A programme that recognises and celebrates Kiwi businesses delivering “extraordinary employee experiences” is on the hunt for the country’s best workplace.

Julie Gill, Co-Founder and CEO of the Best Places to Work programme, is promoting that New Zealand is the best place to work in the world and is now on the hunt for the specific place in the country that delivers the best employee experience.

“Employee engagement is the foundation of business success. Businesses with better-motivated employees can more effectively engage with their customers and will be more productive and profitable,” says Gill.

“Being part of the Best Places to Work programme, where employee experience success is recognised, can also help you attract and retain the best talent, making it a powerful recruitment tool.”

Through Best Places to Work, Gill is hoping to create a positive working environment built on a culture of excellence, celebrating success and inspiring change.

In order to find the best place to work in the country, an employee-led survey will first take place, giving the programme an in-depth analysis of the quality of their employee experience.

“Not only does the survey help organisations measure their employee engagement, but it also allows them to benchmark themselves against their peers, highlighting areas where they could further improve their employee satisfaction,” explains Gill.

Read more: Meet the people behind the employee experience movement

The benchmark survey was designed alongside Supporting Partner Humankind, the largest HR and EX design agency in the country.

With the survey results, workplaces can understand which engagement efforts create an excellent environment and what can be improved on to maximise talent and capability.

Results of the survey can also be a catalyst for future job candidates to apply for the company.

As part of the programme, a masterclass series is also included, bringing together industry leaders, experts and more, to share their anecdotes on the success of excellent employee experience.

Following the survey and masterclasses, an awards ceremony will take place covering categories such as wellness, diversity and inclusion, innovation, tools and tech and work/life balance.

“Our goal is to see New Zealand recognised as the world’s greatest workplace. We want to help ensure New Zealand is truly a home for world-class talent, to help fulfil the potential of our organisations and the people who work within them.”