The Great Place To Work Certification: The Employers Guide

Attracting and retaining the best talent in today's business world is critical for the success of any company. One way to distinguish yourself as a desirable employer is by achieving the prestigious Great Place To Work Certification. 

This certification can offer a range of advantages, including recognizing outstanding employee experience. By recognising the value of this Great Place To Work Certification, you can build a thriving company culture that promotes collaboration, creativity, and long-term prosperity. Join us as we explore the benefits of being Great Place To Work Certified.

What is the Great Place To Work Certification?

Great Place To Work Certification is a prestigious award given to companies with exceptional company cultures. It’s the only official recognition based on an assessment of employee experience and culture analysis conducted by Great Place To Work, a global leader in workplace culture, helping organizations create a consistently and overwhelmingly positive employee experience. They offer recognition and tools to help leaders and organizations elevate their employer brands, capture and understand employee experiences, build cultures that retain talent, and unlock the potential of every employee.

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To get the royalty-free certification badge, companies must have 10 or more employees and must complete a two-step process:

• Survey employees with the Trust Index Survey
• Complete a brief company questionnaire

Positive employee responses to the Trust Index Survey ( four and above on the five-point scale) are averaged to provide an organisation-wide assessment of culture: the Trust Index. Companies that score above the current threshold become Great Place To Work Certified. 

Why does it matter for companies to be certified workplaces?

The official recognition determined proves outstanding employee experience backed up by the certification from a global authority. In today's cut-throat job market, job seekers are increasingly choosing workplace culture over salary and benefits. Certified workplaces have a significant advantage in the recruitment pipeline top talent,  drawing in the best candidates and job seekers for their open positions.

According to Leaders.com, the work environment has experienced massive changes in priorities by generation. For example, the baby boomers had to work hard to prove their worth–earning a workaholic label. 

Gen Z is not attached to their work, making 80% of Gen Z's comfortable quitting their jobs within six months if it doesn’t meet their expectations,  including if the leader can’t be defined as a great boss.

Related: How to Engage and Motivate Your Gen Z Workforce

Apart from company leaders labeled as the employer of choice, other reasons for acquiring a Great Place To Work Certification include the following:

• Increase employee engagement: By earning the only recognition, companies demonstrate their commitment to creating a positive and supportive work environment, motivating employees to perform at their best.

• Boost company reputation internally and externally: Certified Great Place To Work companies demonstrate high levels of trust according to their employees , supporting exceptional company culture. This increases positive brand sentiment, making them more attractive to high-quality applicants, potential customers, and investors.

• Improve a company's performance and innovation: Great Place To Work Certified businesses have seen significant improvements in their performance due to the deep insights provided by the Great Place To Work Certification.

Great Place To Work Certification is recognized worldwide, making it an indispensable tool for companies to earn and have. Earning this designation means your business values its workers and complies with the certification national requirement.

What is a good Great Place To Work score?

To earn a Great Place To Work Certification, the average score across your survey results must show that approximately 7 out of 10 of your employees are having a consistently positive experience at work.

With Great Place To Work, you can measure where your organization is today in comparison to the best companies in your industry. Becoming and sustaining a great workplace is a journey - and the Trust Index score will tell you how you’re doing

How much does the Great Place To Work Certification cost?

Pricing for the Great Place To Work Certification is tailored to meet the unique needs of each organization. It is based on factors such as:

• The size of the employee base
• The desired level of survey customization and functionality
• The extent of access to results analysis and dashboard data

To gain a deeper understanding of the drivers that can improve metrics like trust, management effectiveness, and intent to stay, it is recommended to speak with a member of the Great Place To Work team. They can provide a customized quote that aligns with the specific requirements and goals of the organization.

The key benefits of Great Place To Work Certification

By understanding the benefits, companies can make informed decisions about pursuing Great Place To Work Certification and how to leverage it to improve their business outcomes. Companies aspire to be successful and the leaders to become great boss, and these are the benefits they can enjoy by being a Great Place To Work Certified workplace.

#1. Attract and Retain Top Talent

Company culture is increasingly becoming a critical factor in employee satisfaction and retention. A study by Glassdoor found that 77% of job seekers consider a company's culture before applying for a job. 56% of the high-quality applicants say that company culture is more important than salary. 

This official recognition indicates employees report that the company is an excellent environment to work in, with backed benchmark data helping companies attract the best candidates for their open positions, making the company leaders the employer of choice, and deliver market-leading revenue. 

Companies certified great places to work increased more high quality applicants referral, as current employees are more likely to recommend their workplace to their networks. This referral process can attract more high-quality top applicants likely to fit into the company culture and contribute to its success. In addition to recognizing outstanding employee experience, employees who feel valued, paid fairly, and supported will potentially remain loyal to their organization, reducing turnover rates and associated costs.

#2. Increase Employee Engagement

 A study by Gallup reported by Forbes found that highly engaged workplaces have 21% higher profitability than those with low engagement. Employee engagement is how workers feel invested in and committed to their company’s goals. The Great Place To Work’s model for assessing employee experience is founded in trust. 

Useful Read: 6 Metrics to Measure Employee Engagement: The Employers Guide

Being a great workplace demonstrates the company’s commitment to creating a positive and supportive work environment, motivating employees to perform at their best. The certification process involves gathering employee feedback through an employee survey platform, allowing companies to understand their strengths and areas for improvement. 

Businesses can use this employee feedback to improve employee experience, satisfaction and engagement by implementing new benefits or programs, improving communication, or enhancing training and development opportunities. As a result the business will likely see improvement in their year over year results on their journey to becoming a Certified Great Place To Work.

#3. Boost Company Reputation

In today's interconnected world, a company's reputation is more important than ever. With the rise of social media images and instant communication, it’s easier for customers, employees, job seekers, and investors to share their opinions and experiences with a company. As a result, a company's reputation can quickly spread and significantly impact its success.

Great Place To Work Certification is a third-party validation of a company's culture, which adds credibility and legitimacy to a company's brand. The global certification is widely recognized as a measure of excellence in workplace culture–companies that earn it have their employees real time reports valued. 

The best company character can significantly impact attracting customers and investors. Customers are more likely to do business with a certified company, as it signals it’s trustworthy, reliable, and cares about its customers. 

On the other hand, a certified workplace can attract capitalists. A positive reputation signals the company is the market-leading revenue and a global benchmark positioned for long-term success.

Related: Employer Branding: Everything you need to know

#4. Improve Performance and Innovation

Companies with a positive workplace culture brief outperform their peers in key areas, including revenue growth, profitability, and employee retention. A good company culture can foster innovation by encouraging creativity, risk-taking, and collaboration.

Once the official global recognition amount is determined, it can promote performance and innovation by creating a positive and supportive work environment fostering amazing employee experience, engagement, creativity, and collaboration. The best companies earn global recognition by demonstrating their commitment to building a culture that values employee satisfaction, trust, and mutual respect.

For instance, Salesforce, in the press materials, is a global leader in cloud-based software, has been named a Great Place To Work for 12 consecutive years. The vice president has leadership behaviors, helping the company see tremendous success, with revenue growth of over 20% each year for the past three years.

#5. Enhance Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a company's responsibility to operate in a way that makes it a better world– beyond maximizing the company’s profits. It includes considering the social, environmental, and economic impact of its operations and incorporating a great company culture for its stakeholders, such as employees, customers, and the communities in which it operates.

A Great Place To Work Certification aligns with CSR by prioritizing the needs and interests of workers, allowing companies to offer outstanding employee experience. For example, businesses with favorable workplace cultures often have lower turnover rates, which can reduce the costs associated with recruiting and training new employees. 

Useful Read: How To Calculate the Cost Of An Employee + Free Template

Consumers and investors are increasingly interested in supporting companies prioritizing social responsibility and are willing to pay a premium for products and services from socially responsible companies. A study by Cone Communications found 87% of consumers will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about, and 76% will boycott a company if it supports an issue contrary to their beliefs.

#6. Improved Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) creates a positive and inclusive environment that values the fair share of all workers, fosters innovation and creativity, increases innovation, and promotes a sense of community and belonging.

Great Place To Work Certification–a global authority that can help companies improve DEI by promoting a fair chance in the workplace that values and respects differences, fosters inclusivity, and creates equal opportunities for all workers. This is done by providing training and resources to promote DEI via a wealth of resources such as webinars, articles, original research based on global employee data, and Culture Coaching services.

Related: What is an Equal Opportunities Policy and Why Your Team Needs One

A certified company can demonstrate to current and prospective job seekers, employees report customers, and investors their ongoing dedication to promoting DEI, attracting and retaining diverse talent, and positively impacting society by promoting social justice and equality.

Related: The Inclusive Workplace: A Step-by-Step Guide to Diversity

Will the Great Place To Work Certification continue in the future?

Great Place To Work Certification is likely to see continued growth and expansion. As the importance of employee well-being and workplace culture becomes increasingly recognized, more companies will likely seek certification to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing employee and workplace experience– it takes ongoing dedication to achieve a positive workplace culture. 

One trend that may emerge is a greater focus on remote and hybrid work environments. With more companies offering flexible work arrangements for work life balance, it will be necessary for a company to be certified as a great workplace. It will prove the workers are indispensable, and the employers alike. 

Useful Reads:

Building Engagement with Remote Employees: Tips and Strategies

What is a Hybrid Working Model? A Guide for HR Leaders

For example, the certification process could evaluate a company's ability to support remote workers with the technology and digital toolkit for real time reporting they need to be successful, including promoting a healthy work life balance. It could also assess how the company fosters a sense of community and connection among remote workers and ensures they feel included and valued.