The Inspiring Workplaces Group, globally recognized for its storytelling-based awards spotlighting PeopleFirst workplace cultures, has launched a new product: Certified PeopleFirst™. This globally accessible culture certification offers organizations a science-backed way to prove their workplace culture through direct employee feedback, complementing their decade-long heritage of celebrating inspiring workplaces.
Certified PeopleFirst™: A New Standard for Culture Validation
Certified PeopleFirst™ measures three core dimensions critical to a thriving workplace:
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Belief: Confidence in leadership and organizational purpose
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Belonging: Feeling included, valued, connected, and safe at work
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Future Confidence: Trust in the organization’s direction, including readiness for change and AI adoption
What Organizations Receive with Certification
Companies meeting the certification criteria gain:
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A Certified PeopleFirst™ badge valid for 12 months
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Key metrics including eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score), Belief, and Belonging scores
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A comprehensive insights report featuring the COMPASS culture map
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Brand-ready recognition tools to showcase their achievement
The survey process is efficient, requiring less than 10 minutes per employee, providing leaders with a clear, actionable map of their cultural strengths and growth areas.
Built on a Decade of Insight and Experience
Drawing on over 10 years of global Inspiring Workplaces Awards data and thousands of case studies, Certified PeopleFirst™ captures what truly inspires employees in today’s world. Founder Matt Manners explains, “When people believe in what they do, belong where they work, and trust in the future, extraordinary things happen. Certified PeopleFirst™ elevates this vision by turning storytelling into measurable reality.”
Complementing Storytelling with Data-Driven Proof
Certified PeopleFirst™ does not replace the Inspiring Workplaces Awards; it completes the picture. While the Awards focus on narrative storytelling of inspiring cultures, Certified PeopleFirst™ provides data-backed validation through employee feedback. Many organizations choose to celebrate their culture with stories and certify it with data creating a powerful combination to build trust, attract talent, and lead the future of work.
Inspiring Workplaces Group’s Certified PeopleFirst™ offers a scalable, science-based approach for organizations to validate and grow their PeopleFirst cultures. This new certification marks a significant step toward transforming workplace culture from inspiring stories into proven, measurable success.
