How To Win Best-Place-To-Work Awards

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41:18

Trainer Bio

Winning a Best Place to Work award can give your company more than a badge for your website. The right recognition can strengthen your employer brand, attract qualified talent, support employee retention, and build credibility with customers and business partners.

But winning workplace awards requires more than having a great workplace. Companies need to identify credible opportunities, understand how awards are judged, prepare compelling applications, and build an employer reputation that can stand up to public scrutiny.

The most effective approach is to treat workplace awards as part of a broader employer branding and employee engagement strategy. Rather than pursuing every recognition opportunity, focus on awards that align with your business goals and reinforce what employees and customers already value about your organization.

Why Best Place to Work Awards Matter

A strong employer brand shapes how people perceive your company before they ever interact with a recruiter. Candidates increasingly research employers online, looking at employee reviews, ratings, social media, and company websites before deciding whether to apply.

Research from Universum (2025) shows that companies with strong employer brands experience 43% lower turnover and attract 50% more qualified applicants. Gallup (2024) also found that organizations with engaged employees achieve 18% higher productivity and 23% higher profitability.

These findings demonstrate the connection between employee experience, employer reputation, and business performance.

But creating a great workplace is only part of the equation. Companies also need to communicate that experience effectively.

As Matt Vance says, “Perception is reality.”

That perception can influence whether someone applies for a position, accepts a job offer, stays with an organization, recommends it to others, or even considers doing business with it.

This is where a credible Best Place to Work award can provide valuable third-party validation. Instead of your company simply claiming to have a strong culture, an independent organization recognizes your workplace based on its own criteria.

The goal, however, shouldn’t simply be to win an award.

The goal is to build an employer reputation that deserves one.

Understand the Different Types of Workplace Awards

Not all Best Place to Work awards use the same selection process. Understanding how an award works can help you determine whether it is credible, relevant, and worth pursuing.

Four common types are nomination-based, editorial-selection, employee survey-based, and employee review-based awards.

Nomination-Based Awards

Nomination-based programs typically require companies to submit an application explaining why they deserve recognition. Applications may ask about workplace culture, leadership, employee programs, professional development, sustainability, company growth, or business performance.

The strongest applications avoid vague claims such as, “We have an amazing culture.” Instead, they provide measurable evidence.

If employee retention improved, show the change. If turnover decreased, quantify it. If you launched an employee development program, explain participation and results.

Focus on Quantifiable Success

Research previous winners to see what they highlighted and which accomplishments appear important to judges. Then identify where your organization has comparable strengths.

Editorial Selection-Based Awards

Some awards are connected to recognizable publications or media organizations, which can make them appear highly prestigious. However, companies should investigate how winners are actually selected.

Some programs may function primarily as promotional opportunities. A company may be told it has been “selected” or “shortlisted,” only to discover that advertising, event tickets, promotional placement, or another paid package is expected.

Before participating, ask:

• Who selected the winners?
• What methodology was used?
• How many companies were considered?
• Was there an independent judging process?
• What does the recognition actually provide?
• Are there additional fees?

An award is valuable only when the people you want to influence consider it credible.

Survey-Based Awards

Survey-based awards use workforce feedback to evaluate workplace culture and engagement. These programs can provide meaningful recognition and useful employee insights.

However, organizations should consider survey fatigue. Employees may already participate in engagement surveys, pulse surveys, and internal feedback programs.

Choose awards that provide genuine value rather than simply collecting as many awards as possible. Employee feedback should be part of an ongoing listening strategy—not something employees provide solely because the company wants recognition.

Employee Review-Based Awards

Employee review-based awards offer another way to build public recognition. Instead of completing a one-time award survey, companies can encourage employees to share authentic experiences on employer review platforms.

Review volume can matter alongside review quality. A company may have a strong employee experience but still lack enough public reviews to qualify for certain recognition programs.

Mobrium can help companies create a more consistent process for gathering authentic employee feedback and building the review volume needed for review-based awards. The goal isn’t to manufacture positive reviews; it’s to make it easier for employees who want to share their experiences to do so.

Rather than treating reviews as a one-time campaign before an award deadline, organizations can make employee feedback part of an ongoing process for monitoring and improving their public employer brand.

Build a Winning Award Application

A strong award application should answer one central question:

Why does your organization deserve to be recognized?

Start by reviewing the award’s eligibility requirements and judging criteria. Identify what judges are looking for and organize your application around those priorities.

Then gather evidence.

Consider achievements such as:

• Improved employee retention
• Reduced turnover
• Increased employee engagement
• Professional development participation
• Leadership initiatives
• Flexible or remote work programs
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Diversity and inclusion programs
• Business growth
• Community involvement
• Employee satisfaction results

Whenever possible, connect initiatives to measurable outcomes.

Instead of saying, “We invest heavily in employee development,” explain how many employees participated, what changed, and what results followed.

Employee stories can also make an application more compelling. Data demonstrates impact, while authentic stories help judges understand the human experience behind the numbers.

The strongest submissions combine data, outcomes, and real employee experiences.

Using AI in Award Applications

Generative AI can help organizations brainstorm ideas, organize information, create an initial draft, or overcome writer’s block.

But AI should be a tool—not a replacement for your organization’s authentic voice.

A generic application filled with broad claims won’t help judges understand what makes your workplace different. Use AI to organize your ideas, then add your own data, examples, employee stories, and achievements.

Your final application should sound like your organization—not a template.

Build an Employer Reputation That Supports Recognition

Winning an award is only one part of building a strong employer brand. Your public reputation should consistently reflect the employee experience you promote.

Imagine a company wins a major Best Place to Work award while its employer review profiles contain consistently poor ratings. Candidates may notice the contradiction.

One source says the company is an exceptional employer. Another reflects employee dissatisfaction.

That gap can undermine the credibility of the award itself.

For this reason, organizations should treat employee feedback as an ongoing process.

Don’t Wait Until Award Season

Develop a structured approach to collecting authentic employee feedback throughout the year. Keep employer review profiles current, monitor what employees are saying, and use feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.

Mobrium can make this process easier by helping companies consistently collect employee feedback and build the review volume that can support eligibility for employee review-based recognition.

AI can also help organizations respond to employer reviews more efficiently and consistently. The important thing is to maintain a professional, authentic tone rather than using automation to manufacture praise.

The goal isn’t to create the appearance of a great workplace. It is to create an environment where employees genuinely want to share their experiences.

A strong employer brand is built on authentic employee experience—not manufactured praise.

Choose Awards That Align With Your Business Goals

Not every award is worth winning.

Before applying, determine what you want the recognition to accomplish.

Will it help attract the talent your company needs? Does it recognize something employees genuinely value? Will customers care about it? Does it strengthen your employer brand within your industry?

Workplace awards can recognize areas such as:

• Company culture
• Leadership
• Employee satisfaction
• Flexibility
• Professional development
• Workplace diversity
• Industry performance
• Business growth

The right recognition can reinforce different aspects of your employer brand. At the same time, organizations should consider the investment required.

Some awards are free, while others charge application, event, licensing, or promotional fees.

The right question isn’t simply, “How much does this award cost?”

Instead, ask, “What value could this recognition create for our business?”

Consider the potential impact on talent attraction, employee pride, recruitment marketing, media exposure, customer credibility, and brand visibility.

A highly credible award that matters to your target audience may be more valuable than several awards that few people recognize.

Make Awards Part of Your Employer Brand Strategy

The most successful organizations don’t treat workplace awards as isolated marketing activities. They connect recognition with their broader employer branding strategy.

Your careers website, social media, employer review profiles, recruitment materials, and award applications should communicate a consistent story about what it is like to work for your organization.

A simple tracking system can help manage your awards strategy. Track the award name, category, eligibility requirements, deadline, costs, application status, result, media coverage, and recognition links.

Over time, this information can help you identify which awards generate meaningful results and where to invest your resources.

Build a Workplace Worth Recognizing

A strong Best Place to Work strategy starts with creating an employee experience people genuinely value.

Listen to employees. Act on feedback. Document achievements. Keep public review profiles current. Then make it easy for employees to share authentic experiences when they choose to do so.

Mobrium can help organizations build a more consistent approach to employee feedback and increase the review volume that can support eligibility for review-based awards.Do’s and Don’ts of Replying to Employee Reviews: Outline

Third-party recognition is most valuable when it reflects the real employee experience. Research awards that fit your company, review previous winners, and focus on credible opportunities—not simply collecting badges.

Ultimately, the goal isn’t to win the most awards.

It’s to build a workplace employees are proud to recommend and an employer brand that makes that reputation visible.

See How Mobrium Can Support Your Employer Reputation Strategy

Ready to make employee feedback and employer reviews a more consistent part of your employer brand strategy? Schedule a Mobrium demo to see how the platform can help your organization build review volume, monitor employer reputation, and turn employee feedback into actionable insights.

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