About
The Inspiring
Workplaces Group
Recognising and Certifying PeopleFirst Culture Worldwide
The Inspiring Workplaces Group is a global organisation dedicated to recognising and setting the standard for PeopleFirst culture.
For over a decade, we have worked with thousands of organisations across the world: identifying, celebrating and certifying workplaces where people and performance thrive together.
We exist to elevate workplace culture by recognising organisations that place their people at the heart of their strategy.
Why PeopleFirst Culture matters & What we do
The world of work has changed.
- AI is accelerating transformation.
- Workforces are decentralised.
- Trust in leadership is under scrutiny.
- Talent expectations are rising.
In this environment, culture is no longer a soft differentiator. It is a strategic lever.
Organisations that build belief in leadership, foster belonging and create opportunities for growth consistently outperform.
PeopleFirst culture drives resilience, engagement and long-term success.
Our role is to recognise organisations meeting that standard.
We recognise PeopleFirst organisations through two distinct and complementary routes:
Certified PeopleFirst™
This is a global workplace culture certification and employee engagement benchmark designed for forward-thinking organisations.
We independently measure whether your people:
- Believe in the values and direction of the organisation
- Belong by feeling valued and connected at work
- Grow through opportunity, autonomy and continuous development
For organisations seeking independent culture accreditation beyond legacy “best workplace” models, Certified PeopleFirst™ sets a new standard grounded in intrinsic motivation and employee insight.
If the defined scoring standard is met, certification is awarded at Silver, Gold or Platinum level.
Inspiring Workplaces Awards
Tell us your workplace culture story
The Inspiring Workplaces Awards honour organisations that place their people at the heart of their strategy and demonstrate excellence in culture, leadership, wellbeing, inclusion and employee experience.
Since 2015, organisations from every continent have entered, shared their stories and been recognised on regional and global stages. Elevating their employer brand and reputation.
Through a structured written submission and independent expert judging process, organisations share how they embed PeopleFirst values into measurable outcomes and sustainable success.
Winners earn the coveted Inspiring Workplaces Awards badge & trophy — symbols of trust, purpose and PeopleFirst leadership — and are celebrated on both regional and global stages.
- Tell us your story.
- Be recognised & celebrated.
- Inspire your people and workplaces everywhere.
Our Authority
Inspiring Workplaces was established in 2015 and has since recognised thousands of organisations globally.
Certified PeopleFirst™ was developed from the insights gathered through a decade of award entries. Shaped by real-world PeopleFirst leadership across industries and regions.
We operate internationally, supporting organisations of all sizes seeking credible workplace recognition.
Our Standard
We believe high-performing organisations are built on intrinsic motivation, not simply incentives.
When people:
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Believe in leadership
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Feel they belong
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Have the opportunity to grow
Performance becomes sustainable.
Through our Certification and Awards, we recognise organisations building cultures where people and performance succeed together.
A Global Community Committed to Better Work
Inspiring Workplaces was founded on a simple belief: we can change the world through the world of work.
While we recognise organisations through Certification and Awards, our free community is open to all professionals committed to building better workplace cultures.
Through events, thought leadership and shared insight, we connect organisations, leaders and practitioners who believe people and performance should go hand in hand.
Our Team
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Matt was born into a half English/ half Irish media-obsessed family. A journalist grandfather, a grandmother who said he was blessed by the blarney and a father who led a top communications agency. So storytelling has always been very important to him.
He followed in his family’s footsteps for the first ten years of his career, living and working in London, Sydney and Boston helping organizations communicate with their customers. It was near the end of this period he began focusing on the CX and ultimately the number one influence on it…the employee experience.
The lack of appreciation of and investment in the EX by leaders and businesses drove Matt to invest all he had in the world to create The Employee Engagement Awards. To recognize and tell the stories of those that dared to try new things. Things that would enhance the people experience for the benefit of both them and the organization. Over five years The EE Awards expanded around the world and evolved into much more than just engagement and awards. Evolving into a global community, an academy, a content hub, events, a foundation and it also did awards.
So in 2020 it felt right to bring it all together in a new home called, Inspiring Workplaces. An organization that wants to change the world, with you, through the world of work.
Matthew Manners
Founder & CEO
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Crispin’s passion lies in helping people to realise their potential, and organisations to create inspiring workplaces.
He founded Onva, his consultancy, to help organisations achieve their goals by providing the leadership required to create a happy and productive workplace. As a result, he works closely with senior and team leaders to hone their leadership and communication skills and to give them the tools to be more effective and successful. His approach embraces proven neuroscience and behavioural profiling so that people can understand how to create a positive impact on those around them. As a result, he is welcomed as an adviser, mentor and coach for senior leaders. He has over 30 years running both public and private businesses and leading Boards of membership organisations.
Crispin Manners
Chairman
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As the daughter of an English/ Irish father and an Assyrian mother, Aimee has always been fascinated by culture and language and how that influences your outlook on the world. This has developed into a passion for learning peoples stories, backgrounds, passions, what makes them unique, and finding ways that they can bring that into the workplace. What drives and inspires Aimee is being a part of a world of work that celebrates differences.At inspiring workplaces Aimee is responsible for the community and content, sharing the stories and connecting of the 1000’s of faces that believe in changing the world through the world of work.Aimee O’Leary
Head of Awards, Events and Partnerships
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Marta Muir
Head of Community and Content