Challenge:
Addressing regional differences in a global workforce
We needed to better understand how our employees perceive the same things in different countries.
As an example, a couple of years ago, Colorado started to lead the charge in terms of pay transparency. There was a requirement to put the starting pay range on every single job description. Rather than only starting with our job postings in Colorado, we did it for all our positions in the United States.
But then our Canadian employees started asking about Canadian pay practices. They lived right across the border — why were they paid differently than their American counterparts? There was a big gap in education about compensation practices.
Solution:
Trust Index Survey
We run the Great Place To Work survey annually and follow up with the same survey six months later, called our “Tell Us More” survey. By running the Trust Index every six months, we get current insights and show our employees that we care about their feedback and want to keep evolving.
Every executive team member reads every survey comment, then we cascade the results. Vice-presidents and directors get Manager Access through the Trust Index platform to analyze, compare to previous results, and discuss the insights with their teams.
Then, the magic happens — we turn those insights into action plans.
Our departmental leaders have strategic talent plans that they commit to at the beginning of every year. Every single department has two goals:
- Ensuring that principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are elevated in what they’re going to be doing in the year ahead.
- Improving on a high-impact focus area in their Trust Index Survey results.
We strongly believe in being transparent with our employees. And that includes sharing employees’ survey results with all our team members. The Trust Index Survey makes it very easy for us to be transparent across all areas of employee experience.
Outcome:
Enhanced understanding and communication
Our Canadian employees questioned pay differences compared to their American counterparts, highlighting a gap in education about compensation practices.
Without the Trust Index Survey and the ability to segment by geography, we wouldn’t have known there was a big education gap in compensation practices.
We’ve since made a lot of effort to make sure we are communicating our pay philosophy consistently, but also localizing our message to help employees in different parts of the world have a better understanding of that philosophy.
Challenge:
Creating strategic action plans from feedback
Turning survey insights into actionable plans requires a structured approach to ensure alignment with company goals and continuous improvement.
Outcome:
Targeted and effective action plans
We operate with a continuous improvement mindset at Workiva. We understand that improving our workplace culture is an ongoing journey, not a task that can be checked off as complete. It’s about continuing to get 1% better every day.
The feedback from the Trust Index Survey guides numerous initiatives, including career pathing and developing a skills framework. We are also enhancing compensation transparency and updating our benefit plans. The insights we gain from the survey are integral to shaping our strategy and driving continuous improvement across the organization.
Challenge:
Enhancing recruitment and employer brand
We aimed to use our Great Place To Work Certification and Best Workplaces™ awards to boost recruitment and brand recognition.
Outcome:
Achieving a 375:1 applicant-to-position ratio
In 2023, we had about 400 positions that we posted externally. We had over 150,000 applicants! I attribute much of that to the brand recognition we built through Great Place To Work.
We’ve been named to Great Place To Work’s Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the last six years. The Trust Index is our GPS for earning a spot on that list. It provides us with the feedback we need to continuously improve and align our culture with top-performing companies.
