Our Methodology

A great place to work is one where the employees: "Trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with"

The method behind our world-leading programme

At the Great Place to Work^® Institute we want to get to know your staff. We have a carefully researched, tried-and-tested methodology that enables us to find out a great deal about your staff, people management practices and workplace culture. We will most likely discover all kinds of things that many company owners and businesses bosses wish they could find out, if only they knew how.

We assess and select great workplaces based on two assessment tools: The Trust Index^© Employee Survey and the Culture Audit^© Management Questionnaire. These intelligently created tools allow us to clearly and concisely evaluate the perceptions of your employees. We will ask them about their workplace experience and also about the effectiveness of practices that underpin your workplace culture.

Trust Index^® Employee Survey

Our Trust Index^© Survey is the first and most widely-used tool to measure trust in the workplace. High levels of trust directly affect the bottom-line of companies by making them adaptable to change, and able to produce more at lower costs.

Assesses employees' perceptions of workplace culture
Can be completed by all, or a sample, of employees
Responses are anonymous and confidential
Accounts for two-thirds of the final score
Takes only 5 to 10 minutes to complete

Our aim is to make the survey as straightforward, yet comprehensive, as possible. By gathering qualitative and quantitative data on your employees^’ perceptions, the survey measures key dimensions of your workplace culture. A random selection of staff, including managers, completes the survey anonymously, responding with statements on a five-point scale. Organisations with fewer than 250 employees will all be asked to complete the survey. The survey statements are directly related to specific dimensions of our Great Place to Work model^©.

Culture Audit^® Management Questionnaire

The Culture Audit^® Management Questionnaire is usually completed by the HR manager and aims to provide an in-depth and enlightening analysis of the value system, policies and practices that support the culture of your workplace.

Provide insights into the culture of your workplace
Response prepared by a workplace leadership team
Accounts for one-third of the final score

The questionnaire looks at nine areas: Hiring, Inspiring, Speaking, Listening, Caring, Developing, Thanking, Celebrating and Sharing. This nine-part assessment is then judged against the GPTW Model^©, which has been developed through extensive and rigorous research with employee focus groups.

Earning your place in the prestigious Best Workplaces rankings

Many companies aspire to being recognised in our highly acclaimed Best Workplaces rankings. Whether your organisation is based in Switzerland, Portugal or Scotland, it will be ranked according to the same rigorous methodology. Thanks to our Trust Index^© Survey, the ranking will be based firmly on the voice and opinions of your staff. The remaining score element comes from the Culture Audit^® Management Questionnaire.

The Great Place to Work^® Institute carries out an annual validation exercise so as to verify that the survey and methodology remain consistent and reliable. Contact us to find out more about our global methodology and how we can help you to transform your business into a great place to work.

Did You Know

2.2%

Average increase in the number of employees in European Best Workplaces despite the recession

Key Lessons

A friendly and amicable recruitment process helps new starters with a "buddy" for the first year and a careers advisor

A flat hierarchy encourages a free flow of information

A sustainability programme gives a source of engagement and pride