Key insights
- Insights from the list data shows workplace pride is the number one indicator for retention.
- 92.5% at the Best Workplaces say leaders do what they say, against 49.6% nationally.
- 91.7% of employees at the Best Workplaces want to stay long term
Specsavers, Smokeball, Macquarie Cloud Services and Allegra School Coffs Harbour top the Best Workplaces™ List for Australia 2026. Hundreds of organisations were assessed, just 100 made the globally recognised list.
Great Place To Work® Australia’s Trust Index survey went out to 128,405 employees over 12 months and what came back was the primary decider of who made this year’s list.
| Category | Size | Number one |
|---|---|---|
| Large | 1,000+ | Specsavers |
| Medium | 100 to 999 | Smokeball |
| Small | 30 to 99 | Macquarie Cloud Services |
| Micro | 10 to 29 | Allegra School Coffs Harbour |
From that incredible data set, we’ve also been able to look at what makes an exceptional workplace in 2026.
96.2% of employees at the Best Workplaces said they were proud to tell people where they work. At a typical Australian workplace, 60% say the same.
Pride, ahead of everything else on the survey, was the number one indicator of whether an employee was likely to stay with their company in the long run. Great Place To Work measures culture across five themes: credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie. Pride pays, and the receipts turn up in hiring.
ALSO READ: What Great Place To Work Certification Does For Your Employer Brand
91.7% of employees at the Best Workplaces want to stay long term, against 56.3% at typical Australian workplaces. 93.9% would recommend their employer to friends and family, against 54.1%.
The research
Pride, retention and what the under-25s are asking for, from the survey of 128,405 Australian employees behind this year’s list.
“What sets best workplaces apart from the rest is a genuine focus on the culture of the organisation, coming from the top. Those leaders treat culture as something they build deliberately, they make a concerted effort to create the space they want to see, rather than leaving it to happen on its own just because they’ve hired the right people.”
Rebecca Moulynox · General Manager, Great Place To Work Australia and New Zealand
Across the survey’s 60 statements, whether management’s actions match its words ranked in the top three tied to a great culture. At the Best Workplaces, 92.5% of employees answer positively. At typical Australian workplaces, just 49.6%.
Australian Best Workplaces
Businesses founded in Australia and still owned here sit alongside the arms of global companies.
| Ownership | On the 2026 list |
|---|---|
| Australian founded, Australian owned | McNab Group, Carlisle Homes, carsales, Mantel, MESHKI, The Commons, Cobild, Macquarie Cloud Services, Fabric Group, Green Building Council of Australia |
| Australian founded | CyberCX, AirTrunk, Protecht, Ansarada, Story House Early Learning |
FAQs
How are Australia’s Best Workplaces chosen?
Employees decide. Great Place To Work sends the Trust Index™ Survey to staff at participating organisations, who respond to 60 statements covering credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie. The Trust Index score is the average positive response across those statements. Organisations must earn Great Place To Work Certification™ first, then rank against others of the same size. Only the top 100 places are available.
What size categories are on the Best Workplaces in Australia 2026 list?
Four. Micro covers 10 to 29 employees, Small covers 30 to 99, Medium covers 100 to 999, and Large covers 1,000 and above. Sorting by size keeps the comparison fair, since a micro business and a national retailer are solving different problems. Organisations are ranked only against others in their own band. The 2026 Micro category winner, Allegra School Coffs Harbour, earned Great Place To Work Certification for the first time this year.
Does being named a Best Workplace help with recruitment?
The survey data points that way. 93.9% of employees at Australia’s Best Workplaces would strongly recommend their employer to friends and family, against 54.1% at typical Australian workplaces, and 91.7% intend to stay long term, against 56.3%. Referrals from current staff cost nothing and arrive pre-screened. Employer brand teams read those figures as a measure of how much job advertising they can stop paying for, and list recognition gives the conversation something to point at.
How does my organisation get on next year’s list?
Start with Great Place To Work Certification. Your people complete the Trust Index Survey, your organisation meets the threshold for positive responses, and Certification follows, which makes you eligible for the Best Workplaces list in your size category. Surveying early leaves room to act on what employees tell you before the next cut-off. Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture, and Certification is the entry point.
