The Australian Best Places to Work 2026

Entries for 2026 are now live.

Awards are given across categories – recognising the best small, medium, big and very big organisations, as well as top workplaces for women, LGBTQ+ employees, disabled employees, ethnic minorities, younger and older workers, and for overall wellbeing.

Get instant employee insights – through a dynamic dashboard with industry benchmarks, flight risk analysis and net promoter scores.

Entries will close on Sunday 31st May 2026.

Ready to become a Best Place to Work?

Enter The Australian Best Places to Work 2026, powered by WorkL through four simple steps.

The process will only take no more than 10 minutes and you will need your company card or relevant details to generate an invoice.

1. Select your organisation size

Select if you are a small, medium, big or very big organisation based on your number of employees.

2. Set up your Survey

Select when you’d like your survey to start and end and how many employees you have.

3. Purchase your Awards package

Pay by card or generate an invoice to purchase your package and be able to send your survey out.

4. You're entered!

Once your survey results have been collected and the entry period closes, our panel of experts will evaluate your results and determine the final lists, based on organisation size.

Become a Best Place to Work.

Be recognised alongside leading organisations known for championing workplace culture and employee experience.

Earning a spot among past winners strengthens your employer brand, boosts morale, and highlights your commitment to building a happier, more productive workplace.

Hear from previous winners.

Discover how past winners have used the recognition to strengthen their culture, attract top talent, and inspire real change.

Their stories show the impact these awards can have, not just on employee engagement, but across the entire organisation.

Ready to see what’s possible?

The Australian Best Places to Work 2026, powered by WorkL FAQs

Why should we enter The Australian Best Places to Work, powered by WorkL?

Get recognition by The Australian and WorkL for the employee experience you provide
Retain employees
Attract new talent
Build your brand as a great place to work

What results will my organisation receive?

Each organisation will receive access to their own dynamic dashboard with their engagement survey results.
Organisations will receive an overall score, scores for the six engagement drivers, but also action plans and resources to drive change in your organisation.

What questions will be asked in the survey?

The 31 survey questions measure employee experience, covering WorkL’s six key drivers of engagement; Reward and Recognition, Information Sharing, Empowerment, Pride, Job Satisfaction and Wellbeing. If you need more information about the specific questions please contact us on theaustralianbestplacestowork@workl.com.au.

What date do the awards close?

Surveys must be completed by 31 May 2026.

What are The Australian Best Places to Work Categories?

Companies will be recognised for having the best overall engagement scores and also by company size. Other areas that The Australian may choose to recognise are the best workplaces for Women, disabled employees, ethnic minority employees, LGBTQ+ employees, 16-34 year olds, 55+ year olds and for wellbeing. Please see FAQs for more information

How do I know which of the The Australian Best Places to Work, powered by WorkL, entry packages I should buy?

Select your entry package based on how many employees you have:
- Small Organisations (10-49 Employees): From A$1,400
- Medium Organisations (50-249 Employees): From A$2,800
- Big Organisations (250-1,999 Employees): From A$5,600
- Very Big Organisations (2,000+ Employees): From A$8,400