Independent workplace research
Most Loved Workplace® Certification
Turn employee evidence into a credential your company can stand behind.
Best Practice Institute evaluates workplace evidence through its Love of Workplace Index® and SPARK model. Companies that meet the standard are eligible for certification. Purchasing and activating a certification package completes the official credential and, once certification is confirmed, provides the licensed right to use the Certified Company badge.
01 / The distinction
What eligibility means
Meeting the applicable criteria means a company is eligible for certification—not that certification has been announced.
The free preliminary scan is an initial signal, not the final decision about whether a company meets the certification criteria. Even an indication of eligibility is not an announcement of certification: Best Practice Institute must complete its employee-evidence evaluation and confirm the decision. Eligibility grants no permission to display or use a certification badge; badge use requires earned recognition and an applicable active paid license.
02 / Research to decision
The work behind certification
Certification calls for substantial work by Best Practice Institute’s human research and service teams: reviewing employee evidence and what the company does in response to the findings, not just its description of its culture.
Review employee evidence
Best Practice Institute’s human research and service teams undertake a substantive review and validation of employee evidence submitted for evaluation. A free public-signals check is not a substitute for this work.
Interpret the findings
The human research and service teams interpret the evidence through the Love of Workplace Index® and the five SPARK areas. They also review what the company does in response to employee findings, not just how it describes those findings.
Make a certification decision
Certification depends on meeting the applicable standard. Eligibility from a preliminary check is not a certification decision.
Activate the credential
After certification is confirmed, purchasing and activating the appropriate package completes the official credential and provides the applicable licensed badge rights.
The free preliminary CertCheck check reviews public signals only. It does not include private employee-survey results, internal survey data or a SPARK score.
03 / After the decision
What an activated package provides
The starting point is a credible, independently evaluated culture story your company can substantiate to employees and candidates.
A foundation for your employer story
An earned and activated credential helps you explain the workplace evidence behind your recognition. Package benefits build on that foundation; purchasing a package alone does not guarantee certification or an award.
Depending on the package, benefits may include deeper measurement, competitive comparisons and improvement tracking where included; employee stories and activation content; employer-brand tools and support; and applicable verifiable profile destinations.
Certified companies receive CertCheck verification and Best Practice Institute company profiles after activation. A Most Loved Workplace® employer profile depends on earned recognition and applicable criteria. Badge licensing applies only when recognition is earned and the appropriate license is active.
Compare package benefits04 / Verification
How to verify certification
A company’s self-description is not an official credential. An official certification requires meeting the applicable standard and activating the appropriate package. Permission to use a badge is conditional on earned recognition and a valid paid license.
Check the active credential at its verification profile. You can also consult Best Practice Institute’s official certified-company directory for certification information.
Visit the official certified-company directory(opens in a new tab)05 / Ongoing evidence
Certification and Top 100 consideration
Certification and Top 100 recognition are separate decisions. Consideration for a Top 100 list does not mean a company is certified or that it will appear on the list. Neither outcome is guaranteed.
Public accountability is part of the ranking criteria
Public display of the official Most Loved Workplace® credential, including use of the licensed certification badge, accounts for 30% of the Top 100 ranking criteria. This is about publicly standing behind the credential and demonstrating accountability to employees—not paying for ranking points.
That evidence reflects how a company understands and acts on employee experiences across the five SPARK areas of the Love of Workplace Index®. It may include an earned, licensed badge on a career page alongside information about changes made in response to employee findings, employee stories about those changes, and other public-facing activity showing that response. A badge alone does not earn the entire 30%. The credential must first be earned, and badge use requires an active paid license. Buying a package does not buy ranking points or guarantee certification or Top 100 placement.
Read the Top 100 ranking methodologyYour next step