1.
Learn What it Takes to Make the List
Everything you’ve always wanted to know about the
Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® List

2.
Contents
• Background & Approach | 3
• List Methodology, Models & Scoring | 8
• Culture Audit© Submission Tips | 24
• Eligibility and Deadlines | 32
• FAQs | 36
• Benefits of Applying | 41
• How to Apply & Guide to Participation | 53

3.
Great Place to Work® Institute
One of the world’s largest studies of workplace excellence
• Nearly 3 million employees surveyed last year
• 6,200 companies represented in over 45 countries

4.
Great Place to Work® Recognition:
U.S. Best Companies Lists
Fortune Magazine
List: Apply Now
1,000+ employees
Fortune Magazine
List: Learn More
25-999 employees

5.
1998 2001
20042003
2002
2005 2007 2008
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
2006
20001999
2014 2015
Great Place to Work®
and Fortune Magazine
partnership
1998 to Present

6.
Our Approach
For Great Place to Work® and our media partner,
Fortune Magazine, it is important that our lists:
– Employ a validated methodology
– Are based on current, reliable, and verifiable information
– Reflect the voice of a representative sample of the
employee population

7.
Our Commitment
• Integrity: We take great care to produce lists with a high
level of ethics and fairness.
• Confidentiality: If you don’t make the list, we do not release
your data. We don’t tell anyone that you even participated.
• Positive Recognition: We represent winning companies in a
positive light, based on their unique cultures.

8.
List Methodology
The Great Place to Work® Evaluation Methodology

9.
100 Best Companies to Work For List=
Employee Experience + Workplace Culture
2/3 1/3

10.
We Assess the Employee Experience and
Workplace Culture at Your Company Using
Two Proprietary Tools
Trust Index© Employee Survey
Employee Perspective
Culture Audit© Questionnaire
Workplace Culture
2/3 of
total
score
1/3 of
score

11.
2/3
Part 1: Trust Index© Employee Survey
Assessing Employees’ Experience of Your Company
Sample Trust Index© Employee Survey questions
Your company’s
Trust Index©
Employee Survey
results count for
2/3 of your overall
score

12.
2/3 1/3
Trust Index© Employee Survey
Great Place to Work® works with your company to administer the survey
to a representative sample of employees.
Survey includes:
• 58-statement survey that assess the dimensions of the Trust Model©
(See Slides 13-18)
• 2 open-ended questions:
1) Is there anything unique or unusual about this company that makes it a great
place to work?
2) If you could change one thing about this company to make it a better place to
work, what would it be?
• 6 standard demographics
 Job Type, Sex, Age, Tenure, Racial/Ethnic Identity, Work Status

13.
Our Trust Model©:
Assessing The Employee Experience
"A great workplace is one in
which you trust the people
you work for, have pride in
what you do, and enjoy the
people you work with.”
Great Place to Work®
Trust
credibility
fairness
respect
Employee
pridecamaraderie
relationship
to your job
relationship
with other
employees
relationship
with
management

14.
2/3 1/3
The Trust Model©
Credibility
Communication
 I can ask management any reasonable question
and get a straight answer.
Competence
 Management has a clear view of where the
organization is going and how to get there.
Integrity
 Management delivers on its promises.

15.
2/3 1/3
Respect
Support
 Management recognizes honest mistakes as
part of doing business.
Collaboration
 Management genuinely seeks and responds to
suggestions and ideas.
Caring
 Management shows a sincere interest in me as
a person, not just an employee.
The Trust Model©

16.
2/3 1/3
Fairness
Equity
 I feel I receive a fair share of the profits made by
this organization.
Impartiality
 Promotions go to those who best deserve
them.
Justice
 If I am unfairly treated, I believe I'll be given a
fair shake if I appeal.
The Trust Model©

17.
2/3 1/3
Pride
Personal
 I feel I make a difference here.
Team
 People here are willing to give extra to get the
job done.
Company
 People look forward to coming to work here.
The Trust Model©

18.
2/3 1/3
Camaraderie
Intimacy
 I can be myself around here.
Hospitality
 This is a friendly place to work.
Community
 There is a "family" or "team" feeling here.
The Trust Model©

19.
Part 2: Culture Audit © Questionnaire
Understanding Your Company’s Culture
1/3
Your company’s
Culture Audit©
score counts for
1/3 of your
overall score

20.
Culture Audit© Questionnaire:
• Usually completed by a company’s Human Resources and/or
Internal Communications group
• Culture Audit© Part 1: General Information
– Questionnaire including: Company information,
demographics, benefits, onsite perks, and more.
• Culture Audit© Part 2:
– 15 open-ended essay questions
– Assesses 9 key practice areas that are critical to building a
great workplace (See Slide 22)
• Optional supplemental materials to show Great Place to Work®
more about your company’s culture.

21.
18
What people think a great culture is…

22.
Communicate organizational goals Inspiring Create a sense of higher purpose
Share information Speaking Be honest and transparent
Respond to concerns Listening Be accessible for questions, suggestions,
and concerns
Recognize outstanding performance Thanking Show regular and personalized appreciation
Give employees training in skills Developing Help people grow professionally and
personally
Competitive Benefits Caring Distinctive Benefits; Care in times of Crisis
Hire individuals with skills for a job Hiring Help people with gifts/talents who fit into the
culture
Inform employees of organizational
successes
Celebrating Celebrate organizational successes in
unusual ways
Offer fair compensation Sharing Share rewards of mutual efforts equitably
What it actually is…

23.
Culture Audit© Criteria:
How We Assess Cultural Practices
►Variety
Breadth of programs, policies, and methods for
implementation.
►Originality
Programs, policies, and practices that are unique and
creative, while “bearing the mark of the company”
►All-inclusiveness
Programs, policies, and practices are for everyone.
►Human Touch
A sense of appreciation, generosity, and warmth in
programs and policies.
►Integration
Programs and policies linked by a central theme, an
overarching framework in which the programs are
delivered.

24.
Culture Audit© Tips
Tips for Putting Your Best Foot Forward With the Culture Audit©

25.
Good Answers vs. GREAT Answers
Good Answers
• Provide a list of programs and
practices
• Speak generically
• Offer no or few examples
• Omit the how, and focus on
the what
GREAT Answers
• Provide a list of programs and
practices
• Illustrate their unique spin on
the practice
• Provide stories of the practice
in action
• Focus on “what” and “how”

26.
EXAMPLE
Culture Audit© Question for “Speaking”:
What are the distinctive ways in which managers,
especially senior managers, share information with
employees and foster a culture of transparency?

27.
Good Answer (Partial Response)
“Management speaks with our employees through practices like town
hall meetings, site visits from executives, regular email
communications including a monthly newsletter, an anonymous
suggestion box, and a new in-house social media network. We have
an open-door policy and employees are told they can speak to any
management team member at any time.”

28.
GREAT Answer (Partial Response)
“This past year we needed to communicate a restructuring. Our
CEO hosted a town hall meeting that was live broadcast to our
remote locations. Department managers held follow-up meetings
with their teams. Managers were equipped with responses to
frequently asked questions. Employees could submit questions
(anonymously) to leadership. Our CEO responded to each one in a
series of videos emailed to employees and shared on the Intranet the
following week.”

29.
EXAMPLE
Culture Audit© Question for “Thanking”:
How does your company show appreciation and/or
recognition for employees' good work and extra
effort, or other achievements?

30.
Good Answer (Partial Response)
“We celebrate employees’ service anniversaries in 5 year
increments. Each employee achieving this milestone receives a
substantial gift which they select from our service award
program catalogue. The item is mailed to the employee’s home
on their service anniversary along with a certificate signed by
our CEO.”

31.
GREAT Answer (Partial Response)
“We celebrate employees’ service anniversaries in 5 year
increments. Each employee achieving this milestone receives a
substantial gift which they select from our service award program
catalogue. Employee’s gifts are mailed to their homes on their
service anniversaries, along with a personalized letter of thanks from
the CEO. Service anniversaries are also celebrated with a posting
on our intranet. Colleagues often send notes of thanks and
congratulations. At our quarterly all-hands meeting, all those
celebrating service anniversaries are brought on stage for a group
photo and round of applause from their colleagues.”

32.
Eligibility & Deadlines

33.
Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For List
Eligibility Requirements & Deadlines
Eligibility Requirements
• 1,000+ U.S. employees
• 5+ years in business
Get Started Now!
Upcoming Deadlines
• Deadline to register: July 31, 2015
• Last date to start survey: August 31, 2015
• Culture Audit Submission Due: August 14, 2014

34.
Great Place to Work ® Best Small and Medium
Workplaces List
Eligibility Requirements & Deadlines
Eligibility Requirements
• 25-999 U.S. employees
• 2+ years in business
Learn More Here
2015 Deadlines
• Deadline to register: May 15, 2015 (Past)
• Last date to start survey: May 22, 2015 (Past)
• Culture Audit Submission Due: June 12, 2015 (Past)
• List Announcement: October 22, 2015

35.
Additional Eligibility Requirements
• Government agencies with more than 999 employees are
not eligible.
• Must apply as the parent organization, including all
subsidiaries, divisions and departments (contact us as
certain exceptions do apply).
• Cannot be going through a merger/acquisition impacting
25% or more of the U.S. employee population.

36.
FAQs
Most Commonly Asked Questions

37.
How long should our Culture Audit©
submission be?
• Median length of 100 Best Culture
Audit©: 55 pages
• Median length of Small & Medium
Culture Audit©: 21 pages
• We value quality over quantity

38.
Who evaluates my Culture Audit©?
• Application reviewed 2-3 times by rigorously trained
evaluators
• Evaluators include: MAs in Organization Development or
Industrial/Organizational Psychology, MBAs, Human
Resources professionals, journalists
• Screened for conflicts of interest
• Sign strict confidentiality agreements

39.
What are Supplemental Materials?
• Physical or electronic materials that help you tell your story
• Welcomed, but not required
• Not scored

40.
What Supplemental Materials can I send?
• What to submit:
– Annual reports, news articles, press
releases
– Employee communications
– Recruiting, training, & orientation materials
– Photos or videos of employees at work or
participating in company activities
• What not to submit:
– SWAG
– Oversized items
– Perishables

41.
Why You Should Do It
The Benefits of a Great Place to Work® Evaluation

42.
Low Risk
Simply for participating, all participants receive
• Metrics
• Self-awareness
• An employer branding opportunity
The Benefits of a Great Place to Work®
Evaluation

43.
Trust Index© Employee Survey Results:
Free Summary Report for All Participants

44.
Self-Awareness:
Testimonial from a List Participant
“The very process of considering the questions asked in Part 2 of the
Culture Audit© helps us better understand what a great place to work
is and where we can/should focus our own efforts to continue to
improve. We know that we have already created a great place to
work, and regardless of whether we rise in the rankings, it is
instructive to think about what we can do better in light of the
questions asked in the essays and our core value of Continuous
Improvement.”

45.
Completely Free: List participation with Great Place to
Work® is, and has always been, free.
The Benefits of Completing a Great Place
to Work® Evaluation

46.
Simple to Start: Our application tool makes it easy and
intuitive to get started. If you participated within the last 2
years, it’s now easier than ever!
The Benefits of Completing a Great Place
to Work® Evaluation

47.
Confidential: Unless you make the list, no one will know
whether you’ve participated.
The Benefits of Completing a Great Place
to Work® Evaluation

48.
For companies that make the
lists…
The 100 Best Companies to
Work for is
Fortune’s most popular franchise,
surpassing even the
Fortune 500 in readership.
Wide-Reaching Recognition

49.
Trust is a Measurable Driver of Success
Interaction Associates. Building Trust 2013.
http://interactionassociates.com/sites/default/files/research_items/Building%20Trust%20201
3.pdf
HPO/LPO = High Performing/Low Performing
Organization

50.
High Trust = Loyalty + Commitment

51.
Trust Index© Employee Survey Results:
Opportunity to Compare to 100 Best
Benchmarks and Customize Survey

52.
Survey Customization Options
• You can customize your Trust Index© Employee Survey to
provide relevant and actionable demographic data specific to
your organization (i.e., department, region, location).
• Provides an opportunity to measure your employees’ response
to initiatives unique to your company by adding your own
survey statements.
• Note: Customized demographics and statements are not
considered in scoring for the list and have no impact on
evaluations or list rankings.

53.
How to Apply
Getting Started With Your Application

54.
Download Your Guide to List Participation Today!
Apply Now!
Click Here to Apply Now!
Email: US_ListandReviews@greatplacetowork.com
Phone: 415-844-2500 ext. 390