Certification
Great Place To Work Certification: The most trusted workplace award
Anyone can claim they have a great workplace culture. Only Great Place To Work® Certification™ gives you independent, concrete proof that your employee experience is a cut above the rest. Discover how it recognizes exceptional company cultures and what it takes to earn certification.
How Certification works and why it’s unique
To apply for Certification, you’ll use our employee engagement survey tool, the Trust Index™ Survey, to ask your employees about their experience at work.
Tested, scientific approach
Certification is based on the Great Place To Work Model™, based on 30 years of research into company culture.
Driven by real employee feedback
The employee engagement survey gathers genuine employee feedback, focusing on trust, respect, and camaraderie. Employees’ real-life experiences at work determine whether a company earns Certification.
Real-time reflection of your culture
By continuing to earn Certification year after year, you show your people — and job seekers — that culture is a key part of your long-term strategy.
Ready to get Certified?
Ready to learn more about Certification and how to work with us?
Tell us a little about your company and someone from our team will be in touch.
“We take a lot of pride in partnering with Great Place To Work. The company loves it. It’s our way to continue improving and thriving together as a business.”
Annette Alexander, chief people officer at WP Engine
Benefits of Certification
Bolster your bottom line
There’s a clear, tangible relationship between your culture and your company’s performance. At companies that embrace the Great Place To Work Model:
- Stocks outperform the market by 19%
- Employees are 38% more likely to say they plan to stay at their company for a long time
- People give extra effort and adapt more quickly to change
- Employees are 87% more likely to feel they deliver excellent customer service
Earn more company culture awards
Once Certified, you’ll be automatically considered for placement on our famous Best Workplaces™ lists, such as:
- Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®
- World’s Best Workplaces™
- PEOPLE® Companies that Care
- 20+ lists in all — see them here
Discover your culture strengths & opportunities
On your way toward Certification, your Trust Index Survey will reveal your culture’s strengths and opportunities and show you how your results compare to relevant benchmarks. You’ll discover early indicators for:
- What specific experiences make employees stay — or leave
- Which leaders who are boosting performance and productivity
- Who might need a little extra support to help their teams shine
- How your culture compares to the Best Workplaces
Fill your recruitment pipeline
Top talent can work wherever they want. Certification shows job seekers that your current employees are there because they want to be, not because they have to be.
- In a 2023 market study, job seekers were 15 times more likely to choose a company if they knew it had been Certified as a great workplace by its employees.
‘Great Place To Work® structured framework has been very instrumental on our continuous improvement of workplace culture. The worldwide recognition of the Great Place To Work® Certification validated our efforts in creating an inclusive work environment for our employees.’
Transform your workplace culture with Certification
Survey
Powered by our proprietary Trust Index, easily survey your employees using the Great Place To Work Trust Index Survey to better understand your workplace culture.
Certification
Great Place To Work Certification evaluates workplace culture from the perspective that matters most — the employee — providing a clear signal to the world about your culture and commitment to employee experience.
Insights & Benchmarking
Using data-backed insights, you will be able to make more informed decisions and get a benchmarked view of your organization, creating a thriving culture.
Best Workplaces Lists
Once Great Place To Work Certified™, companies are automatically eligible for lists in Fortune & PEOPLE, earning recognition for the culture you built.
Join the ranks of other Certified workplaces
What is Great Place To Work® Certification?
Employers who provide excellent employee experiences are recognized through our Great Place To Work® certification. The certification process consists of two parts: surveying your employees and filling in a short Culture Brief questionnaire about your organization.
What does participation in the Certification process look like?
To take part in our Great Place To Work® Certification™ process, your organization’s HR department must complete the Culture Brief, a brief survey on the background and structure of your workplace, along with an employee survey known as the Trust Index.
When an organization’s Trust Index score is 64.5% or above, they are eligible to become Great Place To Work® Certified™.
The Certification process will provide important information about the current state of your workplace culture, enabling your leaders to measure, understand, and develop your culture further.
Certification is also the first step to becoming a Best Workplace™. Once an organization is Certified™, and provided they meet the specific Best Workplaces™ Trust assessment requirements for their size category, they will receive Best Workplaces™ recognition.
How do I get Great Place To Work® Certified™?
To become Certified™, you must first survey your staff and then answer a brief questionnaire about your work history and demographics. As soon as the survey closes, you will receive your official Certification™ digital badge, which is valid for a year, if you completed your Culture Brief questionnaire and received a complete survey score of 64.5% or higher.
What does Great Place To Work® Certification™ mean?
Great Place To Work® Certification™ lets the world know that your workplace has a great work culture where employees feel supported and appreciated for their work. It shows that your company has created an atmosphere at work that fosters credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.
How much does Great Place To Work® Certification™ cost?
At Great Place To Work®, we provide three comprehensive packages: Assess™, Analyse™, and Accelerate™, all based around our employee survey. Each package offers different levels of data analysis and guidance, along with the opportunity to achieve Certification™ and earn recognition as one of the Best Workplaces™. The pricing for these packages is determined by various factors, including the organization’s size, whether it requires a national or international survey, and any specific requirements your organization may have for the survey and follow-up process. Read more about our packages here.
How long does the Great Place To Work® Certification™ process take?
We typically suggest a 2-week window to launch your survey – and with our survey platform, you’re able to view and analyze the results of your survey as soon as the survey closes. Shortly after the survey has closed and provided you have submitted your Culture Brief questionnaire and earned an overall survey score of 64.5% or higher, you will receive your official Certification™ digital badge, valid for 12 months.
What are the benefits of the Great Place To Work® Certification™?
Being a Certified™ great workplace has several benefits for an organization. It serves as a valuable external validation of your company’s commitment to its employees which, in turn, will enhance your reputation as an employer of choice. It can also attract and retain high-quality talent, improve employee engagement and satisfaction, and contribute to overall business success.
