Requirements

To be eligible for the Best Employers List (Small & Medium Category)


Participating employers will have at least 50 and no more than 399 full-time or full-time equivalent employees in Canada. (The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees is based on the number of hours worked by part-time employees in your organization. For example, two employees who each work the equivalent of one-half of a work week would count as one full-time equivalent employee).

All of the following study pieces must be completed and submitted online.

  • Leadership Team Surveys
  • HR Survey
  • Enough completed Employee Opinion Surveys to meet the minimum requirements

The Leadership Team Survey must be completed by all members of the Canadian Leadership Team. An organization's Leadership Team consists of:

  • The company's CEO, or if there is no CEO in Canada, then the most senior executive in Canada
  • The direct reports of the CEO (or the most senior executive in Canada)
  • If HR is not included above, the most senior HR manager in Canada

Hewitt requires a minimum number of completed Employee Opinion Surveys based on your total employee population. The minimum response rate required is as follows:

Total Employee Population Minimum Response Rate Required
50 to 80 employees 85%
81 to 150 employees 80%
151 to 200 employees 70%
201 to 350 employees 65%
351 to 399 employees 55%

In order to ensure that you achieve the minimum response rate, you will need to survey all employees.

If your company has unionized employees, they must be included in the survey.

If your organization has franchises or independent dealerships, please do not survey the employees at these locations (but do survey the employees at any company-owned outlets).

What happens if you don’t meet any one of the criteria above?


No worries...

  • You can still get everything except being considered as a contender for getting on the Best Employer Best 50 list. This means that you are still able to purchase any reports you wish, you are also still eligible to have Einar Westerlund debrief your results, and you can receive your high level Complimentary Report in the new year if you opt to not purchase any results.
  • Many organizations participate in the non-BSME round of the study. This means that they aren’t contenders to be on the Best 50 list – but they go through the exact same process as everyone else who participates in the study – and they receive the exact same benefits!

Additional Opportunities for Your Organization


You may request your results by division (location, line of business, etc.). If so, we will need to know in advance so the appropriate data can be captured. There is no cost for collecting data in this manner, though there is a fee for producing individual reports in addition to the no-charge highlight report you will receive.

Please contact us for more information!