Highest Rated CEOs During the COVID-19 Crisis

Key Findings:

• Since the onset of COVID-19 in the U.S., Mercury Systems CEO Mark Aslett has received strong praise for his leadership over the past five months, according to employee feedback on Glassdoor. Other CEOs in tech, health care, finance and several other industries were also highly rated by their employees for their leadership during COVID-19. 
• In the UK, Sage CEO Steve Hare’s leadership during the COVID-19 crisis stood out, according to employees on Glassdoor, particularly due to the level of communication and employee engagement he and his upper management team have maintained during the crisis. 
• Common trends among the Highest Rated CEOs During COVID-19 include: prioritizing work-life balance, taking care of employees’ overall well-being, offering flexible and/or remote working policies, establishing strong health benefits and maintaining frequent, clear communication. 

It’s during difficult times that a leader really shows his or her true colors. This year in particular, CEOs have had to make a range of difficult decisions given the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s clear that some employees have felt supported and taken care of throughout the past few months as their employers have tried their best to prioritize the health and safety of their workforce, while also doing what’s right for the business they lead. Using employee feedback on Glassdoor, we examine which CEOs standout for their leadership during these trying times. 

We analyzed employee reviews on Glassdoor to identify CEOs who have earned high praise from their employees in the U.S. and the UK in terms of their leadership during the COVID-19 crisis. In addition leveraging CEO approval rating and the senior leadership workplace factor rating during the last five months, we also used text analysis to see what employees were specifically saying about COVID-19 and their CEO in reviews on Glassdoor. These CEOs lead a variety of companies in different industries, including health care, tech and finance, and have each taken unique approaches to leading during this time. The tables below highlight the 25 Highest Rated CEOs During COVID-19 among large U.S. companies and 10 Highest Rated CEOs During COVID-19 among large companies in the UK who stood out based on employee feedback on Glassdoor between March and July 2020.

25 Highest Rated CEOs During the COVID-19 Crisis in the U.S. 

Source: Glassdoor Economic Research (Glassdoor.com/research)

These CEOs lead their employees in the U.S. across a variety of sectors, with workforces doing their jobs both remotely and in-person during this time. While the tech industry is most represented on the U.S. list, CEOs representing health care, manufacturing, insurance, defense, and several other employers stood out for their exemplary leadership. Mark Aslett, CEO of Mercury Systems, rose to the top of the list, especially because of feedback from employees on how they felt well-taken care of during the pandemic. Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom Video Communications, a company which has skyrocketed into the limelight and become a common way for people to communicate, has also been highly regarded by employees during this time. We also recognize several CEOs from Glassdoor’s previous Top CEOs award, such as Daniel Springer of DocuSign and Corey Schiller and Asher Raphael of Power Home Remodeling.

10 Highest Rated CEOs During the COVID-19 Crisis in the UK 

Source: Glassdoor Economic Research (Glassdoor.com/research)

For the UK list, Steve Hare, CEO of Sage, takes the top spot with employees giving feedback on the excellent communication and engagement from upper management. Well-known tech CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Marc Benioff of Salesforce, were also highly regarded by their UK-based employees. 

Key Theme: Caring for Employees During COVID-19

In both the U.S. and UK, when we analyze employee feedback at the companies with the Highest Rated CEOs During COVID-19, a few key themes stood out related to the pandemic. We looked at the most common two and three word phrases that appeared in the pros section of reviews left between March and July 2020 at these companies. Work-life balance stood out as one of the most common phrases, which is a common theme among reviews even outside of the time period we focused on. Another frequent set of phrases related to caring about employees and actually taking care of them during this time. Other reviews call out flexible work schedules and support for employees’ health and well-being during the pandemic. And, many of the reviews referred positively to the ability to work remotely. 

What are Employees Saying?

Glassdoor reviews help give a more detailed look into how employees at some of these companies have reacted to their CEO’s leadership during this time. Excerpts from select reviews are quoted below: 

• “This company has stepped up so much in the effort to support its employee’s health and well being during the COVID pandemic. Our CEO has been so open and transparent and has been extremely generous in making sure employees are well cared for…”  
• “The Covid pandemic, showed how quick they are to react to our needs. No one person furlough and all staff were set up with the required equipment to work from home within days…”
• “Since the start of Covid, we have had constant engagement and communication from upper management. The reassurance, guidance, leadership, and support has been nothing short of amazing. Please keep the communication flowing.”

Conclusion

These CEOs represent just a small subset of leaders who have stepped up to the plate to ensure the well-being and success of their employees amid COVID-19. A common trend from the feedback of employees of these leaders is that they are prioritizing their employees and making sure they are taken care of. As many of these employees are navigating major changes during the pandemic, between making the shift to working from home or adding additional health and safety precautions for work that requires face-to-face interaction, it’s clear that frequent and transparent communication as well as making the effort to listen to employees’ needs is more  important than ever. As the pandemic progresses, it will be interesting to see how employers continue to put programs and resources in place to keep their employees motivated and satisfied in their jobs.

U.S. Large Methodology  

We analyzed company reviews and ratings from current and former employees left on Glassdoor by U.S.-based employees between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020. CEOs had to receive at least 50 reviews across CEO approval and senior management ratings. Intern reviews were not considered for this report. To be considered employers had to have at least 1,000 employees at the end of this time period. In order to determine the ranking of the list, we looked at the quality of reviews, specifically the CEO approval rating, senior management workplace factor rating and how employees talked about their leadership during COVID-19. Leadership during COVID-19 scores are rounded to the nearest hundredth for reporting simplicity, though they extend beyond the thousandth place, determining the final rank order. 

UK Large Methodology

We analyzed company reviews and ratings from current and former employees left on Glassdoor by UK-based employees between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020. CEOs had to receive at least 25 reviews across CEO approval and senior management ratings. Intern reviews were not considered for this report. To be considered employers had to have at least 1,000 employees at the end of this time period. In order to determine the ranking of the list we looked at the quality of reviews, specifically the CEO approval rating, senior management workplace factor rating and how employees talked about their leadership during COVID-19. Leadership during COVID-19 scores are rounded to the nearest hundredth for reporting simplicity, though they extend beyond the thousandth place, determining the final rank order.