Newsec is the first in Lithuania to obtain ‘Great Place to Work’ recognition
Newsec has become the first company in Lithuania to receive ‘Great Place to Work’ certification. Companies from a variety of industries use the methodology and tools that this international certification provides in order to assess and improve their work culture.
According to Eglė Povilėnienė, Head of Operations and HR at Newsec in the Baltics, this recognition did not come by chance. The company has been conducting employee surveys based on the ‘Great Place to Work’ methodology since 2009 – the results of the surveys help improve a company’s culture together with employees, boosting engagement and improving internal communication. Confident that a professional external assessment would help further advance on the road to a better organisational culture, this year the company decided to seek ‘Great Place to Work’ certification.
“We are delighted to be the first in Lithuania to receive such important recognition. The job satisfaction of the members of our team is particularly important to us because people are Newsec’s main asset. We believe that happy employees mean happy customers, so we always put our colleagues and their well-being at work first. Today we can see that the work culture we foster is paying off – we are proud of our employees, thanks to whom we were able to receive such a significant award this year,” Ms Povilėnienė stresses.
The Great Place to Work Institute performs its assessments in more than 45 countries of the world on six continents. Newsec is the first company in Lithuania to be assessed according to the institute’s methodology, which is based on a survey of employees and analysis of the employer.
In seeking certification, the company first had to provide details of its HR management practices, showing how they contribute to achieving the company’s goals. Then a survey of employees was conducted based on the Trust Index standard, which measures employees’ engagement with the organisation’s culture. The criteria is met if 7 out of 10 people positively rate the organisation for trustworthiness, microclimate, respect for employees, equal opportunities and work-life balance.
A company applying for certification must also demonstrate continual improvement by making a commitment of at least 3 years to creating a culture of trust, listening and responding to employee feedback, and embedding practices that ensure the emotional well-being of all employees at work.
Eglė Povilėnienė says certification offers an organisation added benefits and tasks: “Transparent discussion of the results with our colleagues lets everyone see what we’re proud of, but at the same time we encourage discussion of what we want to improve – in the organisation, in management, or in our own behaviour.”
Having a culture of continuous improvement in a company helps attract ambitious new talent and gives existing employees the chance to grow every day by sharing best practices and ideas. In an organisation like that, people take pride in their personal achievements as well as those of their colleagues and partners.
‘Great Place to Work’ surveys provide an objective assessment of the current state of a company’s culture, helping set goals and prepare plans for change.
Some of the companies rated among the best employers in Europe every year include Mars, the airline SAS, the hotel chain Hilton, the technology company Cisco and the express parcel delivery service DHL.