Why your "best place to work" badge won't survive your next restructuring.

Every so often, my LinkedIn feed shows announcements like:

"We are thrilled to be recognized as a great place to work… or … Proud to be named one of India’s best workplaces." (Before someone comments, I admit I’ve used this corporate spiel too, with many companies I've worked with before. :) )

Photo by Xavier Praillet on Unsplash

Next, the brand team gets to work. The badge goes up on the careers page. Social media updates follow, sending a signal to the market that we are credible.

But six months later, painful cuts happen. X% of your workforce gets laid off. Within hours, posts about severance appear on Glassdoor. Fishbowl and WhatsApp are peppered with messages from the internet. People become wary of opportunities from your organization. Your badge no longer matters.

I’ve seen this happen across sectors for the better part of a decade. Yet, companies continue to invest confidently in these signals as a sort of insurance policy against the messy forces of human capital management. I believe they are sorely mistaken.

Though many of India’s prominent employer awards are PR efforts, they are funded by the very companies they recognize. They are based on self-selection, run on opaque pricing, and function as employer branding products.

The Value of Workplace Awards

I don't think workplace awards are meaningless. Some programs have robust methodologies. For example, a few top global certifications combine employee feedback through their Trust Index with an assessment of people practices. Organizations must meet a defined employee-feedback threshold to be certified.

But the issue isn’t whether companies pay to participate; it’s what this tells potential talent.

The Snapshot Conundrum

At their best, these awards are a snapshot of the culture at one point in time. They are just a signal. Culture is dynamic and can change dramatically, even over short periods. When layoffs occur, as noted by Glassdoor's pattern analysis, scores drop drastically and can remain down for up to a year or longer.

Take the example of 'best' places to work. Fourteen companies that dominated the top lists for years have disappeared, such as Nordstrom and AT&T. A CHRO I admire put it best: "I don't need a list; I need to know what's going on."

The real question your HR leader needs to ask is: What’s happening in our culture when the spotlight is on and off?

What Does Potential Talent Look For?

Research shows that 86% of candidates research your reviews before applying. They check an average of six reviews before making a decision. They want to know what it's like to work there. They look for insights from peers in the industry, current employees, and former employees on LinkedIn.

They are searching for patterns. They want to ensure it is the right choice. The bigger thing they seek is 'trust' in your credibility as an employer brand. They want to know how your people are treated over time, what kind of culture exists, and how you react during restructuring or major changes.

71% of job-seekers report that it positively influences their perceptions when companies respond to negative reviews. Not because there was a solution, but because you listened. It’s not the award or the badge that matters, but showing credibility through responses.

The Trust Collapse

Something significant happened in 2025 that will reshape employer branding in the coming years. The Edelman Trust Barometer registered a three-point drop in employer trust. This is significant in the universe of institutional trust. This metric has been a consistent indicator of institutional trust for the past decade. It marks the first draw-down we've seen in employer trust in the barometer's history.

This drop coincided with layoffs, return-to-office mandates, and the adoption of transformative AI. There was a noticeable increase in 'disconnect' in employee sentiment towards senior leadership, up 24% year-over-year in 2025.

The layoffs happened, and the trust collapsed. None of it was prevented by the awards. None of it was insulated by the badges. None of it will be undone by the next round of executive speeches on culture.

Essentially, executives discovered the same lesson that employees had known all along: there’s often a huge disconnect between what leaders say and employee experience. Culture can change with terrifying speed.

What Matters

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not suggesting that these awards don't matter. They do, but they shouldn't be your priority investment. They can support building one part of a credibility pattern but cannot stand alone to build trust.

Let me tell you what truly matters for building credibility:

Employees who refer candidates to the company are four times more likely to convert than other sources. They are trusted sources of information. The candidate they refer has been informed by someone they know and trust. That person knows what to expect because they heard it from someone they believe.

This credibility is earned by building a workplace that your employees are excited to talk about. They should be willing to refer their network and believe in your organization even in the face of adversity. It means that when restructuring begins, their willingness to refer doesn’t change because they trust in the long-term vision of your company.

During challenging times, it’s more about the people’s experience than marketing messages. How you treated people, whether you communicated clearly, offered support, and were honest about difficult choices—these are what truly matter.

The Transparency Playbook

When it comes to your own approach, treat your people as stakeholders, not as spokespeople. The difference between the two is significant and defines everything you need to recalibrate your approach to employer branding.

Be open and transparent with your people. Don’t shroud your strategies in secrecy, especially during difficult transitions.

Be real and candid about your intentions, even when they are unpleasant. Acknowledge past mistakes and the changes you are making to course-correct. Invest in building a visible employee experience, not a curated one. The stories your employees tell each other about your leadership during dark hours matter far more than the shiny pictures your marketing team posts on social media.

Invest in your **employee advocacy program**, with the same seriousness you’d invest in a campaign to win an award.

The Inescapable Question

Here’s the question I want HR leaders to think about honestly and without hedging: If your employees are not referring candidates to your company, are not encouraging their network to apply for jobs, and are not remaining loyal during difficult transitions, what exactly is an award certifying?

I think you know the answer.

The credential is what your people believe. It’s the one that ultimately drives your ability to attract talent. That should matter the most.

So, the question isn't whether you can get an award, but whether you are building the culture your employees would actually recommend.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while awards can provide a momentary boost to your employer brand, they are not a substitute for genuine employee engagement and trust. Building a workplace culture that employees are proud of is the key to long-term success. It’s about creating an environment where people feel valued, heard, and respected. When you achieve that, the awards will follow naturally.