Jen Wetherow
Looking at the overall list, we see great diversity in terms of sector, industry, size and location. Each organization has pioneered a unique path to greatness. But there is one thing they all have in common –TRUST.
Employees who trust their managers give their best work freely, and their extra effort goes right to the company's bottom line. Managers who trust their employees allow innovative ideas to bubble up from all levels of the company. Employees who trust each other report a sense of camaraderie and even the feeling of being part of a family. Together they deliver far more than the sum of their individual efforts.
Building workplace trust is the best investment your organization can make, leading to better recruitment, lower turnover, greater innovation, higher productivity, more loyal customers and higher profits. The graph (below) highlights the corollary relationship between trust and financial performance in publicly traded companies.
This understanding of great workplaces is based on 30 years of research compiled by Great Place to Work Institute, which, in addition to producing both this and the Fortune list of 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, also publishes similar lists in 45 countries on six continents.
This study represents over 10 million employees' voices, forming the largest and most respected employee survey worldwide.
The primary determinant in selecting winners for this global competition is a survey tool called the Trust Index; it comprises two-thirds of each organization's final score. This survey includes 58 multiple choice and 2 open-ended questions that provide an accurate employee perspective of the workplace.
Each question measures one of the five dimensions of the Institute's Trust Index: credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie. See graph (below). The remaining one-third of each organization's score is taken from an assessment of their people practices and policies. This is done using a detailed questionnaire that helps to provide a more complete picture of the company by capturing the core values and philosophies that underpin its people practices.
The 2016 Best Workplaces in Canada employ over 300,000 employees in total; the Trust Index survey was sent out to over 60,000 of these employees. While there is no one right way to create a great workplace, research from Great Place to Work confirms that trust is the foundation for quality jobs and performance excellence.
This content was produced by Randall Anthony Communications, in partnership with The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in it's creation.