Which top employer award or best places to work award should you enter? 

The most popular reason why organisations enter awards is to attract and retain customers. The second most popular reason is to help them attract and retain talent. In fact, it is extremely rare that any awards planning session by Boost doesn’t include both as priorities.

There is no doubt that winning any industry award that impresses customers will also impress current and potential employees. However, is this enough? Most businesses believe it is and don’t enter separate awards to impress current and potential employees. However, if you really want to stand out to potential recruits and attract the best talent then you want awards which explicitly say “this is a great place to work”, or “we are a top employer, better than the other organisations you might consider working for.”

With a wealth of employer-related awards out there it’s hard to know which is the right award to enter. This article aims to take the hassle out of this decision, helping you to pick the best award for your company and most importantly detailing how you can win it. 

Firstly, let’s look at the main league table awards:

The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, Powered by WorkL

These well-established awards were relaunched a few years ago now with new partnerships, the employee engagement platform WorkL, a new look and a reinvigorated interest in finding and celebrating true champions of workplace engagement. The winners list is selected solely from the results of an employee survey. With 35 questions on topics ranging from reward and recognition to empowerment and wellbeing.

The Sunday Times Best Places to Work powered by WorkL are now open for organisations in the UK until 31st March 2025 and Ireland until 11th May 2025 with the respective results announced exclusively in The Sunday Times and The Sunday Times Ireland in late May and early June. All organisations that qualify will be listed on the website for 12 months following the announcement.

The awards will recognise and celebrate organisations with the highest employee engagement and wellbeing levels which will in turn help winners of the awards attract, retain and recruit employees.

Entry is exclusively through the WorkL for Business platform, with organisations asked to set up and send out a survey to their employees. The survey includes questions specially designed by employee experience experts across a range of engagement drivers including: Empowerment, Reward & Recognition, Job Satisfaction, Information Sharing, Wellbeing and Instilling Pride. Every organisation which enters will also receive a complimentary 12 months digital subscription to the Times and the Sunday Times.

There are 11 categories in total including a list of all organisations that have qualified. Four of these are based on the number of employees in your organisation: Small, Medium, Big and Very Big. The other categories are Best Places to Work for Women, Disabled Employees, Ethnic Minority Employees, LGBTQA+ Employees, 16-34 year olds, 55+ year olds and Best Places to Work for Employee Wellbeing.

Entrants will also receive all-important insights into how employees feel about the organisation – including critical business information such as ‘flight risk’ and NPS. This information can be accessed via a dynamic dashboard which allows you to see all the survey results. Organisations will receive an overall score, scores for the six engagement drivers plus the option to select additional packages and support, such as a granular data analysis that includes action plans and resources to drive change in your organisation.

Ireland

Small Organisations (10-49 employees): from €900

Medium Organisations (50-249 employees): from €1,750

Big Organisations (250-1,999 employees): from €3,500

Very Big Organisations (2,000+ employees): from €5,250

The additional data package starts at £1,000 + VAT for the UK and €1,200 for Ireland (subject to your organisation size). The Sunday Times Logo licence starts at £3,000 + VAT determined by the size of your business. Neither of these options are mandatory, and you will still be included in the official list and the Sunday Times publication regardless.

Link: The Sunday Times Awards or read our dedicated guide to these awards https://awards-list.co.uk/the-sunday-times-best-places-to-work-powered-by-workl/

Process: Online survey consisting of 26 questions that takes no more than ten minutes for you to set up and five minutes for your employees to complete. There is a requirement for additional information regarding your organisation and the benefits that you provide for your employees but that does not determine your position in the awards.

As the results are based on the employee survey only we are unable to help you to enter these awards. But there are lots of other options which take written entries into consideration where we would be happy to help you. Read on to find out more.

“Being able to say ‘This is a great place to work’ is invaluable for both existing employees and attracting the best new talent”

The UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For (formerly The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For)

For many years now this has been the best recognised scheme, especially because of the association with The Sunday Times. However, please note a few years ago Best Companies parted ways with the publication and the award is now simply known as The UK’s Best Companies to Work For.

This move has also come with a few other changes, the key ones being:

• Companies can now survey their employees through their online platform throughout the year, rather than just the once.
• There are now four chances to be in the 100 best companies to work for across the year. These lists are split into quarters (see dates below). The winners are announced at the end of each quarter with the final list being announced in November.
• The minimum number of employees needed to enter the awards has decreased from 50 to just 25.
• The four main lists each quarter are based on company size:
  • Best small companies: 25 to 75 employees.
  • Best mid-sized companies: 75 to 199 employees.
  • Best large companies: 200 to 1,999 employees.
  • Best big companies: over 2,000 employees.

As with previous years, the process involves a thorough survey and a huge written entry. This written entry can be completed and updated across the entire year. 

Previously known as The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For List, since 2022 it has no longer been associated with the publication and is now called The UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, and includes a move to quarterly lists amongst other significant changes. 

Typical entry fees: If you haven’t already registered for The UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For then it is important that you understand the costs involved. The entry fee varies depending on the number of employees and the package chosen (Start, Discover & Advance). Prices start from £1,190 (+VAT, for companies with 50-249 employees), which gradually increases for companies with larger headcounts (e.g. 500 employees = £1,520 (+VAT)). In-depth Workplace Engagement data is available at an additional cost.

Link: https://www.b.co.uk/

Process: Whole workforce survey, and huge written entry.

Entry deadline: 16th February 2024

Eligible region: UK

Typical entry fees: These awards are free to enter. However, please be aware that following assessment and once the Top 50 list has been identified, there will be a promotion fee of £1250 + VAT in order to be included in the list.

Link: https://www.bitc.org.uk/the-times-top-50-employers-for-gender-equality/

Process: There is no survey here – all the marks are for a “self-nomination” written entry. 

Other awards for top employers – not league tables

If you want to shout about what a great employer you are but don’t want to enter a league table award then there are plenty other options out there. Here are some recommendations:

The Inspiring Workplace Awards

For the first five years these were known as The Employee Engagement Awards. However, they have since gone through a rebrand with a shift in focus. These global awards provide a platform for great places to work and the roles within them to gain recognition.

Entry deadline: Final deadline 21st February 2024 (all regions).

Eligible regions: Europe, UK & Ireland, North America, Australasia, Asia, Middle East Africa, Latin America.  

Typical entry fees: £300/$350/AUD$300 for early bird. £350/$400/AUD$350 for standard deadline.

Links: Europe https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/europe/ UK & Ireland https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/uk-ireland/  North America https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/northamerica/ Australasia https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/australasia/ Asia https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/asia/ Middle East Africa https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/mid-east-africa/ Latin America https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/latin-america/ 

Process: Written entry.

The UK Employee Experience Awards

This scheme is now well-established and increasingly popular. Boost employees have often acted as judges on these awards and can testify to the robustness of the second stage of judging – the face-to-face element, which this year will be held live online, before the live in-person awards ceremony held in London a week later. 

Entry deadline: 16th February 2024

Eligible region: UK

Typical entry fees: Super Early Bird £399 +VAT per entry, Early bird £499.00 + VAT per entry, Standard £649 + VAT with discounts for additional categories.

Link: https://e-x-a.co.uk/

Process: Written entry, and finalists present to a panel of judges online (4th May 2023) before the in-person awards ceremony is held in London (11th May 2023).

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers

These are increasingly popular awards. The entry form isn’t very onerous, there are loads of categories to choose from, and all finalists get at least a bronze award. 

Entry deadline: 24th May 2023 entry deadline or 27th June 2023 with a late fee. 

Eligible region: International

Typical costs: Between $255 and $490 per entry depending on the category

Link: https://stevies-sage.secure-platform.com/a 

Process: Written entry for all categories, voting also for employer categories.

Glassdoor – Best Places to Work

Employees have spoken! Glassdoor is one of the world’s biggest jobs and recruiting sites with 50 million users a month in countries around the world. They have an extensive company review section where all the reviews are left by employees themselves. The Best Places to Work is a ranking of the top 50 companies based on employee reviews in that particular country.   

Entry deadline: Ongoing 

Eligible region: Multiple country editions around the world

Typical entry fees: N/A

Link: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Award/Best-Places-to-Work-UK-LST_KQ0,22.htm

Process: Employee reviews

What now?

Do any of these make you think “that’s us”? If so, then I recommend you let us help create your written submission and/or evidence your stories. We’ve been helping businesses enter awards since 2006 and are more experienced than any other agency in the world when it comes to awards.

I have personally helped companies enter and achieve top rankings in all the listed league tables as well as having many winners in the other listed award schemes. I would be happy to give you a call to help you double check your chances of success and explain our pricing options. You can contact me via our contact form.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Becki.

Which top employer award or best places to work award should you enter? 

The most popular reason why organisations enter awards is to attract and retain customers. The second most popular reason is to help them attract and retain talent. In fact, it is extremely rare that any awards planning session by Boost doesn’t include both as priorities.

There is no doubt that winning any industry award that impresses customers will also impress current and potential employees. However, is this enough? Most businesses believe it is and don’t enter separate awards to impress current and potential employees. However, if you really want to stand out to potential recruits and attract the best talent then you want awards which explicitly say “this is a great place to work”, or “we are a top employer, better than the other organisations you might consider working for.”

With a wealth of employer-related awards out there it’s hard to know which is the right award to enter. This article aims to take the hassle out of this decision, helping you to pick the best award for your company and most importantly detailing how you can win it. 

Firstly, let’s look at the main league table awards:

The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, Powered by WorkL

These well-established awards were relaunched a few years ago now with new partnerships, the employee engagement platform WorkL, a new look and a reinvigorated interest in finding and celebrating true champions of workplace engagement. The winners list is selected solely from the results of an employee survey. With 35 questions on topics ranging from reward and recognition to empowerment and wellbeing.

The Sunday Times Best Places to Work powered by WorkL are now open for organisations in the UK until 31st March 2025 and Ireland until 11th May 2025 with the respective results announced exclusively in The Sunday Times and The Sunday Times Ireland in late May and early June. All organisations that qualify will be listed on the website for 12 months following the announcement.

The awards will recognise and celebrate organisations with the highest employee engagement and wellbeing levels which will in turn help winners of the awards attract, retain and recruit employees.

Entry is exclusively through the WorkL for Business platform, with organisations asked to set up and send out a survey to their employees. The survey includes questions specially designed by employee experience experts across a range of engagement drivers including: Empowerment, Reward & Recognition, Job Satisfaction, Information Sharing, Wellbeing and Instilling Pride. Every organisation which enters will also receive a complimentary 12 months digital subscription to the Times and the Sunday Times.

There are 11 categories in total including a list of all organisations that have qualified. Four of these are based on the number of employees in your organisation: Small, Medium, Big and Very Big. The other categories are Best Places to Work for Women, Disabled Employees, Ethnic Minority Employees, LGBTQA+ Employees, 16-34 year olds, 55+ year olds and Best Places to Work for Employee Wellbeing.

Entrants will also receive all-important insights into how employees feel about the organisation – including critical business information such as ‘flight risk’ and NPS. This information can be accessed via a dynamic dashboard which allows you to see all the survey results. Organisations will receive an overall score, scores for the six engagement drivers plus the option to select additional packages and support, such as a granular data analysis that includes action plans and resources to drive change in your organisation.

Key information

Deadline: 31st March 2025 (UK) 11th May 2025 (Ireland) 18th October 2025 (South Africa)

Eligible regions: UK, Ireland and South Africa

Fees: 

UK

Small Organisations (10-49 employees): £900 +VAT

Medium Organisations (50-249 employees): £1,800 +VAT

Big Organisations (250-1,999 employees): £3,600 +VAT

Very Big Organisations (2,000+ employees): £5,400 +VAT

Ireland

Small Organisations (10-49 employees): from €900

Medium Organisations (50-249 employees): from €1,750

Big Organisations (250-1,999 employees): from €3,500

Very Big Organisations (2,000+ employees): from €5,250

The additional data package starts at £1,000 + VAT for the UK and €1,200 for Ireland (subject to your organisation size). The Sunday Times Logo licence starts at £3,000 + VAT determined by the size of your business. Neither of these options are mandatory, and you will still be included in the official list and the Sunday Times publication regardless.

Link: The Sunday Times Awards or read our dedicated guide to these awards https://awards-list.co.uk/the-sunday-times-best-places-to-work-powered-by-workl/

Process: Online survey consisting of 26 questions that takes no more than ten minutes for you to set up and five minutes for your employees to complete. There is a requirement for additional information regarding your organisation and the benefits that you provide for your employees but that does not determine your position in the awards.

As the results are based on the employee survey only we are unable to help you to enter these awards. But there are lots of other options which take written entries into consideration where we would be happy to help you. Read on to find out more.

“Being able to say ‘This is a great place to work’ is invaluable for both existing employees and attracting the best new talent”.”

The UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For (formerly The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For)

For many years now this has been the best recognised scheme, especially because of the association with The Sunday Times. However, please note that a few years ago Best Companies parted ways with the publication and the award is now simply known as The UK’s Best Companies to Work For.

This move has also come with a few other changes, the key ones being:

• Companies can now survey their employees through their online platform throughout the year, rather than just the once.
• There are now four chances to be in the 100 best companies to work for across the year. These lists are split into quarters (see dates below). The winners are announced at the end of each quarter with the final list being announced in November.
• The minimum number of employees needed to enter the awards has decreased from 50 to just 25.
• The four main lists each quarter are based on company size:
  • Best small companies: 25 to 75 employees.
  • Best mid-sized companies: 75 to 199 employees.
  • Best large companies: 200 to 1,999 employees.
  • Best big companies: over 2,000 employees.

As with previous years, the process involves a thorough survey and a huge written entry. This written entry can be completed and updated across the entire year. 

The survey is organised and set up by the organisers and the scores you get here will determine if and where you are placed in the 100 best companies list. The written entry makes no difference to your ranking. However, it is crucial in winning one of five special awards:

1. Innovation in Engagement Practice.
2. Giving Something Back.
3. Learning & Development.
4. Wellbeing.
5. Discovering Potential.

This is the part of the process where we can really add value by helping to draft an engaging and compelling written entry.

Key information

Deadlines

The entry periods for each quarter are as follows:

• 1st January to 31st March 2024.
• 1st April to 30th June 2024.
• 1st July to 30th September 2024.
• 1st October to 31st December 2024.

 Eligible region: UK

Typical entry fees: If you haven’t already registered for The UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For then it is important that you understand the costs involved. The entry fee varies depending on the number of employees and the package chosen (Start, Discover & Advance). Prices start from £1,190 (+VAT, for companies with 50-249 employees), which gradually increases for companies with larger headcounts (e.g. 500 employees = £1,520 (+VAT)). In-depth Workplace Engagement data is available at an additional cost.

Link: https://www.b.co.uk/

Process: Whole workforce survey, and huge written entry.

Previously known as The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For List, since 2022 it has no longer been associated with the publication and is now called The UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, and includes a move to quarterly lists amongst other significant changes.

The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality (BITC)

For many years known as The Times Top 50 Employers for Women, these awards are run by Business in the Community (BITC), a not-for-profit organisation founded by King Charles, a fact which adds to the credibility of this popular scheme. There is no survey for this list but there is a comprehensive entry form that needs to be completed (this is where we can help). The form consists of three parts:

1)  Organisational Data (a series of questions gathering gender metrics).

2) Question set (the 3,500-word main written entry).

3) Mandatory case study (1,000 words). This year the focus of the case study should be on gender equality and / or you responded to the increased challenges facing women in the context of COVID-19.

Entry deadline: 16th February 2024

Eligible region: UK

Typical entry fees: These awards are free to enter. However, please be aware that following assessment and once the Top 50 list has been identified, there will be a promotion fee of £1250 + VAT in order to be included in the list.

Link: https://www.bitc.org.uk/the-times-top-50-employers-for-gender-equality/

Process: There is no survey here – all the marks are for a “self-nomination” written entry. 

Other awards for top employers – not league tables

If you want to shout about what a great employer you are but don’t want to enter a league table award then there are plenty other options out there. Here are some recommendations:

The Inspiring Workplace Awards

For the first five years these were known as The Employee Engagement Awards. However, they have since gone through a rebrand with a shift in focus. These global awards provide a platform for great places to work and the roles within them to gain recognition.

Entry deadline: Final deadline 21st February 2024 (all regions). 

Eligible regions: Europe, UK & Ireland, North America, Australasia, Asia, Middle East Africa, Latin America editions.  

Typical entry fees: £300/$350/AUD$300 for early bird. £350/$400/AUD$350 for standard deadline.

Links: Europe https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/europe/ UK & Ireland https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/uk-ireland/ North America https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/northamerica/ Australasia https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/australasia/ Asia https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/asia/ Middle East Africa https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/mid-east-africa/ Latin America https://www.inspiring-workplaces.com/awards/latin-america/

Process: Written entry.

The UK Employee Experience Awards

This scheme is now well-established and increasingly popular. Boost employees have often acted as judges on these awards and can testify to the robustness of the second stage of judging – the face-to-face element, which this year will be held live online, before the live in-person awards ceremony held in London a week later. 

Entry deadline: 16th February 2024

Eligible region: UK

Typical entry fees: Super Early Bird £399 +VAT per entry, Early bird £499.00 + VAT per entry, Standard £649 + VAT with discounts for additional categories.

Link: https://e-x-a.co.uk/

Process: Written entry, and finalists present to a panel of judges online (4th May 2023) before the in-person awards ceremony is held in London (11th May 2023).

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers

These are increasingly popular awards. The entry form isn’t very onerous, there are loads of categories to choose from, and all finalists get at least a bronze award. 

Entry deadline: 24th May 2023 entry deadline or 27th June 2023 with a late fee. 

Eligible region: International

Typical costs: Between $255 and $490 per entry depending on the category

Link: https://stevies-sage.secure-platform.com/a 

Process: Written entry for all categories, voting also for employer categories.

Best Places to Work Awards

These US-based awards run by the Business Intelligence Group are open to international entry. The scheme uses the very true tagline ‘Life’s a lot better when you like where you work ‘ and recognises employers who help their employees accelerate their careers, knowledge and performance. This year sees the introduction of a concise employee survey based on the principles of Net Promoter Scores (NPS) aimed at measuring satisfaction and engagement.  

Entry deadline: 15th December 2023

Eligible region: International

Typical costs: $849

Link: https://www.bintelligence.com/best-places-to-work/

Process: Employee survey with brief company profile. 

Glassdoor – Best Places to Work

Employees have spoken! Glassdoor is one of the world’s biggest jobs and recruiting sites with 50 million users a month in countries around the world. They have an extensive company review section where all the reviews are left by employees themselves. The Best Places to Work is a ranking of the top 50 companies based on employee reviews in that particular country.   

Entry deadline: Ongoing 

Eligible region: Multiple country editions around the world

Typical entry fees: N/A

Link: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Award/Best-Places-to-Work-UK-LST_KQ0,22.htm

Process: Employee reviews

What now?

Do any of these make you think “that’s us”? If so, then I recommend you let us help create your written submission and/or evidence your stories. We’ve been helping businesses enter awards since 2006 and are more experienced than any other agency in the world when it comes to awards.

I have personally helped companies enter and achieve top rankings in all the listed league tables as well as having many winners in the other listed award schemes. I would be happy to give you a call to help you double check your chances of success and explain our pricing options. You can contact me via our contact form.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Becki.

Boost Evaluation – get help evidencing your award entries 

Saying you are a great place to work and proving it are very different things indeed. Whilst a couple of the awards listed involve employee surveys, the majority don’t, yet this data is vital to ensure your entry stands out. Luckily we can help here too. Through our award-winning sister company Boost Evaluation we can offer a range of services, including employee engagement surveys, research etc. to help evidence your award entries. To find out more about these and our other evaluation services please visit the Boost Evaluation website.