Our sources for WORLD´S BEST EMPLOYERS
The “WORLD’S BEST EMPLOYER” study relies on numerous primary sources. In addition to employer ratings, surveys and studies, numerous other sources also enable us to assess the attractiveness of employers. Below you will find an overview of the core areas we have defined.
The primary sources in the core areas are reviewed and evaluated according to their recoverability. The results are then rated on the basis of the evaluation matrix we have defined. Thus, the different core areas are evaluated according to their relevance in order to determine a picture of the actual attractiveness of employers.
Definition of employer attractiveness
In the first step, we investigated which criteria are crucial for employees to rate an employer as being attractive. In doing so, we considered a variety of different studies in order to incorporate employee preferences as the benchmark for our meta-study. Enclosed you will find a selection of the relevant sources:
STEPSTONE REPORT ON EMPLOYER ATTRACTIVENESS. Published by StepStone GmbH. by Dr. Anastasia Hermann and Dr. Tobias Zimmermann March 2020. Voice of the workforce in Europe Understanding the expectations of the labour force to keep abreast of demographic and technological change. Dr. Michela Coppola (Germany), Steve Hatfield (United States), Richard Coombes (United Kingdom), Christopher Nuerk (Germany). Generation Z – the workers of tomorrow. Prof. Dr. Sven Laumer, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg. Employer attractiveness 2021 – Generation Z’s expectations in the coronavirus era. Prof. Dr. Erika Regnet. Faculty of Economics, Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. Corporate social responsibility – sustainability makes employers attractive. Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V. Corporate social responsibility – sustainability makes employers attractive.
Determination of the core areas
After defining employer attractiveness, we defined core areas; within these core areas, we then searched for suitable primary sources that would be able to provide the required data. More than 36 primary sources were selected in order to obtain a broadly based data set. This broad data base assists us in ensuring that the award as “WORLD’S BEST EMPLOYER” is highly meaningful and is not based on just one aspect.
Numerous platforms allow employees to rate an employer. We analyze numerous evaluations and take them into account as part of our survey. In this way, we ensure that a sufficiently subjective component is included in our survey. The opinions from the reviews are thus taken into account.
Surveys provide a glimpse into an organization. Although these are not necessarily representative, they do provide an indication of how an employer is viewed by third parties. We use numerous surveys and take them into account to ensure a balanced picture. This is how we assess numerous surveys as part of our study.
The surveys studied included a variety of questions. Key areas include, for example, an employer’s name recognition, perceived attractiveness, and an employer’s offerings and image.
Employers can be recognized for their qualities by external juries. We have evaluated various employer awards and included them in our evaluation matrix. Depending on the award, we evaluate them within the framework of our evaluation matrix. Thus, opinions from qualified juries also have an influence on the selection of “WORLD’S BEST EMPLOYERS”.
There are a variety of employer certifications. As versatile as their awarding methods are, they are given varying ratings in the context of our study. Awards that rely on a representative survey of employees are given special consideration. These show that an employer values dialog with its employees and that feedback is a fundamental part of corporate development.
The topic of sustainability is becoming increasingly important for many applicants. Studies have shown that applicants increasingly value sustainable companies. Employers are therefore well advised to check their own sustainability and to communicate their sustainability accordingly. We use existing sustainability certifications and evaluate them as part of the evaluation phase. When considering sustainability, we rely on certifications that take into account all three areas of sustainability (economic, environmental and social sustainability). If only partial aspects of sustainability are covered by a certification, these partial aspects are taken into account and evaluated accordingly. If, for example, only environmental sustainability is covered, this is evaluated at one third.
An attractive employer is now digitally positioned for employees. As part of a website check, we evaluate the structure of the Internet offer. These factors are taken into account: search engine optimization, responsive web design, logical page architecture, user-friendly navigation and optimization of the career area in terms of the findability of job offers. In addition, the Internet offer must be accessible within an adequate loading time.
Due to the shortage of skilled workers, employees today place different demands on their employers than they did 10 years ago. Employers should therefore consider topics such as “New Work”. The term comes from the social philosopher Frithjof Bergmann. He developed the theory of new work and thus laid the foundation for the term “New Work”. New work is an understanding of work in times of globalization and digitization. Relevant values are freedom, independence and participation. In this area, we use freely available information to evaluate the flexibility of working hours (desired working hours, part-time, flexitime, confidential working hours or, for example, job sharing) and home office offers (if this is possible in an industry or activity) and benefits that an employer offers in addition to salary. In addition, the employer should offer modern, agile structures and employees should have the necessary decision-making powers. Flat hierarchies and quick decisions also characterize an employer.
We evaluate the general design of the website in terms of its target group. In addition to the appropriate target group approach, the responsiveness and the logical structure of the Internet offer is also important. Suitable call-to-action buttons or suitable prompts invite potential applicants to apply. The application process is kept as simple as possible. The career website is also search engine-optimized and optimally findable on the Internet.
We also look at public reporting on employers. What does the media write and has a company been negatively portrayed? In this case, our team makes an evaluation and gives a rating on a scale from 1 to 5.
Employers can also be committed and contribute to organizations. We evaluate memberships in organizations, but also the signing of voluntary commitments with a clear HR reference. In this way, we ensure that employers’ commitment is also recorded in this area.
As part of the assessment by our team of experts, an employer can achieve a maximum of 500 points. The 500 points are distributed across these firmly defined core areas in order to ensure a balance between the individual aspects. We combine, for example, purely subjective assessments from surveys, but also objective awards in the form of existing certifications. Through this methodology, we have more than a purely subjective view of employers and allow for a comprehensive look at employers on their attributes as “WORLD’S BEST EMPLOYER.”The “WORLD’S BEST EMPLOYER” award is given to all companies that have received at least 300 points as part of the study.