Best Christian Workplaces Certification - US

Introduction
In past years the “winners” of the Best Christian Workplaces survey were chosen as the best from those who applied, this year we have a certification process. The reason for this change is to provide a more consistent approach, judging participants against a constant benchmark rather than one that is changing year to year due to fluctuations in the pool of participants. In our desire to bring to realization our vision of Christian workplaces setting the standard as the best and most effective workplaces in the world, we want to provide an accurate standard for measuring an organization’s vitality. We believe the organizations who meet the requirements for certification are not only worthy of praise, but also deserve support by the Christian community, and the attention of other Christian organizations striving to be all that God has called them to be.

Certification Value

1. Certification serves as a benchmark for Christian organizations for which to strive. Best Christian Workplaces, during 6 years of experience surveying 60,000+ employees in over 400 organizations in the US, has identified what it takes for a Christian organization to be effective. Consequently, this certification serves as a suitable goal for any Christian organization.
2. Organizations that meet certification criterion will have a work environment that innately reduces turnover and increases commitment. Retention and engagement of even one employee saves thousands of dollars in retraining fees and second class work.
3. Certification identifies organizations as good investments for donors and volunteers. With so many “good” causes vying for a limited pool of resources, certification establishes that organizations have proven effective.
4. As an employee-feedback based survey, certification will attract the top candidates for employment. In other words, if employees rank an organization highly, great employees will want to work there, thus further strengthening an organization. This holds true for executive positions as much as any other.
5. With certification an organization will be associated with excellence and as a consequence more people will turn to you for what you do best.
6. In addition, Best Christian Workplaces institute has documented a relationship between high survey scores and financially healthy organizations.

Criterion for Certification
The first requirement of selection is participation in the Best Christian Workplaces survey. Only organizations of 10 or more employees are permitted to participate due to a need for statistical accuracy. Additionally all participating organizations must have enough employees participate to reach a 96% statistical accuracy. This survey is offered year-round, and at a reduced price during our Spring and Fall campaigns. The survey is given to employees and they are asked to rank over 50 statements in comparison to their organization. The rankings are on a 1-5 scale, 1 being “Strongly Disagree”, 2 being “Disagree”, 3 being “Neutral”, 4 being “Agree” and 5 being “Strongly Agree”. These statements fall under the following categories :

• Job Satisfaction – This measures employees’ attitudes toward their job and their overall feeling about the organization. Because the degree a staff person is engaged in their job, they will be an asset to their organization rather than a deficit, this is also a measure of their support.
• Organizational Commitment – This category looks at the level of loyalty that is felt by staff towards the organization. Since this is an important ingredient in not only keeping training cost down, but also in retaining qualified workers, it looks at that as well. It also addresses what direction the company is moving – is it improving?
• Christian Witness – Something unique compared to other surveys, the Best Christian Workplaces Survey exposes to what extent faith is evident in the workplace. This includes such things as the opportunity to use spiritual gifts, evidence of fruit of the Spirit in leadership, presence of Christian fellowship, and making decisions according to what the Bible teaches.
• Supervisory Effectiveness – Here the fitness of those in leadership is addressed. Are the leaders compassionate, just, and trustworthy? Further, are they there to help employees accomplish their jobs as they should be?
• Work Satisfaction – This examines the degree to which employees feel good about the work they do. If they are effective in their work they will feel fulfilled and enjoy what they do, so they are asked about these things in particular. This also depends on such things as adequate training, the opportunity to use the skills they have, and clear communication regarding what the goals are, all of which are covered in the survey.
• Personal Growth and Development - Here an atmosphere of encouragement and equipping is checked. Realizing that employees need to be invested in, not only through training programs, but also the support of those around them, the survey checks for these vital elements. Further, is good work rewarded?
• Management Effectiveness – Questions regarding integrity, balance, and wisdom are found under this group. Also, does management institute processes to ensure honesty, a limit to work demands and empowerment for employees?
• Customer/Supporter Satisfaction – In order to measure this employees are asked if they would recommend their products/services to their friends and family. Also, issues such as emphasis upon long-term relationships with customers, strategy to meet the needs of those they serve, and overall satisfaction levels are evaluated.
• Teamwork – How well staff work together is the focus of this category. This draws upon conflict resolution skills, managing diversity and a common commitment to excellence. It also addresses the issue of proper hiring standards to ensure a capable workforce.
• Communications – This examines Top Down, Bottom Up and Peer to Peer communications. Communication serves both to transfer information and also bring unity, so these effects are also asked about. The survey also checks to see if the communication encourages accountability and trust as it should. When employees are allowed to express their ideas it is a means of empowerment, so do they feel empowered? Effective work requires good lines of communication to share ideas, resolve conflict, and encourage each other in our service to God and all these things are surveyed.
• Pay and Benefits – Here pay, health plan, vacation package, and retirement plan are looked at in terms of employee satisfaction. Their perception of pay and benefit competitiveness is also included.

Summary
The Best Christian Workplaces certification is a mark of distinction for organizations that are well-run and are in accord with Biblical principles. This designation will be of interest to organization management, prospective job applicants, investors, volunteers, and customers. As we are called to mirror the excellence of our God, the Best Christian Workplace Certification is an apt goal to which all Christian organizations should aspire.