We often receive questions such as ‘When do you receive recognition as an organisation?’, ‘What is the difference between the Great Place to Work® Certification and the Best Workplaces label?’ and ‘What is in it for our organisation?’. Discover the answers to these frequently asked questions.
Who can participate in the Great Place to Work® research?
Being a good employer is about more than just working conditions or facilities. Mutual relationships based on trust, pride and camaraderie determine whether an organisation will be a successful employer in the long term. The Great Place to Work® model, based on these relationships, applies to all organisations irrespective of their culture or sector.
What is the difference between being Great Place to Work-Certified™ and the Best Workplaces™ Programme?
Becoming Great Place to Work-Certified™ is the first milestone in our recognition process. An organisation that has completed the employee survey process can receive Certification™ at any point in the year once they have met the minimum 70% Trust Index™ employee survey threshold and submitted their Culture Brief™, telling us about their organisation.
Then, through our Best Workplaces™ Programme, we determine the best from the pool of Certified™ organisations via a rigorous assessment process based on the outcome of both the Trust Index™ employee survey and Culture Audit™, telling us more about your HR practices. Based on this evaluation, the best places to work for will be announced during our festive Award Event in March. The organisations that achieve the list may then call themselves a Best Workplace™. For each category, a maximum of 10 companies can be recognised with the Best Workplaces™ label. The categories are as follows:
- Best Small Workplaces™ - organisations with 50 to 249 employees
- Best Medium Workplaces™ - organisations with 250 to 499 employees
- Best Large Workplaces™ - organisations with more than 500 employees
What are the criteria to qualify for certification?
A Trust Index™ survey score of 70% or more is required to become Great Place to Work-Certified™. Once the survey results have closed and you have submitted your Culture Brief™, you will receive your official Certification™ digital badge, valid for 12 months. Read more about the Certification process on this page.
What are the criteria to qualify for the Best Workplaces™ label?
Certified companies with at least 50 employees can participate in our Best Workplaces™ programme. Our Trust Index™ survey and Culture Audit™ are the two tools used to assess organisations participating in the Best Workplaces™ Programme. Together, they enable us to generate accurate and fair measures of employee engagement, trust and well-being as well as your organisation's HR and management practices. Certified organisations that belong to the Best Workplaces™ list may use the Best Workplace™ logo for one year starting from the award event in March. Read more about the Best Workplaces™ program on this page.
What does the Culture Audit look like?
The Culture Audit is a management questionnaire that helps us understand what programs and practices drive the employee experience measured by the Trust Index. The Culture Audit contains five required essay questions. Each question focuses on one specific aspect of the workplace culture that is key in shaping a Great Place to Work For All™; (1) Maximizing Human Potential, (2) Trust, (3) Values, (4) Leadership Effectiveness and (5) Innovation by All.
What happens if my organisation does not meet the requirements to be recognised?
First, rest assured, we keep results completely confidential. We never disclose the names of companies who participate in the process but do not get recognised. You have nothing to lose. While it's disappointing not to be recognised for a list you’re really interested in, going through the process is still extremely valuable. You gain the benefits of employee feedback and can use our helpful reports and analytics to gain actionable insights about your business. We have Culture Coaches available if you’d like some expert support along the way. And when you’re ready, try again!
Great Place to Work® recognition; what’s in it for you?
From Great Place to Work’s point of view, a strong Employer Brand can only be achieved if the internal organisation supports this image. The organisation can only be a great workplace if the employees confirm this. Being a Great Place to Work® recognised can result in three things:
- The surveys provide a unique insight into whether what you are doing as an organisation is having the desired effect on the employees. In other words, whether your organisation offers a good employee experience.
- Increasing results. In an organisation where there is mutual trust, no time is wasted on unclear communication, no optimal cooperation or nepotism, for example. Research has shown that organisations with a high degree of trust also perform better in terms of absenteeism, turnover and attracting applicants, among other things.
- Stronger employer brand. Organisations certified as good employers can use this recognition for their labour market communication and recruitment. Today's employees are looking for organisations which tie in with their values, that suit them in terms of mission and culture, where they can progress and look beyond salary or employment conditions alone. The recognition can also make employees into ambassadors, who can improve the organisation’s image and promote it externally. Being a good employer is truly something to be proud of, and this fact can be shared both internally and externally. A strong and positive image as an employer enhances brand awareness, helps to attract and retain employees and makes an organisation stand out from its competitors.
What is the media attention that Great Place to Work® gives to the certification and the list of Best Companies?
There is a difference between the media attention given to the Certified organisations and the Best Workplaces™.
- Every organisation awarded the Great Place to Work® Certificate receives the logo, a certificate, and a media toolkit to communicate about their certification internally and externally. They also get a place on our website and a post on our Social Media channels. This label is primarily designed to be used as a tool in the organisation's labour market communication immediately after publication.
- The media attention for the exclusive Best Workplace™ label is higher in percentage terms than the media attention given to the Great Place to Work® Certificate. Apart from the services mentioned above (logo, website, social media, media toolkit, …), our media partners Jobat Media (Mediahuis - "Go For Happy Magazine"), Références and Htag dedicate one issue to the Best Workplaces™, and our research partner Vlerick Business School sends out a press release and the evening of the Best Workplaces award event receives a lot of media attention.
What is the difference between Great Place to Work® recognition and other best employer certificates?
The Great Place to Work® labels distinguish itself in four areas:
- From Great Place to Work®’s point of view, a strong Employer Brand can only be achieved if the internal organisation supports this image. The organisation can only be a great workplace if the employees confirm this.
- The philosophy of Great Place to Work® is not about satisfaction. Research has shown that good employers distinguish themselves by high degrees of trust, pride and camaraderie within the organisation. Our model has existed for over thirty years, is still up to date and is currently used in more than 60 countries. This makes it a comprehensive model in which all aspects of being a good employer are evaluated.
- Great Place to Work® applies strict criteria to become a recognised organisation. We help those organisations that do not meet our standards and support them in their continuous development towards being a good workplace. We also continue to help recognised organisations in their development as good employers.
- If an organisation participates in the national certification process, you could also be included in the European list of Best Companies. The highest scoring organisations, in their category, can be among the Top 125 in Europe. Multinational companies may also qualify for the World's Best Workplaces.
Is your organisation a Great Place to Work®?
We recognise good employers worldwide with the labels Great Place to Work® Certified™ and Best Workplaces™. The strict criteria make this recognition unique.
Find out how you can be recognised too!
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