Every leadership team wants stronger business performance. Revenue, growth and customer outcomes are measured closely, but the experience people have at work is rarely measured with the same rigour.

To raise workplace standards across New Zealand, Humankind has partnered with Best Places to Work™ since the programme's relaunch three years ago. This partnership is grounded in a shared mission to build high-performance cultures and make New Zealand home to some of the best workplaces in the world.

As Julie of Best Places to Work™ reflects:

"Our values are absolutely aligned. We share a belief that we can keep raising the standard of workplace experience across New Zealand and float all the boats higher. I genuinely believe Aotearoa New Zealand has the potential to be one of the best places in the world to work.”

Shaping “What Good Looks Like”

Humankind’s connection to the Best Places to Work™ programme is built on years of practical experience. Having worked with over 1,300 organisations across the country to improve culture and team performance, the Humankind team has developed a clear understanding of what strong workplace foundations look like. Businesses with strong leadership, clear expectations and a deliberate employee experience consistently outperform those treating people as an HR initiative.

Drawing on that experience, Humankind contributed its expertise alongside a range of specialists to help shape the Best Places to Work™ Employee Experience Survey and Awards evaluation framework. This collective input helped create a robust approach that considers both foundational workplace practices and areas of innovation. To maintain objectivity and credibility, Best Places to Work™ Awards submissions are evaluated by a panel of independent, experienced New Zealand business leaders.

This year's judging panel includes Humankind CEO Kalyn Ponti alongside other judges such as Bridget Coates (Chair, Toitū Tahua and Koi Tū), Rob Everett (former CEO, Financial Markets Authority), and Vanessa Sorenson (former Managing Director, Microsoft New Zealand). You can view the full list of 2026 judges here.

Best Places to Work™ Awards Framework:

EX + CX → Business Performance

The thinking behind this partnership is grounded in a shared belief that Employee Experience (EX) and Customer Experience (CX) are closely connected to sustainable business performance.

How people experience work shapes how they behave, contribute and engage with others. Those everyday experiences can flow through to how customers experience an organisation and, over time, contribute to stronger organisational outcomes.

This connection is consistently validated during the Best Places to Work™ judging process. As Humankind's Chief Executive, Kalyn Ponti (KP), explains:

"The organisations that are the furthest ahead in terms of innovation, particularly in spaces like AI adoption, are also the ones that are highly advanced in their people experience. And seemingly, they are also the ones delivering the strongest business results. We are deliberate about validating financial performance, CX, and innovation as part of the Best Places to Work ™ judging process."

To ensure these results reflect an accurate picture of workplace experience, the Best Places to Work™ Awards hold a high standard for participation. It relies on the authentic employee voice, requiring a 60% minimum survey completion rate. This ensures that the data reflects the true, lived experience of the team.

Making Sense of the Data: The 45-Minute Survey Insights Review Session

Data is incredibly valuable, but only if leaders know how to act on it. Once a survey is complete, the volume of feedback can sometimes make it difficult to identify the most critical starting points.

To help participating organisations transition from raw data to practical action, every organisation that completes the Best Places to Work™ Annual Employee Experience Survey receives a complimentary 45-minute Survey Insight Review Session.

The conversation is tailored to specific topics of interest for the business, with an expert from one of Best Places to Work™’s trusted partner organisations offering practical guidance on where changes will deliver the healthiest returns for both the team and  overall business performance.

As Kalyn Ponti (KP) notes:

"If you’re partnered with Humankind, you're getting one of New Zealand’s top People and Culture practitioners who is able to look at the results, interpret them, and help you make meaningful immediate actions. They can provide initial, practical guidance on where the organisation will get the strongest returns — both for the team and for the business."

Floating all Boats Higher

Exceptional workplaces aren't built by chance. They're built by leaders willing to listen, measure what matters, and act on what they learn. Even in an employer's market, the best talent will always have options. People are an organisation's greatest source of performance potential, and Best Places to Work™ provides the social proof that yours is somewhere exceptional people want to be.

Together, Best Places to Work™, Humankind, and a network of specialist partners help organisations understand what their people are experiencing, identify where to focus, and turn insight into meaningful action. Because measuring workplace culture is only the beginning. What creates lasting advantage is what happens next.