Best Places to Work 2026

What the Winners in Australia, New Zealand and the World Have in Common

The 2026 awards are in, from Sydney and Auckland to TIME’s World’s Best Companies. The winners are the companies whose people trust their leaders, back their teammates and tell their friends to apply. We’ve worked with some of them, including Grifols. Here’s what they do differently, and why they keep doing it long after everyone else has binned the survey results.

The 2026 awards at a glance

• Australia: Great Place To Work’s Best Workplaces in Australia 2026 drew on a survey of more than 128,000 employees. Specsavers led the large category, Macquarie Cloud Services led small for the third year running, and Hilton came second among the big employers. In March, Best Workplaces for Women named 50 organisations.
• New Zealand: The 2026 list surveyed 12,256 employees and named 25 organisations. Hilton led medium and large, realestate.co.nz led small, and Flight Centre (NZ) made its debut.
• TIME: World’s Best Companies 2026 recognised 1,000 companies from a survey of 200,000 employees in more than 50 countries. It blends employee satisfaction, revenue growth and sustainability transparency, so it’s a wider lens than a pure workplace list.
• United States and Asia: Synchrony topped Fortune’s 2026 100 Best Companies to Work For, with Hilton second and Cisco third. Hilton took first place on the Best Workplaces in Asia.

One warning. Rankings like Randstad’s most attractive employer list measure how good a company looks from outside. Great Place To Work measures what it feels like inside. Only one of those tells you if your culture is real.

A Zone client on the list: Grifols

Grifols is on TIME’s World’s Best Companies 2026 list for the fourth year running. Forbes also named it one of the World’s Best Employers in 2024 and 2025. And for women, Forbes named Grifols one of America’s Best Employers for Women in 2022. Back then, women made up 60% of its staff, 75% of its new hires and two-thirds of its promotions, and the company set a target of women in half of its senior management roles by 2030.

We’ve worked with Grifols, and look at what sits behind those awards. Targets with numbers on them. Employee-led networks like the Women’s Leadership Initiative. Leaders who are developed, not just promoted. And an always on, ever developing culture.

What the winners do

They build leaders on purpose

Great managers don’t happen by accident. Hilton runs Lead@Hilton, a global leadership learning platform. Mantel funds real learning pathways. The Australian tech list winners share a funded commitment to people’s growth. Promote someone to manager and hope for the best, and you’re running a lottery. Read why your manager has more impact on your health than your doctor.

They develop teams, not just individuals

Marriott gives new starters a 30-day check-in. Freedom Furniture turned product training into the Sofa Olympics. Yes, really. Good people don’t automatically make a good team, so team development has to be on purpose too.

They make it safe to speak up

Great Place To Work’s ANZ boss says the best tech workplaces are where people feel safe to experiment, fail and try again. No safety, no ideas. Smart leaders still struggle in toxic cultures, as we explain in Why Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Struggle Most.

They put wellbeing inside the working week

Flight Centre (NZ) gives people a paid hour a week for their health. Hilton built a whole framework for physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Wellbeing you’re expected to do after 6pm isn’t wellbeing. We call the approach Whole-Person Leadership.

They tell the truth about change

Flight Centre counts the change load on its people before adding more. Marriott invites night-shift staff to breakfast with leaders so they aren’t last to hear the news. Even the winners score lowest on pay, and explaining how pay is set costs nothing.

They back their values with numbers

Australia’s Best Workplaces for Women only counts employers that can show real numbers on flexibility, fair pay and women in leadership. Grifols set a target for half its senior roles. If you don’t measure it, it’s a poster.

In their own words

“When you put people first, everything else follows.”

James Mystakidis, Group Executive, Macquarie Cloud Services (IT Brief Australia)

“Our people are at the heart of every decision we make.”

Karen Clancy, People Director ANZ, Specsavers (Mediaweek). She says they’ll keep listening, even at number one.

“Culture is built through care, fuelled by growth and lifted by excellence.”

Kim Hamilton, People and Culture Manager, realestate.co.nz (IT Brief New Zealand). They back it with ten extra days of leave, learning budgets and a $20,000 annual scholarship.

“Behind this recognition are our team members building meaningful careers.”

Stephanie Lopesi, regional head of HR Australasia, Hilton (MICE.net.au)

“We intentionally build it into the workday.”

Melanie Barnett, General Manager People & Culture, Flight Centre (NZ), on wellbeing (Great Place To Work NZ)

Notice what’s missing. Nobody mentions a perk. They talk about people, growth and care, all choices leaders make.

How they keep it up

Winning once is easy. Macquarie Cloud Services has topped its category three years running. Grifols has made TIME’s list four years running. Mantel has made Australia’s list seven years straight. They keep surveying, keep acting, keep developing leaders and keep going when budgets get tight. Culture is a practice, not a project with an end date.

More Zone clients on the lists

When leaders do the inner work first, teams follow. Ipsen is another example. The global biopharma company is Great Place To Work certified in 30 countries and has been ranked 25th on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in Europe. We’ve worked with their teams.

“We saw results immediately.”Drew Sansone, VP Regulatory Affairs & Quality, Ipsen North America (The Zone Global)

Pull the culture lever

1. Ask your people, anonymously, and read the pride score first.
2. Back your leaders with leadership development and executive coaching.
3. Build high impact teams, not just talented individuals.
4. Set targets you can measure, and put wellbeing inside work hours.
5. Do it all again next year. That’s where culture change sticks.

FAQ

What are the Best Places to Work awards in 2026?

There isn’t one list. Great Place To Work publishes Best Workplaces for Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the US with Fortune. TIME and Statista publish World’s Best Companies, and Glassdoor publishes its own Best Places to Work. Each uses employee feedback in a different way.

Who are the best places to work in Australia in 2026?

On Great Place To Work’s 2026 list, Specsavers led the large category, Smokeball led medium, Macquarie Cloud Services led small and Allegra School Coffs Harbour led micro. Hilton ranked second among large employers.

Who are the best places to work in New Zealand in 2026?

Hilton led the medium and large category and realestate.co.nz led small on Great Place To Work’s 2026 list. Specsavers and Roche placed second in their categories, and Flight Centre (NZ) joined for the first time.

How are TIME’s World’s Best Companies chosen?

TIME and Statista score companies on employee satisfaction, revenue growth and sustainability transparency. The 2026 list covers 1,000 companies and draws on a survey of 200,000 employees in more than 50 countries.

Does leadership development improve workplace culture?

Yes. People experience culture through their direct manager, and winners like Hilton and Mantel invest in structured learning for leaders and teams.

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Ready to build a culture people brag about?

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