The Home of PeopleFirst Certification and Global Awards
Setting the global standard for organisations where culture drives performance.
Awards deadline – Feb 25, 2026
Recognising PeopleFirst Cultures Worldwide
Inspiring Workplaces Group exists to elevate workplace culture by recognising and setting the standard for organisations that put their people first.
For over a decade, we have worked with thousands of organisations in every region of the world — identifying, celebrating and certifying PeopleFirst cultures where belief, belonging and growth drive performance.
In a world defined by rapid change, evolving workforce expectations and increasing scrutiny on leadership, PeopleFirst culture is no longer a differentiator. It is a business imperative.
We recognise and elevate these cultures through two distinct but complementary routes — independent certification and global awards – please see below.
Certified PeopleFirst™
This is a global workplace culture certification and employee engagement benchmark designed for forward-thinking organisations.
We independently measure whether your people:
- Believe in the values and direction of the organisation
- Belong by feeling valued and connected at work
- Grow through opportunity, autonomy and continuous development
For organisations seeking independent culture accreditation beyond legacy “best workplace” models, Certified PeopleFirst™ sets a new standard grounded in intrinsic motivation and employee insight.
If the defined scoring standard is met, certification is awarded at Silver, Gold or Platinum level.
Inspiring Workplaces Awards
Tell us your workplace culture story
The Inspiring Workplaces Awards honour organisations that place their people at the heart of their strategy and demonstrate excellence in culture, leadership, wellbeing, inclusion and employee experience.
Since 2015, organisations from every continent have entered, shared their stories and been recognised on regional and global stages. Elevating their employer brand and reputation.
Through a structured written submission and independent expert judging process, organisations share how they embed PeopleFirst values into measurable outcomes and sustainable success.
Winners earn the coveted Inspiring Workplaces Awards badge & trophy — symbols of trust, purpose and PeopleFirst leadership — and are celebrated on both regional and global stages.
- Tell us your story.
- Be recognised & celebrated.
- Inspire your people and workplaces everywhere.
Insights & Connection
IWG is home to a free community of tens of thousands of professionals who believe what we believe. To help achieve our purpose, we work with our community of to create and share educational articles, videos, podcasts, online events and much more. All for free. Check them out.
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