High above Amsterdam in The Loft of the A’DAM Tower, this year’s World-class Workplace label holders came together on April 23 for the annual World-class Workplace event. The evening was dedicated to recognition, inspiration, and pride — and to the organizations making a real difference for their employees every day.
Top of the tower, top of the game: Meet the 2025–2026 World-class Workplaces
Over views of the IJ, conversations around the table, and live jazz, we looked back and ahead together. Our colleagues Sam van Diemen, Kerstin Schrader, and Marnix Hiep walked the room through the evolution of employee feedback: from fixed measurement moments to Smart Listening, and from isolated employee signals to Continuous Insights that guide organizations year-round. But every conversation kept returning to the same question: what does good employership look like today, and who’s leading the way?
Drumroll… these are the winners of 2025–2026!
The highlight of the evening was the award ceremony. These winners don’t just score high. They show what happens when feedback, development, and trust come together in practice.
Bruyst
World-class Workplace, up to 100 employees
At Bruyst, one principle drives everything: see the person, not just the problem they walk in with. In Northeast Brabant, they’re building a multidisciplinary care landscape where physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and others work side by side around the patient.
The same approach shapes how they work internally. Local teams operate with their own strength, connected by one shared quality standard. It’s a learning organization where development never stops and knowledge is shared naturally between locations.
Bruyst’s HR strategy is refreshingly simple. No complex measurement structures, just careful listening once a year, focused on one question: are we still a place where talent wants to work and stay? And it works. Bruyst earned the World-class Workplace recognition twice in the past, and again this year.
Stichting SIG
World-class Workplace, more than 100 employees
At Stichting SIG, it’s all about meaningful work – for the people they support, who live with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, and for the employees themselves. The approach isn’t about doing things for people, but with them, working together toward growth, development, and quality of life.
You feel that vision throughout the organization. Employees have room to grow, feel connected to one another and to the mission, and the HR strategy reflects trust, development, and engagement at every level.
Their feedback approach matches the philosophy: every two years, they take real time to listen carefully. And the results speak for themselves. That attention to people, both clients and employees, earned Stichting SIG a World-class Workplace award.
Emil Frey Nederland
World-class Workplace, more than 1,000 employees
With more than 2,500 employees and 29 car brands, Emil Frey Nederland operates at real scale and complexity. Spread across multiple dealer organizations, each with its own history and culture, they’re building one connected whole.
Their focus lies where it makes a difference: with their people. Technical talent is particularly scarce, which is exactly why they invest heavily in the future through leadership development, targeted feedback, and their own vocational school, built in partnership with Innovam and ROC Midden-Nederland.
Their feedback approach grows with the organization. Annual measurements, Onboarding and Exit Surveys, and teams that actively discuss the results themselves. At this size, that’s anything but a given, and it’s exactly why Emil Frey Nederland took home a World-class Workplace award this year.
Alliander
World-class Workplace, more than 10,000 employees
Alliander sits at the heart of one of the biggest societal shifts of our time: the energy transition. With thousands of colleagues and hundreds of projects, they’re building the energy grid of the future every single day.
What sets Alliander apart is how they see their people. The ambition is clear: to be, and remain, a world-class employer. A place where trust, safety, development, and collaboration are non-negotiable.
Employee feedback is the backbone of that ambition. Annual listening is the foundation, but teams go further on their own, sharing insights actively and acting on what they hear. It’s no coincidence that Alliander has long been one of the strongest-performing employers in the Netherlands. This year, that came with a World-class Workplace award.
The value of the World-class Workplace label
The World-class Workplace label recognizes organizations that demonstrably practice good employership. To earn it, an organization completes the World-class Workplace Scan and scores above the national benchmark.
What makes the label different is what’s behind it: 100% honest, anonymous feedback from employees. It’s not a jury prize. It’s not for sale. Only the voice of employees decides the outcome. Organizations that score above the Effectory benchmarks for employership and eNPS earn the label.
It’s an achievement worth being proud of and proof that employees feel heard, engaged, and valued. These are the organizations we put in the spotlight at the World-class Workplace event.
Join the Club of World-class Workplaces and Set Your Organization Apart
Could your organization be next?
A warm congratulations to every nominee and winner this year! You prove that investing in your people pays off and that a strong, human culture is what moves an organization forward.
Great employership starts with listening, and the World-class Workplace Scan shows you exactly where you stand and where to go next. Run the scan, learn what your employees really think, and find out if your organization could be among next year’s World-class Workplaces.
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