The most respected workplace
awards in South Africa.
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work Awards, powered by WorkL, are quick and easy to enter, bring national recognition and give you world-leading employee insight and benchmarking.
Enter today. Be recognised as one of South Africa’s best.
Pick your organisation size, choose your entry, and you’re in. National recognition, market-leading insight, and a badge that wins talent — for one simple fee.
- Earn national recognition
- Get your Best Places to Work badge
- Win and keep the best talent
- Pinpoint hotspots with live heatmaps
- Surface what matters with AI analysis
- Benchmark against millions worldwide
- Set up in just 10 minutes
- 5-minute survey for employees
- No admin, no heavy lifting
Enter the awards and get the full picture of how your people feel — enhanced data now included as standard.
- Awards Entry Engagement Survey (27 questions, 3–5 min)
- Enhanced data — AI thematics, heatmaps, flight-risk & eNPS analysisNow included
- Dynamic results dashboard with overall + 6 driver scores
- Recognition in the Sunday Times — print and online
- Eligible for category awards — Women, Disability, LGBTQ+ & Wellbeing
- Best Places to Work 2026 award logo for your materialsOptional add-on
Tailor the survey to your organisation and segment results across teams.
- Everything in Lite Entry
- Plus —Add 3 bespoke questions — by team, role or department — for sharper, more granular analysis
- Plus —Weekly response-rate reports, broken down by your custom questions — track participation in detail
- Plus —Demographic filtering & word clouds
A fully bespoke engagement survey designed around your priorities.
- Everything in Core
- Plus —A fully bespoke Engagement Survey — designed for your organisation by our behavioural scientists
- Plus —Complimentary pulse surveys — quick temperature checks that reveal the why behind the score
- Plus —Dedicated consultant & strategic onboarding
- Plus —Priority support and PR coordination
Every feature, side by side.
The full picture of what’s included in each entry package.
| Features | Lite EntryR80,000 · Medium org | Core EntryPOA | Bespoke EntryPOA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awards entry | |||
| Engagement surveyWorkL’s 27-question framework, 3–5 min per employee | Included | Included | Fully bespoke |
| Survey deadlineAll entries must complete by | 19 Oct 2026 | 19 Oct 2026 | 19 Oct 2026 |
| Custom survey questionsAdd bespoke questions to the engagement survey | Not included | 3 questions | Unlimited |
| Weekly response-rate reportsBroken down by your custom questions — track participation in detail | Not included | Included | Included |
| Results & insights | |||
| Dynamic results dashboardLive, interactive view of your scores | Included | Included | Included |
| Overall happiness scoreSingle org-wide score | Included | Included | Included |
| Six engagement driversReward, Information sharing, Empowerment, Wellbeing, Pride, Job satisfaction | Included | Included | Included |
| AI thematicsThemes pulled from open-text responses | Included | Included | Included |
| HeatmapsVisualise hotspots and cold spots across drivers | Included | Included | Included |
| Flight risk & eNPSSpot retention risk and your employee net promoter score | Included | Included | Included |
| Demographic filteringFilter responses by demographic and add word clouds | Not included | Included | Included |
| Action plans & resourcesSuggested next steps based on your results | Included | Included | Included |
| Complimentary pulse surveysQuick temperature checks that reveal the why behind the score | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Recognition & benefits | |||
| Sunday Times featureEditorial recognition for winners, in print and online | Included | Included | Included |
| Award logoOptional add-on — purchased separately | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| Category awardsHappiest workplace, Women, Disability, LGBTQ+ & Wellbeing | Included | Included | Included |
| PR coordinationCoordinated announcement with our team | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Support | |||
| Email supportHelp launching and during the survey window | Included | Included | Included |
| Dedicated consultantNamed contact through onboarding and beyond | Not included | Not included | Included |
Frequently asked.
Still wondering something? Email us at stzabestplacestowork@workl.com and our team will get back to you within one working day.
You’ll get recognition from the Sunday Times and WorkL for the employee experience you provide, plus the data and insight to keep improving it. Specifically:
- Get promoted by the Sunday Times in print and online
- Attract better candidates and win new talent
- Retain employees and boost morale
- Build your brand as a great place to work
Each organisation receives access to its own dynamic dashboard with full engagement survey results.
You’ll see an overall score, scores for the six engagement drivers, flight-risk and employee net promoter score analysis, plus tailored action plans and resources to drive change in your organisation.
The Awards Entry Engagement Survey contains 27 core questions that take each employee about 3–5 minutes to answer.
Designed by WorkL’s team of behavioural scientists, psychologists, and academics, the survey covers six key areas:
- Reward and Recognition
- Information Sharing
- Empowerment
- Wellbeing
- Instilling Pride
- Job Satisfaction
If you need more information about the specific questions, please contact us on stzabestplacestowork@workl.com.
Surveys must be completed by Monday 19 October 2026. We recommend launching at least 4 weeks before the deadline to maximise your response rate.
The awards are open to organisations across South Africa with 10 or more employees. There are four main categories, by organisation size:
- Best Places to Work: Small Organisation (10–49 employees)
- Best Places to Work: Medium Organisation (50–249 employees)
- Best Places to Work: Big Organisation (250–1,999 employees)
- Best Places to Work: Very Big Organisation (2,000+ employees)
The Sunday Times also recognises South Africa’s happiest workplace and the best workplaces for women, for employees living with disabilities, for LGBTQ+ employees, and for employee wellbeing. You can be featured in more than one category from a single entry.
Select your entry package based on how many employees you have:
- Small organisations (10–49 employees): R40,000
- Medium organisations (50–249 employees): R80,000
- Big organisations (250–1,999 employees): R138,000
- Very Big organisations (2,000+ employees): R196,000
Every Lite Entry now includes enhanced data as standard. Core and Bespoke entries are priced on application — speak to our team for a quote tailored to your organisation.
Enter the 2026 Awards and get the recognition your team deserves.
Get meaningful and actionable employee engagement data, rich industry benchmarking and boost your employer brand.