An independent study tested all five against whether employees intend to stay long-term, using two years of Trust Index™ survey data. Of everything the five themes reveal about retention, employee pride accounted for 25.8% — far more than any other.
The instrument behind every figure on this page. Employees respond to 60 statements about their day-to-day experience at work, and the Trust Index™ score is the average positive response.
Within pride, one statement,
“I’m proud to tell others I work here”
best measures what your people say about you when you are not in the room. At Best Workplaces, 92.5% agree. At typical New Zealand workplaces, only 60.0% of employees would say the same.
Among employees who strongly disagreed,
Beyond a workplace people are happy to be part of, pride also shows up where it counts for retention. 83.6% of employees at Best Workplaces say they want to work there for a long time, against 56.3% at typical workplaces. 86.4% would strongly endorse their employer to friends and family, against 54.1%.
The data also shows that Pride matters when it comes to what people think their work adds up to. 89.5% of employees at New Zealand’s Best Workplaces feel a sense of pride in what they accomplish, 87.8% feel they make a difference. Importantly, 81.8% say their work has special meaning.
So many New Zealand workplaces prove that even in a tight economic climate, culture doesn’t have to be the first thing cut. This year’s list spans sectors and sizes, showing that investing in people isn’t some kind of luxury, it’s how Kiwi employers are staying competitive.”
The Best Workplaces cohort has built extraordinary trust, but employees are clear-eyed about the financial deal. Fair pay is the lowest-scoring area of the Trust Index: 71.2% agree they are paid fairly for the work they do, while 62.9% feel they receive a fair share of the organisation’s profits.
Agree they are paid fairly for the work they do.
Feel they receieve a fair share of their organisation’s profits.
Employees can admire an organisation’s purpose and still judge its culture through one person: their manager. At Best Workplaces, leadership scores are strong. More than nine in 10 employees say management is honest and ethical in its business practices, and a similar proportion say management is competent at running the business. However, the numbers start to slide when it comes to favouritism, mixed standards, unresolved concerns and poor accountability.
Across the 60 statements in the Trust Index™ survey, these scored highest and lowest for New Zealand’s Best Workplaces™ in 2026.
Across all 60 statements in the survey, this is the average of all the responses.
Two datasets sit behind this report: the survey that decided this year’s list, a separate study of what predicts retention, and our trust index to typical organisations.
Dataset | What it is | Scale |
|---|---|---|
2026 Trust Index™ Survey | The employee research that determined this year’s Best Workplaces™ list. | 12,256 employees surveyed across New Zealand |
Independent Retention Survey | Separate research commissioned with an independent research partner, testing which Trust Index™ themes best predict long-term retention. | 140,251 employee responses from 682 organisations, 2025–2026 |
What exactly did this report measure?
Over the past 12 months, Great Place To Work® surveyed 12,256 employees across New Zealand using the Trust Index™ Survey. Employees responded anonymously to 60 statements measuring five dimensions of workplace culture: camaraderie, credibility, fairness, pride and respect. The Trust Index™ score represents the average positive response across all 60 statements. These results determined the 2026 Best Workplaces™ in New Zealand list.
What does “pride” mean in this report?
Pride measures whether employees feel proud of their organisation, their contribution and the work they do. It includes statements such as “I’m proud to tell others I work here”, “I feel pride in what I accomplish here” and “My work has special meaning”. An independent retention study found that pride accounted for 25.8% of the factors influencing employees’ intention to stay, more than any other Trust Index™ dimension.
Where did the retention findings come from?
The New Zealand workplace findings and retention analysis come from separate datasets. The New Zealand results are based on responses from 12,256 employees surveyed for the 2026 Best Workplaces™ list. The retention findings come from independent research analysing 140,251 employee responses across 682 organisations during 2025 and 2026.
How can Certification and Best Workplaces™ recognition help New Zealand employers?
Great Place To Work Certification™ gives employers independent, employee-verified evidence of their workplace culture. Unlike employer claims or judged awards, it is based on confidential employee feedback. This can strengthen employer branding, build candidate trust and make an organisation eligible for Best Workplaces™ recognition when the relevant criteria are met.
