What the Best Places to Work in 2026 have in common: Humanity

By now, we’ve all accepted that AI is the permanent resident in our tech stack. It’s summarizing our performance reviews and finding our lost DMs. But in the rush to automate everything in 2026, we’ve reached a tipping point: efficiency doesn't build loyalty. 

In our latest Glassdoor webinar, “Humanity at Work,” I sat down with people leaders from two of this year’s Best Places to Work — Molly Ford, VP of Global Talent Brand Marketing at Salesforce, and Christin Liese, Managing Director of People Operations at Alaska Airlines — to talk about the one thing an algorithm can’t scale: lived experience. Together, we unpacked what "people-first" actually looks like in both the big decisions and little moments. 

Here are three defining shifts — and the specific practices — behind the world’s most successful employers this year.

1. Modeling vulnerability — and making it contagious

People-first leadership — the top trait cited by employees across Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2026 — goes beyond perks and policy. It shows up in the moments leaders choose to model.

In an era of what organizational psychologist Adam Grant calls "chaos fatigue," top leaders go beyond benefits to model boundaries. Molly shared how, after a grueling sales kickoff, she booked a hotel room for three days of silence and told her team: "Thank you for giving me the space." When a leader models vulnerability, they grant their team permission to do the same.

At Alaska Airlines, this humanity is built into the very safety of the flight. Christin explained that every single employee has the power to pause the operation if something doesn't feel right, without fear of punishment. "People fly the planes," she noted. If the human at the gate or in the hangar doesn't feel safe or cared for, that care can't reach the guest. Whether it's pausing a flight or pausing a work week, the best cultures know when to take their foot off the gas.

2. Using AI as an agency tool, not a replacement

There is a real fear in 2026 that AI will take over and replace the need for the human touch. But the best companies are using AI to restore human connection, not replace it. Salesforce reports that 58% of its employees now feel more confident using AI tools — a figure leaders attribute directly to manager-led education and normalization.

Alaska Airlines, which is earlier in its AI adoption journey, is focused on back-office teams first — using education to remove the mystery before scaling use companywide.

3. Building an employer brand that tells the truth

Your employer value proposition (EVP) is the foundation of your employer brand — and according to Molly, it's essentially your company's online dating profile. "If your best friend reads your profile and says, 'Who is that?', you have a problem."

Authenticity in 2026 means showing the real deal, even the parts that aren't polished.

Internal mobility is another dimension of authentic culture-building. At Salesforce, 43% of open roles were filled internally in 2025 — proof that the career growth employees are promised is real and accessible.

The bottom line: Humanity is your most durable employer brand advantage

So what do the 2026 Best Places to Work have in common? They aren't winning because they have the most sophisticated bots or the loftiest revenue targets. They're winning because they understand that humanity scales in ways automation can't. Leading with humanity is messy. It requires truth-telling when things aren't "sexy" and transparency when the operation gets tough. But as this year's winners proved, when you invest in the lived experience of your people, they don't just show up for a job — they show up for the mission. And in a world competing for the same talent, that's the difference.