This article is part of in the January issue (No. 169) of Human Resources, within the Employer Branding Conference 2025, promoted by Talent Portugal.
Marisa Santana-Martins – Regional Account Manager, Country Representative in Portugal
With 33 years of existence, Top Employers Institute has already certified more than 2.400 organizations em 125 countries, positively impacting more than 12 million employees.
In addition to initiatives that benefit employees, the Top certification assessment Employers also considers how human resources departments are structured to add strategic value to the organization. In this sense, the program's criteria cover several areas, from definition and communication of organizational strategy, to the structuring transformation and digitalization processes. They also include the candidate and employee experience throughout your journey, as well as aspects related to a strong and responsible culture. It is a certification that, according to Marisa Santana-Martins, Regional Account Manager – Country Representative at Top Employers Institute in Portugal, “strengthens the HR team with data that accelerates their decision-making and impact within the organization.”
An organization's reputation is therefore directly related to its coherence between the internal reality and external perception of this reputation. According to the same person in charge, the Top EmployerThe Institute argues that “it is not enough to appear that way, it is essential to ensure that the reality experienced by employees matches what the employer brand conveys”.
Room for improvement
There are no perfect organizations, and even when certified, there is always room and obligation for a continuous improvement process. In this context, the Top Employers welcomes participants committed to a strong reputation and local, regional and global competitiveness. These organizations often include multiple countries in the program to ensure alignment in people management, promoting internal uniformity e consolidating the reputation of an employer brand of excellence.
The Top Employers makes available, then, analysis and benchmarking tools who support the development of strategic projects and achievement of organizational objectives. Marisa Santana-Martins reinforces that the program is «more than a seal of recognition and differentiation For employers of excellence; is a catalyst for internal development, promoting greater conformity between the expectations created by the brand and the reality of working in a certified company».
Certification steps
O certification process from the Top EmployerThe Institute is structured in four stages. The first consists of an initial meeting to align expectations, clarify the phases of the process and define objectives. In the second stage, representatives of the HR department respond to the HR Best Practices Survey, a detailed checklist with 255 policies and practices, from the most common to the most sophisticated, covering all areas of people management. According to the Regional Account Manager, “this questionnaire is updated annually by a specialized team, dedicated to identifying global best practices (HR Best Practices) and upcoming trends in the sector (HR Next Practices)”, ensuring the relevance of the process.
In turn, the third stage, which includes auditing and validation, verifies the veracity of the responses provided by the participating organizations. At this stage, concrete evidence of the declared policies and practices is required, ensuring the integrity of the process. As the same professional emphasizes, some processes are randomly chosen in different countries to be evaluated by an external and independent audit, reinforcing the transparency and fairness of the certification».
Finally, the fourth and final stage culminates in the presentation of the results to the participating organization. Only companies that achieve at least 60% of the total score in the HR Best Practices Survey achieve certification.
Attraction and retention
«The Top certification Employers is a guarantee that the organization is aligned with the best global standards in people management", says Marisa Santana-Martins. According to her, this certification offers organizations a differentiation that increases their ability to attract talent, influencing the decision of employees looking for a new professional direction. "Whether for young talent or for senior talent, investing in an organization certified as Top Employer it is a guarantee of better working conditions, better policies and practices, and that it is an organization with a certain degree of competitiveness and sustainability”, he adds.
In a highly competitive job market, talent retention is directly related to the innovation and competitiveness capacity of organizations. Being a strategic and priority point, HR Best Practices Survey It covers topics on the “candidate and employee experience”, “development and engagement policies and practices”, as well as policies and practices that shape organizational culture, such as “leadership”, “diversity and inclusion measures”, “physical and mental health programs”, “sustainability”, and “values and purpose”, areas essential to talent retention. “In this way, participating organizations are guaranteed to identify and develop the best global policies and practices, increasing competitiveness in talent retention, regardless of the sector or country in which they operate”, he concludes.
The Top Community Employers has grown consistently, bringing together organizations committed to continuous improvement in people management and the strategic impact of this area within organizations. Sharing a common purpose – transform the world of work through innovative practices and effective solutions – the group values the sharing of good practices as a fundamental pillar. To this end, it regularly promotes global webinars, which connect participants from different geographies, inspiring them with real examples of success. Members also have access to an internal library with more than 100 good practices, shared by participating organizations, which highlight creative solutions in people management. “This spirit of sharing and generosity not only strengthens the community, but also promotes collective excellence, helping organizations to face challenges effectively, while contributing to a positive impact on the global work landscape”, concludes Marisa Santana-Martins.
