What makes a company a great place to work? Case study

A look at how two companies earned the certificate for Great Place to work.

Every year Great Place to Work India survey covers around two million employees, 4,000+ organisations resulting in certification of about 700 of them spread across 20 plus industries. For the last three decades, the institute has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and has served businesses, non-profits, and government agencies in over 60 countries.

Read more: An upskilled diverse workforce speaks productivity

The certification is a badge of immense pride for an organisation. It is recognised globally by employees and employers alike and is the benchmark for identifying and recognising outstanding employee experience. It plays a pivotal role in recruiting new employees, retaining existing ones, opening partnership opportunities, and more.

The certification honours gold standards to companies worldwide based on a comprehensive assessment procedure that includes an anonymous employee survey.

According to recent research by the institute, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits, and have a fair chance at promotion.

Employees at certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits, and have a fair chance at promotion

This year, the certificate has been awarded to a number of organisations, including Biz2Credit, Ansys India, Smartworld Developers, Ecom Express, CoinSwitch, Aavas Financiers, Esri India, Atos, Smarsh, and TTK Prestige.

What earns an organisation this prestigious certificate? How can an organisation become a great place to work?

We look at two case studies that earned this certificate recently to find out what employees seek from their organisation. Biz2Credit and Ansys India got certified. Kindness and trust are the ingredients that can motivate an employee to stay on in a job.

How employers behave in a crisis

The pandemic was a true test for employers across the globe. How employers treated their employers reflected a company’s philosophy regarding business practices.

Based on that period, if an organisation earns the Great Place to Work certificate, it’s commendable. Recently, Biz2Credit, provider of an online marketplace for small business funding, became a Great Place to Work Certified organisation under the mid-size category.

To earn the same, the company introduced new HR policies to reward and cherish employee contributions to the organization.

The pandemic was a true test for employers across the globe. How employers treated their employers reflected a company’s philosophy regarding business practices

In recognition of the professionalism, client-centricity, work ethic, and perseverance the company has come up with multiple rewards as well as COVID-19 aid initiatives such as interim cash bonus, upgraded medical benefit plan, salary advance plans, enhanced employee medical insurance coverage, broadband and telephone bill reimbursement facilities, COVID vaccination cost reimbursement, etc. to support employees in challenging times.

Apart from the financial benefits, the company also supports employees’ mental, physical, emotional health and promotes work-life balance through flexible working hours.

“Our aim is to win this award every year and create a fair, undiscriminating, and diverse workplace that cultivates high-performing teams.” Rohit Arora, CEO and Co-Founder, Biz2Credit, said.

The company has 550+ employees based in India. By the end of this year, the company is planning to add 350+ more employees and grow to be 1000+ strong in India.

Trust in the employee

Engineering simulation software company, Ansys India, became Great Place to Work-Certified for 2022-23.

Ansys India, according to 87% employees is a psychologically and emotionally healthy place to work and an equal number wants to continue to work here for a long time. 90% of the respondents would even endorse the company as a great place to work.

According to the survey, 91% of Ansys’ employees felt that they could count on people to cooperate and 93% felt that they could take time off work when it was necessary

What has worked for this company is trust. The company has a Trust Index score of 87%. According to the survey, 91% of Ansys’ employees felt that they could count on people to cooperate and 93% felt that they could take time off work when it was necessary. 86% of the respondents felt that people in Ansys avoid politicking and backstabbing as ways to get things done.

Apart from that, it scored 99% in physical safety and between 96-97% in fair treatment and customer advocacy.

Read more: Learnings from the pandemic about recruiting healthcare technology workers

An organisation is a group that must find the best way to work together. There are lessons to learn in each success that a company garners, and the most success comes to the most empathetic of companies.

Mutual respect between the employer and the employee, where both contribute to a positive work environment will eventually lead to overall success.