It was bound to happen. A list of the most admired companies based on how well they played their essential role as a solutions provider during the COVID outbreak in America has been released. The list of 100 companies, gathered by The Harris Poll, demonstrates how Americans are not sitting by thinking that the government is going to be their ally in this pandemic. Instead, Americans believe that corporations have a greater role than ever in being part of the solution to this massive disruptor in our work and personal lives. According to the poll, trust in large institutions and corporations increased substantially as did trust in many of the essential workers we all depended upon as the crisis continued to unfold: 87% of Americans trust healthcare workers, (80%) scientists, (79%) local and county agencies and health departments and (75%) trust the CDC. The poll also found that a new set of stakeholders who’ve traditionally been less prominent in our daily mindsets — Governors, Mayors and business leaders of corporations — received positive plaudits. And one of my favorite metrics to look at — industry reputation — showed a strong resurgence in positive industry impressions as solution-providers as people came to grips with the tragic spread of the virus . . . from grocery, small business, restaurants, even pharma and technology. The top 10 most essential companies during the COVID-19 pandemic according to the Harris Poll Essential 100 are (in order): United States Postal Service, Clorox, Google, United Parcel Service, Walmart, Amazon, Purell, Microsoft, FedEx, and CVS. The full list is here.

As the Harris Poll makes clear, a new reputation driver seems to be gaining steam as COVID changes everything we once knew — the company’s role in protecting society. A large 87% of Americans say it’s more important today for corporate America to protect the health and safety of employees. Companies (not all) have long recognized that their employees were among their most competitive assets but this pandemic has ratcheted that awareness up to the highest levels.

According to the CEO of The Harris Poll, John Gerzema: “The Essential 100 is an in-the-moment assessment of who’s rising to meet the challenges of a nation torn apart by the pandemic, economic uncertainty and now social division.”