Best Workplaces Competition is an initiative which aims at motivating companies to focus on human resources issues, to reward those that have practically proved their respect and their interest to the individual, and, finally, to encourage the rest of the companies to adopt better Human Resources Management practices.

The competition is organized by the Great Place to Work Institute Hellas and it is the same competition that is conducted annually all over the world.

In Greece the competition was introduced by ALBA in 2003. From 2005 onwards the survey is organized by the Great Place to Work Institute Hellas with ALBA undertaking the role of the scientific coordinator and evaluator. In 2003 & 2004 the list with the Best Workplaces in Greece included 10 companies while from 2005 onwards the list is compiled from 20 companies (10 companies 50 to 250 employees and 10 companies with more than 250 employees). In 2011, another top 5 list was introduced in the Greek Business Community, the top 5 small companies (20-49 employees).

Each year more than 50 Greek companies participate in the survey representing the entire spectrum of Greek economy's sectors. The list is annually announced in Greek media. Each year's 25 best companies receive their prizes in a highly prestigious ceremony honored by the Minister of Employment and Social Security, the Minister of Development, the President of the Federation of Greek Industries, the President of the General Confederation of Greek Workers, the President of the Hellenic Management Association, etc.

The recognition of the best Greek companies is not limited at the national level only. The winning companies of the Greek competition automatically participate in the European competition in order to form the list of the 100 Best European Workplaces. A lot of Greek companies have been awarded in Europe and two Greek companies (Piscines Ideales and Colgate) were No. 1 in Europe (2005 and 2009).

All Greek companies can participate in the competition, regardless their legal status - private or public- with the only condition being that they should employ more than 20 persons. Each participating company is evaluated by its Cultural Audit (1/3 of the total company's score) and the Trust Index (2/3 of the total score): The Cultural Audit, answered by the HR manager, is a questionnaire that provides information for the human resources management strategies and policies. Moreover, supplementary material (e.g. video, employee handbooks, company newsletters, etc.) is welcomed in order to enhance understanding of the company's workplace, culture and practices. The Trust Index is a brief employees’ survey in which employees from the participating companies respond regarding their workplace experience. In companies with less than 250 employees, all of them receive an anonymous questionnaire, while in companies with more than 250 employees a random sample is selected.

All participating companies receive a confidential summary showing how its employees responded to the questions on the employee survey (Trust Index). What is more, all the participating companies receive a customized benchmark report and compare their results with other participants in Greece and Europe.

For more information please visit the Great Place to Work Hellas web site: http://www.greatplacetowork.gr or Mr. Aristotelis Alexopoulos at [email protected]