For over 30 years, Great Place To Work® has been collecting and analyzing data to measure the workplace culture of organizations. This data allows us to gain exciting insights, perform in-depth analysis and gain new knowledge. As part of this year's award ceremony, we wanted to find out how Switzerland's Best Workplaces™ 2021 stand out from the Swiss average. To do this, we took a closer look at data from over 16,000 people from a total of 45 organizations.
The Best Workplaces™ stand out from the Swiss average
A trust-based workplace culture is not created overnight. It requires constant work and development. A great employer knows how to create an environment in which employees can sustainably develop their potential, which ultimately leads to increased innovative strength and more added value. The basis for this is above all a high level of trust, achieved through practiced values and leadership quality.
Last year in particular, the leadership dimension was a key aspect of Best Workplaces™, as our data analysis shows. In a representative survey of average employers, only 53% of employees agreed with strong leadership quality. Great Place To Work® certified organizations, on the other hand, received 66% approval, Best Workplaces™ even 81%.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, it is quite understandable that Best Workplaces™ have stood out in the past year, above all through the quality of their leadership. This is because accessibility and transparent communication, as well as personal appreciation, provide stability and security in these uncertain times and thus create trust.
For example, the statement "Managers are easy to reach and uncomplicated to talk to" received 84% agreement in the Best Workplaces™. Or in the area of personal appreciation by managers, where 79% agree with the statement "Managers show genuine interest in me as a person and not just as a worker". That is 30% higher than the Swiss average!
The Best Workplaces™ are also more innovative. This is because a trust-based workplace culture, coupled with strong leadership quality, leads to more room for innovation. On average, 81% of employees in Best Workplaces™ feel that they have the freedom to develop and innovate. In Great Place To Work™ certified organizations, this percentage is around 10% less.
The chart below shows that Switzerland's Best Workplaces™ 2021 stand out from the Swiss average in all dimensions. There is also another difference to Great Place To Work® certified organizations, which are already in a very good position in the employee survey.

Investing in workplace culture pays off for organizations and employees alike
As part of our analysis, we ask about employees' general job satisfaction. Interestingly, while this averages 65% in Switzerland, it is around 89% in the Best Workplaces™ 2021. A high level of job satisfaction means that employees enjoy coming to work and are motivated to do so. This results in various advantages from the perspective of the organizations.
For example, let's look at the absence volume of this year's Best Workplaces™. This refers to the time during which a person should normally have been at work but was prevented from doing so due to an accident, illness or other reasons for absence.
While we observe an average absence volume of around 4% for organizations with a Trust Index™ of 70%, this is consistently lower on average for organizations with a higher Trust Index™. For example, with a Trust Index™ of 80%, the absence rate is only 3% on average; if the Trust Index™ rises to 90%, the absence rate falls by a further percentage point to 2%.
We assume that an outstanding workplace culture is linked to lower absenteeism and contributes to a mentally and physically healthy working environment.

The so-called churn rate is another important indicator that points to the relevance of a trust-based workplace culture. The churn rate for the Best Workplaces™ 2021 is on average 3.9% below that of their industry. The benefit of low churn for organizations is, on the one hand, lower recruitment and hiring costs. On the other hand, low staff turnover is also necessary to build trust within the team. Low turnover enables trust between team members to be further developed and consolidated over time.

Bonus material: The way to the top
Based on our data, we can not only show how the Best Workplaces™ are positioned in a Swiss comparison. Using a machine-learning process, we have also succeeded in identifying 3 components that the top 15% Best Workplaces™ Switzerland 2021 all have in common.
Would you like to find out what steps you need to take to get a place "on top of the ranking"? Read more about the role of authenticity, balance and empowerment in this article by our data specialist Cédric Lüthi.
How the coronavirus pandemic has influenced workplace culture
Due to the uncertain situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, last year in particular was a major challenge for many organizations. The obligation to work from home was introduced, processes had to function digitally as quickly as possible and communication took place almost exclusively virtually.
These changes are also reflected in the results of the employee survey: normally, the responses vary only slightly from year to year. However, the extraordinary situation caused by the pandemic is having a major impact on the workplace culture of all organizations, as a comparison of the responses to the Best Workplaces™ employee surveys from 2018-2020 with those from 2021 shows.

On the one hand, social aspects such as celebrating successes together are no longer possible to the same extent. This is particularly challenging for organizations with a strong focus on a sense of togetherness. (- 7%, see chart question 1)
On the other hand, transparency with regard to working methods and communication within the team is reduced. The perception of the willingness to cooperate and commitment of colleagues has decreased slightly in the past year, even among the best employers. (- 4%, see chart questions 2-5)
With the announced easing of restrictions, some normality is slowly returning. At the same time, organizations are now facing new challenges. Michael Hermann, consultant and co-owner of Great Place To Work® Switzerland, summarizes the future challenges as follows: