How Culture Became The Catalyst For Hyva Group's Global Growth

Throughout their journey with Great Place To Work, Hyva Group has consistently improved their employee experience, seeing a positive impact on their bottom line alongside becoming a Certified™ great workplace in seven countries.

When Hyva launched its first Trust Index™ survey in 2022, engineering was at a crossroads.

Global supply chains were reeling from disruption caused by the COVID pandemic. Talent shortages were intensifying as pressure was mounting to innovate sustainably amidst increased digitalisation and AI adoption. For many multinational engineering firms, both tech and people became key challenges.

But at Hyva, leadership recognised that the key to navigating this complexity wasn’t just smarter systems or leaner operations. It was culture. And so, partnering with Great Place To Work®, the company began measuring what mattered most: trust, engagement, and the lived experience of its people.

Three years later, the results speak volumes.

VIEW THE JOURNEY See how culture became the catalyst for Hyva Group's continued growth and recognition.

Key Outcomes

+18pp increase in the Trust Index score in 3 years

60% of the global workforce with a tenure of 6-20+ years

Certified™ ‘great’ in seven countries

Listening was the start of Hyva’s culture transformation.

After surveying their global workforce, Hyva's results showed that while employees were proud of their work, they wanted more transparency, more recognition, and a stronger connection to leadership.

With this new insight into their people, supplemented by data-backed recommendations from their Great Place To Work consultant, Hyva's leaders turned insight into action. From 2022 to 2023, the company's Trust Index™ scores rose from 69% to 77%, reflecting a consistent upward trajectory in employee experience.

Year-on-Year Progress

Key highlights in Hyva's journey include:

+6 percentage points (pp) increase in the area of leadership effectiveness — as one employee put it: "Great leadership in terms of providing direction, open conversation and constructive feedback. Employees can conduct very open and transparent conversation with superiors; superiors' willingness to listen and accept feedback."
+10pp increase for learning and development
+6pp increase in values alignment across the organisation
+4pp increase in engagement

These cultural gains have gone hand-in-hand with business success. In 2024, Hyva surpassed $700 million in revenue and increased profitability, while achieving Great Place To Work Certification™ in seven countries.

In 2025, Hyva has been acquired by JOST World and will be integrated into its operations.

Culture shifts that made the difference

1. Leadership that builds trust

Employees now describe Hyva’s leaders as more approachable, transparent, and aligned. Confidence in the executive team’s judgement rose by 10pp over two years, with 51% of employees expressing a “great deal” of confidence.

Employees also gave high scores for management's approachability and having clear view of where the organisation is going. These are both signs of proximity leadership, a type of leadership that is fundamental to building high levels of trust between leaders and their teams through consistent, meaningful interactions — regardless of the working environment.

2. Communication and Transparency

Great workplaces share timely information through various channels and formats to promote transparency and help employees understand the bigger picture behind business decisions.

In 2023, Hyva transitioned from a regional business model to a Business Unit model, restructuring its operations to better align with product lines and global strategy. This change aimed to improve efficiency, foster innovation, and enhance customer focus across its markets.

At Hyva, employees appreciate management keeping them informed about important issues and changes in the organisation. But it's not a one-way street: 8 in 10 Hyva employees agree that management "genuinely seeks and responds to suggestions and ideas", and that they get "a straight answer" when asking management any reasonable question.

By continuously enhancing clarity and dialogue throughout the company, Hyva's leadership are seen as more credible and deserving of trust. This, in turn, leads to employees being more likely to feel involved with and driven to achieve organisational goals.

3. Development and recognition

Great companies ensure that there is clarity around their people's career progression, and that day-to-day recognition (formal or informal) becomes a part of the company’s culture, ensuring everyone receives special and equal acknowledgment for their contributions.

At Hyva, 8 in 10 employees agree that management shows a sincere interest in them as a person, not just an employee — up from 6 in 10 in 2022. More employees also feel they are offered training or development to further themselves professionally, and that people are trusted to do a good job without being micro-managed.

As one employee noted in their response to the confidential Trust Index survey:

"I feel welcome, appreciated and respected here. Things are not perfect but there is focus on keep improving in all aspects. Direct leadership understand times are challenging. The results [that the] team is being able to reach are recognised despite not yet [being] at the level we would like to reach. There is the understanding that this is a long marathon and not a sprint, and having things done in the correct way is key. Management cares about employees and in majority of the cases it happens also at other levels."

To learn more about Certification, watch our 7-minute webinar here.

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