For many of us, New York City might conjure up a hectic work life—long commute times, demanding workloads, a cutthroat atmosphere.

Yet our recent Best Workplaces in New York list found that the best companies are defying that stereotype. While many New York workplaces may have high-performance cultures, the leading employers also have surprisingly caring environments defined by thriving friendships among employees.

“When we named the Best Workplaces in New York, it was interesting to see that 94% of employees described these companies as both welcoming and friendly,” said Holly Petroff, executive vice president of consulting at Great Place to Work. “Performance doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Effective teamwork and career advancement both require that colleagues trust each other and want to pull ahead together.”

New York Nice

With year-over-year revenue growth averaging 24%, companies on the list were competitive in the New York metropolitan business area and beyond. That’s likely, in part because 90% of their employees said they’re willing to give extra on the job.

What’s driving that commitment? Camaraderie among employees turned out to be one of the biggest factors. Across all companies eligible for the list, employees who described their organizations as friendly were four times more likely to give extra and five times more likely to say they’re proud to tell others where they work.

Even at massive companies with diverse business lines, camaraderie and a team-centered culture were the core themes at the Best Workplaces in New York.

“Despite its size, Comcast has a family feel and encourages employees to be innovative in whatever aspect of the business they touch,” said a colleague at the no. 1 large organization on the Best Workplaces in New York list. “For example, every year the company hosts a competition called The Idea, which is a play off the popular NBC show The Voice. Employees pitch their ideas to leadership in a fun environment.”

Initiatives like this promote workplace cooperation and provide opportunities for co-workers to connect on a personal level. At Internet technology company Yext, teams jump on any excuse they can find to throw a party, whether it’s National Donut Day, Taco Tuesdays, a new Star Wars movie, or pi/pie day on March 14. Said one person at the top small-to-medium employer on the list: “My co-workers are my friends as well, and I genuinely look forward to coming in to work each day. Never have I been surrounded by such intelligent, creative, quirky and welcoming individuals, especially in a workplace.”