we achieved this 18 months ahead of time.
Possibly, we could have pushed the dial more. This could have been a better utilisation of the practices on the platform. We did reference some of them, but we could have accessed it more. This speaks to our focus on growth through learning and bettering ourselves, but we also wanted to push the dial ourselves (Innovate and Solve Continuously).
I think that sharing the aim/goal with the team was important from the get-go. Positioning our intent that we will not mark our own work but align to best practices and be measured against other organisations.
How did you celebrate your Certification?
If there is one word that encapsulates how we felt when we received the confirmation email, it would be ‘WOW’, and that doesn’t even capture the numerous emotions that we experienced. It was and still is a surreal experience. But in true Mukuru fashion, we are already thinking about “what’s next”, meaning, which is the next country that we want to get Certified in.
We felt overwhelmed with pride at being externally validated for the hard work that the Human Capital team puts into this, to ensure that our business is set up for success and that our people can feel proud that they work for a company that truly values them and is committed to ensuring that they are valued. We are humbled to stand head-to-head with organisations 10 times or 100 times larger than us. We can say we are worthy and capable, and can be a magnet for fintech talent!
Practically, we printed Top Employers frames, linked the Top Employers Certification on our website and socials, and created digital backgrounds for our People Acquisition team. At our 20th Birthday celebration, we celebrated the Certification for 2024 as a business. We recorded Top Employers videos that we use as part of our campaigns.
Have you noticed any changes since Mukuru became a Certified Top Employer?
Internally, we were in a position where we could reference our work against best-in-class global practices, making it easier to “sell”. It was also tangible, measurable, and not airy-fairy, which connected with business language. Within the HC team, it allowed us to reference the thinking and the work we intended to do against global practices. This either affirmed that we were on the right track or presented opportunities for refinement or overhauling. It serves as a great learning and thought-provoking basis.
From a team morale perspective, it also served as a boost. When we could see that the possibility existed that we were doing more than others in certain spheres, it boosted the team and spurred them on to do and be better. The same applied to where we could see through the tracking that we were lagging. It wasn’t demotivating, but the information and support provided by the Top Employers Institute’s engagement team boosted our efforts by questioning and challenging how we were doing something or thinking about something. Our learning throughout this process was and remains an invaluable outcome.
Do you have any data that reflects these changes?
We do; they include:
Time to Hire: Over the past two years, our time to hire has decreased from 3.9 months to 3.15 months, reflecting a reduction of 19.23%. This is below the industry benchmark of 3.5 months.
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS): Our eNPS stands at 27.7%, which is 7% above the industry benchmark of 26%.
Training Effectiveness: Our actual training effectiveness score, measured by first-time pass rates, is 95%, exceeding the industry benchmark of 90%.
Turnover Ratio: Our turnover ratio is currently 12.75%, which is below the industry benchmark range of 15-19%.
Cost Per Hire: Our cost per hire has decreased significantly from R92,000 (around € 4800) two years ago to R40,132 (around €2095) in 2024. This is a 56% reduction and is below the industry benchmark of R55,000 (around €2900) to R90,000 (around €4700) per hire.
Average Employee Tenure: Over the last two years, we have increased the average tenure of our employees by 25%, rising from 2.9 years to 3.64 years.
High-Performance Ecosystem: We have successfully improved our performance distribution over the past two years, with the number of high-performing employees increasing from 8% to 14.85%, aligning better with industry benchmarks.
Improvement in Training Quality: Our overall training effectiveness, measured through Training Satisfaction (TSAT) scores, increased by 3%, rising from 4.5/5 two years ago to 4.6/5 now.
AI Wellness App Uptake: Since the app’s launch, the platform has had 717 unique users.
Wow, those are amazing results. Can you share some of the results of your HR Best Practices Survey? I know that you surpassed the global benchmark in several topics.
Yes, in our last survey, we were honoured to receive the following results:
In the Learning topic, we scored 3,51% over the benchmark, which was 86,4%.
In the Onboarding, we were 2.3% over the 80,75% benchmark.
And lastly, our most significant areas of improvement from 2023 to 2024 were related to Organisational change (49.36% improvement); Digital HR (43.29% improvement); People Strategy and Work Environment (32% improvement each) and 28% improvement on Ethics and Integrity.
Do you have exciting plans for the future?
We absolutely do! We have many plans underway, but here are just a few:
We are excited about our new Human Resources Information System, which will help us advance our practices.
We are also eager to leverage our Certification to bolster our employee value proposition (referred to as Mx)
We will further roll out our DEIB tactical plan across the business and embed an understanding and inclusive culture where all our people feel like they belong.
Refinement of our people development initiatives, starting with the embedding of our leadership behaviours
Amplifying our employee listening strategy with a robust, globally validated measure focusing on wellbeing, and barriers to job resources and job demands that impact employee engagement.
Before we go, do you have any tips for other Top Employers based on your experience so far?
Never devalue or ignore even the smallest effort to improve or refine how and what you do for your people. Ensure that whatever you do is superimposed against the bigger picture of your organisation’s goals and its aspirations for your people. If your “why” is grounded in purpose and you always stay true to that, this serves as your north star, as it will keep you on track, even when it feels too much.
Set goals and targets with timelines and ensure that you check progress against commitments at your pit stops and refine where needed. Ensure that everyone is aligned and on board. Don’t rely solely on the people team for input and experimentation; involve your people and your leaders in the testing—they are the greatest source of information on what works/doesn’t and will/will not.
Achieving certifications like Top Employer is not a race, but an ongoing journey that demands dedication, low ego, honest conversations and reflections, iterations, and a thoughtful, measured team approach.
And the reward? A journey filled with the thrill of reaching the destination, and the excitement of charting the next adventure, towards creating a future-proofed, people-first, global organisation.
Q&A with Bentley Motors
How does certified Top Employer Bentley Motors stay ahead in a fast-changing world of work? In our latest Q&A with Nicola Johnson and Danny Silcock, we explore what makes Bentley Motors a Top Employer. From AI-powered recruitment to leadership programmes as bespoke as their cars, discover how they’re building a workplace fit for the future.
Introduce yourself and tell us about your organisation
I’m Nicola Johnson, Director of our People and Culture Centre of Excellence at Bentley. My role focuses on driving a high-performance culture, learning and development, HR digital, talent acquisition and overseeing reward strategies. I’ve worked at Bentley for 20 years and have enjoyed a wide range of opportunities across HR, working alongside great leaders and teams over the years within the Volkswagen Group.
I’m Danny Silcock. Head of People and Culture Strategy and Transformation at Bentley. I’ve been in the role for around three years, leading our people strategy, transformation and change initiatives, as well as risk, compliance and policies. I’ve been at Bentley for 20 years and my previous roles have been within corporate strategy and manufacturing. This has enabled me to have a good understanding of the business, and similar to Nicola, I’ve had lots of opportunities to work with great people and collaborating with other brands across the wider Volkswagen Group.
What makes your organisation a Top Employer?
It’s the 14th consecutive year that we’ve been certified as a Top Employer in the UK, and a lot of that is due to our dedication to having an outstanding and extraordinary workplace. This year, we’ve been recognised for our excellent practices in strategic HR direction, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and learning and development. We use the Top Employer framework to help shape our people strategy, therefore we can identify opportunities for growth and constantly improve.
Can you tell us about a recent HR initiative you or your team have implemented that you’re particularly proud of?
There are a couple of initiatives that we’re particularly proud of. The first is our upskilling and skills transformation programme which focuses on equipping colleagues with the capabilities they’ll need for the future – both for their own career development and to support Bentley’s Beyond100+ corporate strategy. Skills in areas such as electric vehicles, cybersecurity, software development and AI are all critical.
Secondly, our Charge Forward Leadership Programme has been the most impactful leadership development initiative that we’ve delivered to date which was a significant investment in our people. All our leaders took part in a diagnostic process to identify their individual strengths and development needs. We then built and personalised bespoke programmes for our leaders – much like how we tailor our cars to each customer. One leader described it as “life changing,” which was really good to hear. We’re now rolling the programme across our management population and our wider colleagues to ensure that everyone has the right skills and support for their role and for their long-term career development.
How are you adapting your people practices to meet the expectations of the next generation of workers?
I think the biggest thing we’ve recognised is that the world of work changing – and before we talk about practices, we have had to adapt some of our facilities. Our Crewe campus, known as the Dream Factory, is expanding and growing. We have world class facilities for meetings for collaboration, to help people come together.
To support skills transformation, we’ve placed a strong emphasis on early careers intake. This brings in future-ready talent with the mindset to grow alongside emerging skills. It also plays a role in our talent pipeline.
We’ve worked hard to ensure that everything happening at a corporate level is meaningfully connected to functional areas, creating alignment across the business. Our people practices are structured and strategic – but there are also symbolic shifts underway. You can genuinely see the transformation taking place.
How is your organisation leveraging AI to enhance the workplace, and what impact has it had on your people and processes so far?
AI presents a significant strategic opportunity for Bentley, not only in driving productivity and efficiency but also in enhancing the employee experience. We’re already seeing a number of use cases across the business, and in recruitment specifically, AI is helping us connect with external candidates more effectively and craft more inclusive job advertisements.
There are more use cases that we’re currently exploring, including our HR digital transformation programme, which we are implementing with the Volkswagen Group. This initiative focuses on talent intelligence and will support smarter, data-driven people decisions.
We’re upskilling colleagues to build awareness of how to use AI tools effectively, while also equipping our leaders with the strategic capabilities needed to lead in an AI-enabled world.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for HR leaders in the next five years, and how are you preparing for it?
The biggest challenge is going to be responding to challenges. Over the last few years, we’ve navigated Brexit, COVID and lot of uncertainty around the world. Markets and regions are changing and therefore customers and people that we work with want different experiences and products.
Our key challenge will be staying agile and responding to future challenges in a way that supports Bentley’s core values, while enhancing our existing tools and focusing on our people. Our workforce brings a wealth of experience and proven capability, and it’s through these skills that we can rise to complex challenges, drive innovation, and push the boundaries of the automotive industry. The more we embrace this mindset, the more successful we’ll be in the future.
Top Employers Institute inspires and enables organisations around the world to become Top Employers using its Certification and data-led insights as the trusted foundation.Is your organisation ready to become a Top Employer?
Transforming talent attraction: Lessons from Molson Coors and Primark UK
As any business will know, attracting top talent remains a significant challenge. To stand out, businesses must rethink traditional approaches, broadening their appeal to diverse candidates while fostering an environment that prioritises retention. In today’s dynamic market, adapting your strategies is not optional—it’s essential for staying ahead.
Top Employers Institute data shows that nearly three-quarters (72%) of certified UK Top Employers are currently evolving their talent acquisition processes. The question, of course, is: “How?” For the answer, it is worth looking at how certified Top Employers such as Molson Coors and Primark are going about the task.
Molson Coors Beverage Company: Skills-based hiring… No CV? No problem.
Molson Coors has used a hiring for potential programme, focused on recruiting for skills and behaviours, rather than traditional methods, to transform their organisation. This has resulted in a broader and different type of applicant pool and workforce.
In collaboration with its partners, the organisation developed pilot programmes for skills-based assessments. The success of this saw Molson Coors remove ‘experience’ as a requirement for certain roles, in favour of strengths, skills and the potential of new talent. Post-pilot, the organisation then identified specific roles that could benefit from this approach, such as additional sales positions, technical representatives, mobile technicians and supply chain roles within their breweries.
Molson Coors has seen a large increase in the number of candidates, plus they have sustained high retention rates for new hires. Gender representation and the match of applicants has also significantly improved, and the business has since fine-tuned the assessment to be more effective in identifying candidates who could fit their business needs.
Primark: A team to focus on removing barriers.
Primark UK created a ‘Removing Barriers’ team, dedicated to supporting those candidates who require reasonable adjustments before and during their application and interview stages, and to handle ‘Access to Work’ requests. Primark UK realised they needed to have a dedicated team to offer specific expertise and to review the store recruitment process from an unbiased, impartial perspective.
The team helps in all aspects of the application and interviewing process in the following ways:
Pre-application: The team offers support through guidance, prepping and liaising with a designated support worker or one of the charities they work with.
During application: This includes phone or technical support or additional time for assessments, according to individual needs.
Interview stage: The team may contact the interviewing store to arrange support and provide coaching and guidance to the interviewer where needed.
This support system was established in 2018, and since then, Primark UK has supported over 500 candidates. Ensuring equity in candidate consideration and hiring decisions is important as one means to remain truly inclusive of underrepresented talent. Through this example, Primark UK offers some practical advice on how to systematically remove barriers in the application, interviewing and hiring process.
Driving inclusivity through smarter hiring practices
Both organisations – along with other certified Top Employers – are committed to being more inclusive in their recruitment processes, placing a particular emphasis on providing more opportunities to underrepresented groups, offering new approaches and more assistance throughout each stage of the hiring process.
To improve the quality and number of applicants, all organisations must have a clear diversity, equity and inclusion strategy in hiring practices. And by taking away unconscious bias, prioritising skills and offering more support to underrepresented groups, applicants can have renewed confidence when applying for roles.
Top Employers Institute inspires and enables organisations around the world to become Top Employers using its Certification and data-led insights as the trusted foundation. Is your organisation ready to become a Top Employer?
Q&A with ABB UK
In our latest Q&A with the team from ABB UK, we explore what makes ABB a Top Employer, its biggest people challenges, key HR initiatives, and what’s next.
Tell us about your organisation
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and more than 105,000 employees worldwide.
Part of the ABB Group, ABB in the UK is headquartered in Warrington, Cheshire and employs 1750 people operating from 22 locations nationwide. We supply around £0.5bn of innovative solutions, products and services annually in the UK to clients in a wide range of market sectors.
What makes ABB UK a Top Employer?
ABB is dedicated to investing in its people with a global people strategy that focuses on three key components of ‘Empower’: our “high performance – high integrity” culture is grounded in empowerment and engagement, ‘Grow’: we innovate in a changing world to solve the challenges of today and tomorrow, taking responsibility to learn, connect and grow, and ‘Impact’: we impact a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive workplace and society.
ABB is a company that continually strives to improve for its people and its customers, challenging the status quo and exploring new ways to innovate. We are proud of the various people innovations and best practices launched at ABB such as our global DEI strategy, open job market, and our upcoming global transformation project, which will bring numerous efficiencies to our HR team, our managers, and our employees around the world.
What is the biggest people challenge your business currently faces? And what are you doing to meet this challenge?
ABB is no different to many other engineering organisations when it comes to increasing the number of females in engineering as well as skill gaps. As part of our overall People Strategy we are striving to become a more equitable and inclusive workplace.
In ABB UK we are proud to be partnering with educational establishments, including, primary schools, secondary schools and universities to inspire the talent of the future. These partnerships enable our employees to speak passionately about the opportunities available in the world of engineering, something which is available to all, either joining the organisation straight from school or as an apprentice or a graduate.
Tell us about a recent HR initiative you have instigated within your organisation that you are most proud of?
The UK HR team is set to launch a volunteering policy as part of our overall corporate social responsibility strategy. ABB already partner closely with Macmillan Cancer Support, which provides different opportunities to volunteer and raise both awareness. Our new volunteering policy will enable the business to expand on this and apply formal recognition and structure to our employees for their volunteering passions. The HR Team recently partnered with a local disability charity close to our UK Head Office. A team of six volunteers supported a local initiative ran by the charity aimed to positively impact young people with disabilities and their families over the festive period. We look forward to continuing this partnership and future partnerships and beyond.
How is AI affecting your business? Is it helping or challenging you in terms of your people practices?
ABB has already started using Generative AI, to the advantage of customers as well as internal applications. For example: Intuitive user interaction with ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. AI@ABB’s aim is to accelerate the development, deployment and use of AI – both analytical and generative – across ABB divisions and functions to drive innovation for our customers, enhance internal efficiency and further strengthen our technology market leadership.
Which wellbeing offerings in your business are proving the most popular with employees?
ABB are proud to have an established wellbeing offering globally and locally. Influenced by our Wellbeing Board within the UK we offer a range of support mechanisms from our qualified wellbeing first aiders, local awareness campaigns and initiatives, and our Employee Assistance Programme providers are also on hand 24/7. Offering our employees a multidisciplinary approach enables individuals to select the best approach for them. Sine the impact of COVID, we have focused our initiatives on bringing people together to build connections and create networking opportunities without our various locations.
What’s next? Tell us about a new initiative for 2025 that you’re most excited about?
ABB is embarking on the implementation of a new people management platform, which will provide employees and line managers with access to data and processes at the touch of their fingertips. The new platform will create a more engaging workforce, which in turn will amplify many organisational efficiencies.
Puma’s secret to their people-first culture and sustainable HR practices
Puma has achieved a remarkable milestone in 2025. They are Certified as a Top Employer on a Global and Enterprise level while also reaching the phenomenal achievement of being Certified in all 50 countries where they operate. This accomplishment underscores Puma’s unwavering commitment to fostering a people-first culture and sustainable HR practices. David Plink, CEO at Top Employers Institute, sat down with Dietmar Knoess, CHRO at Puma, to uncover Puma’s secret to their people-first culture and sustainable people practices.
How does Puma respond to the challenges of the future
The future is not something that HR teams can predict anymore. As Dietmar explained to David in their conversation, “We need to live with the new fact that we can’t predict the future anymore. We can hardly affect the next twelve months. That means that you need to be on your toes.” This sentiment shows how critical it is for Puma, an organisation that prioritises its people-first culture, to be proactive in facing the challenges of a changing business landscape. He continued, “You need to make quick decisions and communicate it to your organisation quickly.” That is the role that HR plays at Puma.
While Puma always felt that they had an exceptional HR team able to react to the challenges of the market, they wanted an unbiased assessment of their practices. That is where the Top Employers Certification helped Puma. It offers Puma validation of their people practices. It gives them access to benchmarking and analytics to improve their practices yearly, enabling them to stay competitive in the talent market.
This global recognition as a Top Employer celebrates Puma’s achievements and reinforces its commitment to continuous improvement and employee satisfaction. By fostering a culture that values and supports its employees, Puma sets a benchmark for excellence in the industry, allowing them to execute their goal of being Forever.Faster.
For more insights into Puma’s journey as a Top Employer, you can watch the entire conversation between Dietmar and David. You will be able to get a look into:
How Puma attracts, retains and engages top talent in a competitive talent market.
The biggest challenges shaping the future of work and how HR teams can respond to these challenges.
And what it means to lead the market with sustainable HR practices and policies.
How Postbank is accelerating its talent strategy with AI-powered innovation
Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into HR practices can be daunting for many organisations, especially those with advanced practices and policies. The promise of enhanced efficiency, personalisation, and innovation often clashes with practical hurdles like adapting legacy systems, ensuring user adoption, and maintaining a human touch in recruitment.
Certified Top Employer Postbank has embraced this challenge and turned it into an opportunity to lead by example. By leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies like the AI Story Builder, AI CV Assistant, and AI Interview Trainer, Postbank has redefined its approach to recruitment and talent development. These tools have transformed their gamified career website into a hub of personalised and dynamic candidate experiences, setting a new standard in the industry.
This is just a snapshot of Postbank’s innovative best practice; you can find the entire practice in our HR Best Practices database, which is exclusively available to Top Employers. Get inspiration and insight into the approach, challenges, and learnings from leading organisations. As a Top Employer, you can now access the complete best practice via thePortal. If you are not yet Certified,learn more about it here!
Reimagining Recruitment with Generative AI
Postbank’s AI Story Builder, AI CV Assistant, and AI Interview Trainer all use generative AI, like ChatGPT, to power these three AI features on its career site. These tools align seamlessly with the bank’s HR strategy, which prioritises gamification and personalisation. By openly embracing these priorities and using new technologies, Postbank is committed to candidate care and innovation in improving the workplace environment.
Why Postbank see AI as the future
Postbank’s strategic decision to implement AI began from a need to tackle the common challenges of recruiting younger talent. The banking industry has been known to struggle with recruiting young people because of its perception of being overly conservative. Postbank, one of Bulgaria’s leading banks, wanted to counteract this view proactively and for their organisation, AI tools provided a fresh perspective by:
Supporting candidates in highlighting their unique strengths, even when they lack traditional experience.
Shifting the focus from past roles to key skills essential for career success.
Encouraging flexible thinking and skills development in applicants.
Yordanka Kostova Postbank`s Director Talent Management & Employer Branding, further explained that some of the reasons they chose to implement AI in their recruitment were inspired by “[several previous] who, despite initially lacking the conventional education or experience for a given role, have demonstrated skills and qualities that have led to their success. These stories have inspired us to embrace innovation and align with the growing trend that skills are the new currency. As part of this, we are introducing AI-driven tools designed to assess and develop candidates’ specific skills, helping unlock their full potential.”
Innovative AI-Powered Features
In the first quarter of 2024, Postbank unveiled its new AI tools as part of a broader strategy to attract interns and young professionals during its annual Internship Programme. Here’s more on each feature:
1. AI Story Builder:
Empowers candidates to share personal stories that highlight their strengths.
Offers personalised feedback and analysis, allowing candidates to create a skill-based profile beyond the traditional CV.
2. AI CV Assistant
Guides candidates in crafting more effective and tailored CVs.
Provides technical and personalised feedback to improve chances of success in job applications.
Enhances the overall candidate experience by helping applicants understand how to present their skills more effectively.
3. AI Interview Trainer
Simulates realistic interview scenarios to help candidates prepare.
Offers tailored suggestions for improvement and boosts confidence.
You can also discover more about Postbank’s AI tools on their careers page!
Gamification Meets Personalisation
Postbank has also harnessed AI, Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR) to create engaging and interactive experiences for candidates and new employees. These include:
Career Quiz Game: An intergalactic journey on their career site to help users find the best roles for them.
VR Recruitment Experience: A hybrid quiz and tennis gameplay inspired by their brand ambassador, tennis star Grigor Dimitrov.
VR & AROnboarding – gamified experience with different modules of interactivelearning content
Viber Chatbot: Bulgaria’s first career chatbot on Viber for talent attraction, integrated into Postbank’s recruitment platform.
Results of Postbank’s AI strategy
Postbank’s efforts in their AI strategy have not gone unnoticed. They earned gold at the Employer Brand Stars Awards 2024 for “Use of Digital” and “Candidate Experience” and at the Employer of Choice Awards 2024 for “Innovation in Selection.
Martin Stanoev, an intern at Postbank, shared his opinion of the organisation’s decision to implement AI features on its website. He shared that “the AI assistants on Postbank’s website are highly effective tools for job applicants. They operate intuitively, assisting prospective employees in preparing their applications. My preferred tool is a story builder; I can possiblyuse it in other areas as well. The AI Interview Assistant is also invaluable, as it helps me anticipate various scenarios during an interview.”
Additionally, as part of Postbank’s Summer Internship Programme, they hosted a series of webinars on “AI Tools for Career Development”. They found that the data reflected a positive reception of their AI tools. Some of the feedback they received included:
85% of participants rated their experience with the AI assistants as “excellent” or “very good.”
90% indicated they would use the AI assistants again.
95% said they would recommend the AI tools to others.
Postbank’suse of AI is an excellent example of crafting a recruitment experience that is personalised, innovative, and aligned with the expectations of a tech-savvy workforce. Postbank is building a more inclusive and forward-thinking recruitment process by focusing on skills and potential rather than traditional criteria. Postbank’s AI initiatives showcase how technology can bridge the gap between employer needs and candidate aspirations, ensuring a brighter future for both.
It is exciting to know that they aren’t stopping there. Silviya S. Todorova, Postbank’s Employer Branding Project Manager shared, “We are definitely exploring new opportunities to enhance the project further, with a focus on integrating advanced technologies such as AI, AR, and VR. By combining these innovations, we aim to create even more immersive and impactful tools that will drive our AI efforts forward and strengthen our position as an attractive employer for young talent. These technologies offer exciting potential for transforming talent development and employee engagement in ways that resonate with the next generation of professionals.”
Postbank’s top recommendations
As we close our look at Postbank’s innovative best practice we want to leave you with some inspirational tips for organisations and HR teams looking to follow in their footsteps.
When we asked Postbank to reflect on their journey and anything they would’ve done differently,Silviya shared, “If we could go back in time, one thing we would focus on earlier is aligning our AI initiative more closely with user feedback from the start. While we did gather insights throughout the process, involving end-users – students, interns, and young professionals – right from the idea stage would have helped us tailor the tools more precisely to their needs. One of our biggest hurdles was ensuring that the AI assistants were intuitive and accessible for a diverse group of users with varying levels of tech-savviness. Another challenge was gaining buy-in from stakeholders, which required demonstrating the tangible benefits of AI in talent development and career progression.”
Yordanka Kostova, Director of Talent Management & Employer Branding at Postbank, shared, “Our advice is to create a successful synergy between people and technology. It’s essential to integrate the HR mission into every aspect of the organisation—this is the foundation for success. Every employee has the potential to be an ambassador for your company, and technology offers tremendous opportunities to support and amplify this. Embracing this approach can drive both innovation and engagement across the board.”
Remember that this article does not provide a complete look at Postbank’s inventive practice. You can find the entire best practice exclusively on the TopEmployers Portal. If you aren’t a Top Employer yet, learn more about how you can accessyour one-stop online source of practical and proven HR Best Practices as implemented by Certified Top Employers across the globe. Build a better world of work with us as the #1 global authority on HR strategies and deliver excellent people practices with proven business impact as you attract, engage and retain top talent.
The journey to become an employer of choice with the Zahid Group
“Employer branding is just the end result. It’s all about the culture and people being proud of working here. [Becoming a] Top Employer is a way to express this.” – Amr W. Zawawi, Zahid Group Director – HRD.
Zahid Group, a Certified Top Employer, wanted its employees to seamlessly connect their Top Employers Certification status to the company’s unique culture. While most organisations’ websites start by introducing their products, Zahid Group has a different approach. They introduce themselves first by talking about their employees. You will see on their website that the first sentence sets their people-first culture: “Zahid Group is a Certified Top Employer”.
The group’s long-standing commitment to employee wellbeing and development initially led it to obtain the Top Employers Certification in Saudi Arabia. It was an “easy decision” for them as it aligned with their shared values and strategies.
When they became Top Employers, they had three goals:
Measure their HR practices in a structured way to improve and progress.
Make sure practices are the same in all countries due to geographical expansion.
Benchmark against best in class, globally.
Download the value story for free and discover their complete story to learn how:
The Top Employers Certification process has contributed to Zahid Group’s internal efficiencies, and their KPIs for the average time to fill a position has decreased by 24%.
How the international standardisation of Zahid’s HR practices has contributed to their organisational structure and governance score of 92% and maximised their regional reach to 100%.
The overall business impact of the Top Employers Certification to Zahid Group’s employees.
Meet the 2025 Top Employers: See what excellence looks like in 2025
The world of work is ever-changing, but one constant remains, exceptional organisations lead with their people. We are thrilled to unveil the 2025 Top Employers and introduce you to the organisations setting the standard for excellent HR practices in 2025.
We are proud to announce that over 2,400 Top Employers have been Certified in 2025 across 125 countries and regions with over 13 million lives impacted. This recognition underscores these organisations’ commitment to fostering outstanding HR strategies and people practices globally.
As the global authority in recognising excellence in people practices, Top Employers Programme certifies organisations based on the results of their HR Best Practices Survey. This survey covers six HR domains and 20 topics, including People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity and Inclusion, Wellbeing, and more.
The journey to become a Top Employer is no small feat. It requires a steadfast commitment to continuous improvement and a holistic approach to HR practices. The Certification Programme requires organisations to undergo a rigorous process that ensures that the most exceptional organisations’ commitment to excellence is reflected in their achievement of attaining their Top Employers Certification.
As we celebrate our 2025 Top Employers, David Plink our CEO has some words that expand on what this year’s Certified organisations embody: “Consistency in a not-so-consistent world? In a time of constant change—where technological, economic, and social shifts are ever-present—exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations. This year’s Top Employers have showcased this strength, by demonstrating outstanding dedication to their employees. We are proud to celebrate these companies and their achievements in 2025.”
There are several approaches and recognition options available to potential Top Employers to ensure there’s a path to Certification for organisations of different structures, sizes, and geographic footprints. Those different paths are distinguished by different globally recognised Certification Seals that Top Employers can receive. The different Certification Seals include the Country/region Seal, Regional Seal, Global Seal and Enterprise Seal.
Global Top Employers are organisations that participate in a minimum number of countries (20 to 25 depending on several regional certifications) and regions (certified in three or four regions) including the global headquarters. Becoming a Global Top Employer signifies an organisation’s commitment to globally aligned excellent people practices.
These are the organisations that are globally Certified as leaders in HR for their outstanding HR strategies and people practices:
This is your chance to meet the organisations setting the new benchmark for 2025.
Discover the Top Employers Certification Programme and explore how we can enable your organisation with our data-led insights to stand out as an employer of choice.
Ready to start your Top Employers journey? Learn more about the benefits of becoming a Top Employer. Contact us now.
Best practice | Yettel Bulgaria’s second shift programme
One of the strategic priorities of Yettel Bulgaria’s People and Culture long-term strategy is to position the organisation as an attractive employer among young people in Bulgaria. To this end, the company has school and university partnerships, specialised internships, and other initiatives that bridge the gap between its organisation and younger generations. One programme that they are particularly proud of is their Second Shift Programme, which is one-of-a-kind in the Bulgarian market.
This is just a snapshot of Yettel Bulgaria’s innovative best practice; you can find the entire practice in our HR Best Practices database, which is exclusively available to Top Employers. Get inspiration and insight into the approach, challenges and learnings experienced by certified Top Employers. Access it now via the Top Employers Programme if you are Certified or learn more about it here!
Why the practice was needed
Yettel’s ambition was to design a programme that remains relevant to the children of Yettel employees. It aimed to support their career orientation, give them a competitive advantage in the labour market, and build “Yettel Brand Ambassadors” among young talent.
Yettel Teen Academy and Second Shift programmes are designated for the children and close relatives of Yettel Bulgaria employees aged 12 to 18. The end goal is to help participants gain practical experience in a real work environment and teach them more about the place where their parents work. In participating, they also gain some basic knowledge of diverse business fields, including project management, efficient communication, and ESG work.
Yettel Bulgaria’s unique programme is situated well in the local market, addressing the gap between education and real business.
An additional benefit of the Second Shift programme is the support it provides to the business during vacation periods, such as summer months, with assistance in entry-level administrative tasks.
How the practice was implemented
The Second Shift Programme is an initiative for the children of Yettel Bulgaria’s employees. It aims to support their career orientation and position Yettel as an attractive employer among Bulgarian young people.In 2023, the organisation held its third edition of the programme, and it welcomed 64 participants between 12 and 18 years of age—all of them children or close relatives of Yettel employees who gained real-world work experience in a chosen field.During their four-week paid assignment, the youngsters had the opportunity to work with professionals from different units on real small-scale projects. Each participant had a mentor who supported the students during the programme. In 2023, Yettel expanded the Second Shift Programme by introducing Yettel Teen Academy, which covers a wider age group: 11 to 14-year-olds who, in the span of one week, have the opportunity to learn more about the different units in the company and the needed skills for their future careers.Participants are split into two groups, depending on their age. During the first week, the children between fifth and sixth grade had the opportunity to spend half a day with colleagues from different units, gaining knowledge about the company and the needed skills for their future careers, such as presentation skills, communication skills, Project Management skills, etc.The same content was adjusted slightly for the older age group – seventh to twelfth grade – and presented during the programme’s second week.All the sessions are part of the different modules of the programme and were delivered by company volunteers and fellow Yettel employees. In this programme and other initiatives, Yettel Bulgaria strives to put employees in the centre when designing and implementing HR projects; their needs are prioritised in both professional and personal life.
Results of the practice
During the programme’s first year, 15 participants were registered between fifth and sixth grade and 49 young people between seventh and twelfth grade. Since then, the programme has expanded further.Based on the positive feedback and the increased engagement that this initiative provides, the programme acts as a statement that is part of their HR projects portfolio and has been a proud winner in various national employer branding awards.
Insights from the People Summit 2024
Today, 84% of the organisations are defining a vision for how technology contributes to the overall employee experience. That was the focus of the People Summit 2024, hosted by SAP and the Top Employers Institute, which took place on June 12, 2024, at the SAP Labs Campus in Bengaluru, Whitfield in India.
And we’re delighted to share some of the resources shared during the People Summit:
World of Work Trends 2024
Top Employers Institute’s World of Work Trends 2024 analyses the latest trends in people strategies and practices from leading organisations globally. In the report, our analysis showed five significant trends affecting workplaces in 2024. Those trends are:
Empower through AI
The Future Defined with Purpose
Dialogue for Transformation
Evolution of Wellbeing Effectiveness
Broaden the Horizon of DEI
These trends were unpacked by Adrian Seligman, Executive Board Member at the Top Employers Institue. You can download the report here, and watch Adrian’s Keynote here:
Throughout the People Summit, insights were shared by SAP which also featured many insights from the research they’re doing into the future of work. SAP have identified future of work trends three strategic dimensions. You can access an array of resources shared by SAP during the conference here:
Future-Proofing HR: Trends and Transformations in India
The People Summit also featured a wonderful panel discussion on future-proofing HR and discussing trends and transformations in the Indian Landscape. On the panel was Kavita Kurup, Global Head HR and Corporate Communications at UST, Shilpy Sharma, Regional HR Head at Empower, Kiran Sn, Vice President – HR, HCLTech, Shweta Mohanty, Head of Human Resources: India at SAP and Billy Elliott, Regional Director Asia-Pacific, Top Employers Institute.
They addressed the integration of technology, the distinction and enhancement of employee experience vs. engagement, the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DE&I), and strategies for skills development and talent management.
Key points included:
Technological Integration: Shilpy Sharma highlighted the evolving role of technology in HR, emphasizing advancements that boost organizational efficiency while considering potential drawbacks like job displacement and privacy concerns.
Employee Experience vs. Engagement: Kavita Kurup differentiated between the two concepts, sharing successful UST initiatives to enhance both through personalized approaches and flexible work arrangements.
Skills Development and Talent Management: Kiran SN discussed HCLTech’s approach to upskilling and reskilling, aligning talent initiatives with strategic goals, and addressing challenges like budget and time constraints.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity: Shweta Mohanty shared effective strategies and impactful programs at SAP to promote DE&I, acknowledging challenges like unconscious bias and tokenism.
Earlier this year, Top Employers Institute proudly announced that over 2 300 Top Employers had received the Top Employers Certification in 2024. Those Top Employers were recognised across 121 countries and regions.
In June, we are excited to share that 58 new Regional Top Employers and one European Top Employer joined our global community of organisations committed to excellence in people practices. This recognition underscores these organisations’ commitment to fostering outstanding HR strategies and people practices globally.
As the global authority in recognising excellence in people practices, the Top Employers Institute Certification Programme is an extensive process involving an independently audited and fact-based HR Best Practices Survey and validation to ensure truthful answers.
In 2023 and 2024, organisations and leaders had much to consider, with many things in flux. David Plink, CEO of Top Employers Institute, observed: “In a world where geopolitical, societal, and macro-economic developments follow each other in rapid succession, the Top Employers 2024 are showing once again that they are a beacon of stability and reliability. Top Employers have shown that despite turbulent times, their focus remains on creating the best workplace possible for their people to thrive.”
When asked what makes a Top Employer, David Plink shared: “In my 16 years with the company, there are two characteristics that I have observed consistently within the members of the Top Employers community. First, certified Top Employers go above and beyond for their people. They are the embodiment of people focus. Secondly, not a single Top Employer got certified without always striving for more. To learn, to become better and to stay curious at all times. People-focused and a growth mindset. It sounds so simple in summary, but it takes a lot to consistently live up to these principles.”
See the full list of the newly Certified Top Employers, below:
