Shaping blueprint of exceptional workplaces: Great Place To Work unveils Sri Lanka’s 40 Best Workplaces for 2025

In its 13th consecutive year of championing exceptional workplace culture, Great Place To Work Sri Lanka has officially unveiled its eagerly awaited list of the 40 Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka for 2025. 

The announcement follows a rigorous, year-long study conducted from April 2024 to March 2025, surveying over 78,000 employees across 170 organisations through 130 assessments, representing 20+ industries. With an impressive average response rate of 89%, the study continues to contribute to the world’s largest ongoing research on workplace culture.

This year’s Best Workplaces are selected across four categories — Large, Medium, Small, and Micro — using the globally validated Great Place To Work For All methodology. 

Organisations earn their place on the list through a rigorous and globally validated two-part assessment process designed to capture both employee experience and organisational culture. At the core is the Trust Index survey, contributing 75% of the evaluation, which measures employee perceptions of trust, pride, and camaraderie. This is complemented by the Culture Audit, which accounts for 25%, assessing the effectiveness of people practices that foster a consistently high-trust and engaging work environment.

A strict anonymity policy ensures employees can provide honest feedback without being identified. Before the survey, clear guidelines and an anonymous hotline are provided. Afterward, audits such as random calls and onsite checks verify the survey’s integrity, ensuring results genuinely reflect employee experiences.

To be eligible, organisations must be registered in Sri Lanka, have a minimum of 20 employees, be Great Place To Work Certified by achieving a minimum of 70% on the Trust Index employee experience survey and complete the submission of Culture Audit. 

The 2025 study revealed several key insights into what sets the Best Workplaces apart. Pride emerged as the strongest driver of employee engagement, highlighting the deep sense of connection individuals feel toward their organisations. 

While fairness ranked lowest among positive perception areas, the Best Workplaces still outperformed others — particularly in fairness in profit sharing, where they demonstrated a clear advantage. 

Encouragingly, the sentiment toward long-term association improved significantly among the Best this year compared to last year’s Best, top-performing companies, suggesting a more positive workplace climate. 

However, performance management and the work environment continue to be priority areas for development across the board. Additionally, compensation was flagged as the most critical concern among employees in organisations not featured on the list. 

Notably, among the Best Workplaces, managers being seen as role models stood out as the key driver of employees’ emotional connection with the organisation. More information can be obtained through the study report available at www.greatplacetowork.lk.

The 2025 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka will be honoured at a gala on 24 September, following the Great Place To Work Regional Conference on 23 September, which offers knowledge-sharing sessions with actionable culture-building insights.

This year’s study underscores workplace culture as a business imperative, highlighting trust, leadership, and inclusion as keys to success, and providing a blueprint for leaders to foster thriving work environments.

“Through this study, we aim to inspire leaders to build cultures where trust and performance go hand in hand. By showcasing what the best do differently, we hope to enable more organisations on their journey to become truly great places to work and in turn, contribute to making Sri Lanka a great place to work for all,” said Great Place To Work Sri Lanka Director/CEO Kshanika Ratnayaka.

Amid evolving employee expectations and rapid change, the 2025 Great Place To Work study offers a timely guide for building resilient, people-first workplaces.