Key Takeaways:
Wellbeing is not a soft tactic, but a key driver of organisational performance
The organisations on the 2026 UK's Best Workplace for Wellbeing List embed wellbeing in the everyday, starting with leadership behaviours
High-trust, high-wellbeing organisations like this year's listmakers see performance outcomes like productivity and agility double
Today we announced the UK's Best Workplaces for Wellbeing™ 2026. The organisations on this list create high-trust environments where employees feel seen, supported and safe to speak up. They are able to ask for help, manage pressure effectively, and sustain performance over time. See the full list.
This year’s list celebrates excellence across all organisation sizes and sectors.
The number one organisations in each category are:
To determine the UK's Best Workplaces for Wellbeing list, our Great Place to Work culture experts analysed thousands of employee surveys, assessing their holistic experiences of wellbeing at work through fundamental facets of employee wellbeing, including: work-life balance, sense of fulfilment, job satisfaction, and financial security.
At these organisations, wellbeing is not driven by programmes or policies alone. It is shaped by how leaders show up every day – in how they listen, respond, and make decisions.
"People take time to get to know you, and as a result, I feel my job is tailored very much to my strengths and the things I enjoy doing the most. I am thanked almost daily for doing my job, and always praised when I go above and beyond. I feel cared about and trusted, which is very important to me. I love working here and hope to stay here indefinitely. "
- Employee at Super Large UK's Best Workplace for Wellbeing
Across this year’s listmakers, the most effective organisations are embedding wellbeing through trusting relationships, thoughtful job design and leaders who consistently show care in how work happens. This looks like:
Making wellbeing safe to talk about: Leaders create frequent, visible opportunities for open conversation – from team discussions to direct access forums – where employees are listened to and see action taken. This consistency builds trust and encourages people to speak up early when it matters most.
Embedding care into everyday management: Wellbeing is delivered through managers, not just programmes. Regular check‑ins, coaching, and meaningful 1:1s ensure support is proactive, personal, and part of daily leadership behaviours.
Leading with flexibility, not just policy: Managers are trusted to respond to individual needs in real time – adjusting work, time, or support based on open conversations. This creates a culture where empathy is applied consistently, not only when processes allow it.
Creating connection that people can feel: A strong sense of belonging is built through everyday moments – recognition, shared experiences, and peer support – reinforcing that people are valued and cared for beyond their role.
Wellbeing is a culture outcome of high-trust leadership. When it is present, it underpins employees capacity to perform effectively, creates the conditions for productivity, resilience and agility, and ultimately fuels performance. This is the Great Place To Work Effect in action.
For leaders looking to enhance competitiveness and fuel growth, wellbeing cannot be ignored. In fact, new Great Place To Work research shows that employees at high-wellbeing organisations are 2x more more likely to say:
This is not coincidence: a high-trust, high-wellbeing environment fundamentally shapes how effectively work gets done – and whether people choose to stay. Discover more about how wellbeing fuels business performance in our latest report.