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Create a culture that means business™
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Becoming an employer of choice is about shaping a culture where people can do their best work and feel good doing it. It’s what separates organizations that people join intentionally — and stay with — from the ones constantly refilling the same roles.
But “employer of choice” isn’t a title you award yourself after redesigning the careers page. It’s something your people feel in the day‑to‑day — in how they’re supported, recognized, challenged, and treated. And right now, that experience is fragile. Insights from the Engagement and Retention Report show only 25% of employees see a long-term career at their current company, a number that should make most leaders sit up a little straighter.
Ready to get into the ins and outs of becoming an employer of choice? Let’s dive in.
What is an employer of choice?
An employer of choice is an organization where people genuinely want to work because the day‑to‑day experience is positive, supportive, and meaningful — not because of a polished careers page or a clever tagline. It’s a workplace culture where employees feel respected, recognized, included, and able to do work that matters, with leaders and systems that consistently back those expectations up.
What are the key elements of an employer of choice?
Becoming an employer of choice is about creating a workplace where the essential pieces of a great employee experience reinforce one another. Think of these elements less like boxes to check and more like the conditions that make a workplace somewhere people genuinely want to be.
Strong, inclusive workplace culture
An employer of choice builds culture through behaviors, not branding. Values show up in how people treat one another — consistently, respectfully, and across every team and location.
Meaningful, challenging work
People want to know their work matters, so clarity around how roles connect to purpose is table stakes. Employees need opportunities to stretch, grow, and make an impact without tipping into burnout at work — meaningful challenge, not endless grind.
Growth and career development
Clear paths forward signal that employees have a future with you, not just a job. Internal mobility, ongoing learning, and regular manager‑led development conversations build momentum. And according to Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI) research, growth is one of the top predictors of long‑term retention.
Fair, competitive compensation and benefits
Market‑aligned pay and holistic benefits show employees their wellbeing is more than a line item. Transparency and equity matter just as much as the numbers themselves.
Flexibility and work-life balance
Flexibility helps employees do their best work without sacrificing their lives to do it. That means schedules and remote options where possible, a focus on outcomes over hours, and healthy boundaries that keep burnout from creeping in disguised as “commitment.”
Strong, human-centered leadership
Leaders set the tone, and the best ones lead with trust, clarity, and communication — coaching rather than micromanaging. When leaders are empathetic, approachable, and visible, employees feel supported rather than scrutinized.
Behavior reinforcement through recognition
In employer‑of‑choice cultures, recognition is a daily habit. It’s frequent, specific, and tied to both values and performance, coming from peers and leaders alike. Instead of saving appreciation for the annual review, recognition becomes the fuel that keeps your culture moving in the right direction.
What are the benefits of being an employer of choice?
When organizations earn employer‑of‑choice status, the impact shows up everywhere — in who they attract, how long people stay, how teams perform, and how well the business weathers change. Here are just some of the benefits:
Stronger talent attraction
Employer‑of‑choice organizations draw higher‑quality candidates because people actively want to work there. With stronger reputations and more inbound interest, they spend less time chasing talent and more time choosing the right fit.
Higher employee retention and lower turnover costs
When employees feel valued, supported, and recognized, they’re far more likely to stay — and far less likely to scroll job boards on their lunch break. Lower turnover rates means fewer backfills, lower recruitment costs, and more continuity across teams.
Increased engagement and discretionary effort
People who feel good about where they work tend to give more of their best work. Engagement rises, teams feel more connected, and employees bring greater creativity, initiative, and effort to everyday tasks.
Stronger performance and productivity
With clarity, recognition, and a positive culture in place, performance and productivity naturally improves. Teams move faster, collaborate better, and deliver higher‑quality outcomes — not from pressure, but from genuine motivation.
Better customer experience and brand reputation
Happy employees create better customer experiences, and those experiences fuel stronger brand loyalty. In other words: when your people thrive, your reputation follows suit — inside and outside the company.
Greater resilience during change
Organizations where employees trust leadership and feel connected to purpose adapt more easily during disruption. Change becomes something the workforce can navigate together, not tolerate in silence.
How to become an employer of choice
Becoming an employer of choice doesn’t happen by accident — it’s the result of consistent, human-centered practices that shape how employees feel every day. These actions work together, reinforcing one another to create a workplace people genuinely choose.
Listen to your employees and act on their feedback
Great cultures don’t guess; they ask. Surveys, pulse checks, and 360-degree feedback help employees feel heard, but the real trust-builder is acting on that feedback — and closing the loop so people know their voice mattered.
Define and reinforce the behaviors that matter most
Employees need a clear picture of what great work looks like in your organization. When behaviors align with your values and strategy — and expectations are made visible — people know how to show up and succeed.
Equip managers to lead with clarity, care, and consistency
Managers shape the daily employee experience more than anyone else. Invest in coaching skills, build recognition into their habits, and encourage regular development conversations. AWI research consistently shows that high trust in managers is one of the strongest predictors of engagement and retention.
Build recognition into everyday workflows
Recognition should feel easy, accessible, and natural — not a calendar reminder. When employees can recognize peers where they already work, cross‑team appreciation grows, culture strengthens, and great behavior becomes contagious.
Create clear paths for growth and development
Employees stay where they can grow. Offering learning paths, internal mobility opportunities, mentorship, and stretch projects signals that the company is invested in their future, not just their output.
Measure progress and optimize continuously
Employer‑of‑choice status is an ongoing practice. Monitor engagement and sentiment trends, track retention and turnover, look at recognition activity, and watch how consistently values-driven behaviors show up. Use what you learn to refine, iterate, and strengthen the employee experience over time.
How to measure employer-of-choice progress
These signals help you understand whether your culture is truly becoming one people choose — and whether your efforts are working.
- Engagement and belonging scores: Regular engagement, pulse surveys, and belonging metrics show how connected, supported, and appreciated employees feel, making them one of the clearest indicators of cultural health.
- Voluntary turnover: Lower voluntary turnover suggests employees feel valued and want to stay, while increases signal friction in the employee experience that needs attention.
- Internal mobility: High rates of promotions, lateral moves, and stretch opportunities show employees see a future with your organization — a hallmark of employer‑of‑choice cultures.
- Recognition activity and frequency: Frequent, balanced recognition indicates that appreciation is embedded in the day‑to‑day, not reserved for special occasions. Tracking who gives and receives recognition helps reveal strengths and gaps.
- Employer brand signals: Reviews and referrals offer real‑world proof of how employees perceive — and advocate for — your workplace. When employees promote you unprompted, you’re doing something right.
How Achievers helps organizations become employers of choice
Becoming an employer of choice takes intention — but sustaining it takes infrastructure. That’s where Achievers comes in. We help organizations turn recognition into a cultural engine, turning those everyday “this is why I stay” moments lasting loyalty, measurable impact, and a workplace people are genuinely proud to be part of.
- Frequent, meaningful recognition at scale: Achievers drives the highest recognition frequency in the industry, helping organizations reinforce the behaviors that matter and build cultures where appreciation isn’t rare — it’s routine.
- Recognition embedded into daily work tools: With deep integrations across Microsoft, Workday, Slack, and more, recognition happens naturally in the flow of work. No extra steps, no extra tabs — just appreciation that keeps up with the pace of your people.
- Global, flexible rewards and non‑monetary recognition: A global reward marketplace spanning nearly 190 countries makes recognition feel personal and fair, no matter where employees are. Points, social recognition, swag, experiences — value meets choice in a way that strengthens inclusion.
- Insights and reporting that connect recognition to engagement and retention: Real‑time analytics reveal how recognition shapes behavior, belonging, and performance. Leaders gain clarity on what’s working, where gaps exist, and how appreciation drives measurable outcomes across the business.
- Dedicated customer success and workforce science guidance: With a comprehensive support model and insights from the Achievers Workforce Institute, organizations get expert partnership, not just software. Strategy, science, and hands‑on guidance help cultures grow stronger year after year.
Turning employee of choice strategy into everyday practice
Becoming an employer of choice isn’t a one‑time achievement — it’s the sum of small, consistent actions that shape how people feel every day. When recognition sits at the center of those actions, culture becomes stronger, performance becomes more sustainable, and employees have more of those “I’m glad I’m here” moments.
If you’re ready to deepen your culture of recognition and see what this looks like in practice, let Achievers show you how.
Employer of choice FAQs
Key insights
- Becoming an employer of choice is about delivering a consistent, meaningful employee experience that people actively choose, not one they just deal with.
- Small, everyday actions like recognition, clarity, fairness, and trust compound into stronger engagement, loyalty, and performance.
- When recognition sits at the center of your culture, you create the conditions where people feel seen, supported, and excited to grow with the company.
