FAQ - Certification
What is Great Place to Work Certification?
Great Place to Work Certification is an accreditation which demonstrates to the market that you are an employer of choice while also helping you become an even better workplace through reporting, analysis and next steps to enable an even more successful culture.
How can an organization become Great Place to Work Certified?
If you have 10 or more employees in Canada, you can register on our website to start the Certification process. We’ll conduct our Trust Index© survey and if your survey score is 65% positive or more, and you complete the Culture Brief© (a management questionnaire), then you will become Great Place to Work Certified.
For how long is Great Place to Work Certification valid?
The Certification is valid for 12 months and you will be automatically considered for all relevant Best Workplaces™ lists during that period.
Is there a deadline for Certification?
There is no deadline for Certification and you can start the process anytime. Once you are Certified, you will be considered for all relevant Best Workplaces lists for 12 months.
However, there are deadlines for each of our Best Workplaces lists. For us to consider you for a particular list, you must be Certified by that list's deadline mentioned in the list calendar.
What is the difference between a Great Place to Work Certified organization and a Best Workplace?
Great Place to Work Certification means organizations have achieved 65% or more positive response in the survey. From this Certification, the organizations receive a variety of benefits.
Best Workplaces are defined by various criteria and are identified from a larger pool of Certified companies. Take a look at some of our recenty published Best Workplaces lists. Certification is a mandatory step towards becoming a Best Workplace.
How long does the entire Certification process take?
The entire process can be done in 4 weeks. It takes about a week to set up the survey, two weeks to run the survey and a week to analyze and deliver results. Is the survey confidential? Yes, the survey is absolutely confidential and we don’t share individual responses with the employer.
How is the survey administered?
We send unique survey links to all email addresses you share with us and we collect the responses online. You can track the live response rate through a link shared by us. The survey takes about 10 to 12 minutes to complete. We can also conduct paper-based surveys if your employees don’t have a work email.
What happens after the Certification expires?
Once the Certification expires, you will not be able to display your Certification badge and you will not be considered for Best Workplaces lists. To retain your Certified status, you’ll need to conduct the employee survey every 12 months.
What happens if we don’t get Certified?
We keep results completely confidential. We never disclose the names of companies who participate in the process but do not get recognized. While it's disappointing not to be recognized, 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 a little expert support along the way. And when you’re ready, try again!