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 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 consulting firm helping organizations improve their workplace culture.

To get the royalty-free certification badge, companies must pass certain trust index such as outstanding employee experience, high trust in management, strong teamwork and employee retention, a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and leadership behaviors proven.

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 why a great place to work 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: Companies work certified are recognized as industry leaders. They have certain trust index like exceptional company cultures, which enhances their brand, making them more attractive to high-quality applicants, potential customers, and investors.

• Improve a company's performance and innovation: Work certified businesses have seen significant improvements in their performance due to the deep insights provided by the 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 nation requirement.

What is a good great place to work score?

A good Great Place to Work score is 70% or higher. This score indicates that a majority of employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with.

Organizations that achieve a Great Place to Work score of 70% or higher are certified as Great Places to Work. These organizations are recognized for their outstanding workplace cultures and their commitment to creating a positive employee experience.

Here is a breakdown of the Great Place to Work Trust Index score:

• 70% or higher: Great Place to Work Certified
• 65%-69%: Good
• 60%-64%: Average
• 55%-59%: Below Average
• 54% or lower: Poor

It is important to note that even a score below 70% can be a good starting point for organizations that are looking to improve their workplace culture. Great Place to Work provides organizations with a comprehensive set of resources and tools to help them assess their current culture and develop a plan to improve it.

How much does the great place to work certification cost?

The Great Place to Work certification cost depends on the size of your organization. For organizations with 50-999 employees, the cost is $995 per year. For organizations with 1000+ employees, the cost is $1,495 per year.

In addition to the certification fee, there are also some optional fees for additional services, such as:

• A comprehensive presentation of your results, facilitating a straightforward understanding of your data ($500)
• The flexibility to add customized demographics and custom statements offer a deeper understanding ($500)
• An in-depth look at the value of programs impacting your workplace culture ($1,000)

While these additional services are not required for certification, they can be helpful for organizations that want to get more out of their certification experience.

Here is a summary of the different Great Place to Work certification costs:

There are also a number of third-party companies that offer Great Place to Work certification services. These companies typically charge a fee for their services, which can vary depending on the company and the level of service provided.

For example, some third-party companies may offer a basic certification package that includes the employee survey and certification report. Other companies may offer more comprehensive packages that include additional services, such as employee focus groups, culture change consulting, and branding support.

It is important to note that not all third-party companies are created equal. When choosing a third-party company to help you achieve Great Place to Work certification, it is important to do your research and choose a company that has a good reputation and experience in the industry.

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 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

Employee engagement is how workers feel invested in and committed to their company’s goals. Engaged employees have a high trust workplace and will likely have increased innovation, productivity, and commitment to their organization's success. A study by Gallup reported by Forbes found that highly engaged workplaces have 21% higher profitability than those with low engagement.

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 become a certified great workplace

#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. It includes 

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

• Providing training and resources to promote DEI
• Creating policies and practices ensuring fair and unbiased treatment of all employees
• Actively seeking out and recruiting diverse talent

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. 

Related: Building Engagement with Remote Employees: Tips and Strategies

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.