Work is an integral part of life, so it’s always a good idea to think about how your company is doing in comparison to other employers. Are you in a thriving workplace with a people-oriented organisational culture? The Great Place to Work ranking will help you navigate the Belgian employment market.

Statistically, Belgian employees spend an average of 1,541 hours at work per year, so it’s vital to make sure you spend this time in a positive environment. Collaborating with colleagues and the satisfaction you receive from tasks can determine how you feel about your job. Happiness at work can, in turn, be a good predictor of how long you are going to stay.

Company culture is another aspect that is crucial to employee satisfaction. A good workplace is an organisation with a positive culture, where people feel proud of their job and know they can trust their management. Working in a company with values that don't match your own or in a company that is downright toxic can be detrimental to your overall quality of life.

The Great Place to Work Institute is an organisation that conducts annual examinations of companies within Belgium, in association with Jobat/Mark Magazine and Vlerick Business School. Together, they examine businesses from two perspectives: The Trust Survey Index and the Culture Audit.

The Trust Survey Index is an employee questionnaire used to evaluate team spirit, staff experience and pride within a business, whilst the Culture Audit is a Human Resources questionnaire used to analyse an organisation’s employer policy.

This approach is considered revolutionary as it gives precedence to employees' evaluation: 66% of the final score is determined by the company’s employees. In 2018, 25000 employees responded to the questionnaire and helped identify the best companies in Belgium.

Here are the companies with less than 500 employees that received the award in 2018:

Companies with more than 500 employees that received the award in 2018:

Since 2017, the Institute has been awarding certificates to companies that achieve a certain minimum level in both questionnaires.

These companies received the Great Place to Work certification in 2018:

As well as the ranking and certificates presented to companies, three special awards are given out each year. This year the awards were presented for exceptional onboarding, inclusion, and sustainable employability.

AE received the award for their onboarding process. At AE, new employees are invited to events and introduced to their team before their first day. They are also given a training package within their first year, including individual follow-up and social initiatives.

The inclusion award was given to EY for implementing programmes that promote diversity among employees, such as EverYone, EY Unity and EveryWoman.

The sustainable employability award went to AbbVie. AbbVie state that their goal is to promote 'a healthy body and mind to enable employees to achieve higher levels of energy and resilience and help effectively balance work and a personal life’. They offer massages, sports, ironing services, promote healthy eating, work ergonomics, and more.

If you are in a workplace like any of these, then consider yourself lucky. You are in a small demographic of firms that can be diverse, offer a healthy work-life balance and give proper guidance to employees. But if you aren’t working in a company like this, it may be time to reconsider your current job. You deserve the best career possible and you can find that by scouting for new jobs that are better suited for you.

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