Workforce Research Group

What Workforce Research Group does

Workforce Research Group (WRG) is a Humble, Texas-based employer recognition and workplace assessment company founded in 2021 by Peter Burke, who previously spent 17 years at Best Companies Group. The company operates "Best Places to Work" programs in partnership with 40+ business publications across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, serving two complementary customer segments: publication partners (B2B) that co-brand and promote the programs, and employer organizations (B2C) that register for participation to obtain third-party workplace validation for recruitment and retention purposes.

The company's core methodology is a structured survey and assessment framework weighted 80% on employee survey responses and 20% on employer-provided assessment, evaluated across nine standardized focus areas that include benefits, leadership, corporate culture, and work environment. Programs are delivered under co-branded publication umbrellas (for example, Modern Healthcare, Ad Age, Pensions & Investments, and The NonProfit Times for industry verticals, plus regional programs such as Seattle, Phoenix, Utah, and Ottawa). The business model is asset-light and revenue is generated through per-program employer registration fees (approximately Can$920 to Can$1,205 per participating employer depending on the program), layered add-on services such as advanced reporting (Can$600-$1,100 each), and a Custom Projects service for bespoke research beyond the standardized survey offering.

WRG operates with a lean team of approximately 11 members and is organized as a privately held LLC. The company has not disclosed any external funding rounds, indicating a bootstrapped growth posture. Competitive position rests on the breadth of its publication network, the credibility derived from the founder's industry tenure, and the longitudinal benchmark data accumulated across thousands of participating employers and standardized focus areas.

Name

Workforce Research Group

Legal name

Workforce Research Group, LLC

Website

https://workforcerg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Workforce Research Group operates "Best Places to Work" employer recognition programs in partnership with 40+ business publications across the US, Canada, and UK, serving employer organizations seeking third-party workplace validation through employee surveys and employer assessments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Humble

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Participation Fees: Employers pay participation fees to join Best Places to Work programs. Fees vary by number of eligible employees and geographic location (e.g., Ottawa program: Can$920 for 15-24 employees, up to Can$1,205 for 1,000+ employees). Includes standard reporting package.
2. Advanced Reporting Add-ons: Additional paid services including Key Impact Analysis (Can$1,100), Response Detail Report (Can$600), Sorted Employee Verbatims (Can$600), and Re-Sorted Workforce Feedback Reports (variable pricing).
3. Survey Customization Services: Fees for custom language translations (Can$295 per language), increased sample sizes (Can$2.50 per extra online survey), and custom survey question additions.
4. Custom Survey Projects: Employee engagement surveys and reporting projects conducted independently of Best Programs for organizations seeking standalone workplace feedback.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Workforce Research Group administers employer recognition programs and workplace assessment services, primarily through Best Places to Work programs operated in partnership with business publications. Its core deliverables include the WRG Employer Assessment (20% weight) and the WRG Employee Feedback Survey (80% weight), with results delivered via an Employee Feedback Data Dashboard covering quantitative results, employee verbatims, benchmark comparisons, and optional advanced reporting add-ons. The company also offers standalone employee surveys, benchmark reporting, and speaking engagements independent of the recognition programs.

Product overview

Workforce Research Group operates a platform-based portfolio of employer recognition programs and workplace assessment services. The core offering consists of "Best Places to Work" programs—over 40 distinct regional, state, city, and industry-specific recognition initiatives conducted in partnership with business publications. These programs evaluate employers using a two-part methodology: the WRG Employer Assessment (20% weight) covering benefits, policies, and practices, combined with the WRG Employee Feedback Survey (80% weight) covering nine workplace dimensions. Participants receive the Employee Feedback Data Dashboard as a core deliverable, with optional Advanced Reporting add-ons. WRG also offers standalone Employee Surveys and Benchmark Reporting services for organizations outside the recognition programs, along with Speaking Engagements for professional associations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Best Places to Work Programs A portfolio of over 40 employer recognition programs operated in partnership with business publications and media outlets across the US, Canada, and UK. The programs assess organizations through employer questionnaires (20%) and employee surveys (80%) to identify and rank top workplace cultures.
• Employee Surveys Administered employee feedback surveys available independently of Best Places to Work programs, covering nine focus areas: General Employee Experience, Role Satisfaction, Communication and Workplace Culture, Supervisor Relationship, Training/Technology/Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership, Benefits, and Work-Life Balance.
• Benchmark Reporting Custom engagement and workplace satisfaction benchmarking services offered to organizations outside of Best Places to Work programs, using WRG's survey and reporting tools.
• Custom Survey Projects Employee engagement surveys and reporting projects conducted independently of Best Places to Work programs for organizations seeking standalone workplace feedback.
• Speaking Engagements Workshops, keynote addresses, and presentations delivered by WRG professionals to groups of employers and professional associations about attributes of award-winning workplaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of scoring based on employee survey responses, ensuring employee voice is primary factor in rankings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• The NonProfit TimescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 July 2026WRG conducts employee surveys and administers the ranking process for The NonProfit Times' annual Best Nonprofits to Work For program, which recognizes top 50 nonprofit employers nationwide based on workplace culture, leadership, diversity, and professional development.
• Orange County Business JournalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 July 2026WRG partners with Orange County Business Journal to conduct assessments and produce the annual Best Places to Work in Orange County ranking, evaluating workplace policies (20%) and employee survey responses (80%).
• Orange County Business JournalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 July 2026County-wide awards program established in 2009, determining winners through two-part evaluation assessing workplace practices and employee experience.
• Cannabis Business TimescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 June 2026WRG partners with Cannabis Business Times for the 8th annual 'Best Cannabis Companies to Work For' program, ranking companies based on leadership input (20%) and anonymous employee feedback (80%). Open to U.S. and Canadian cannabis businesses with at least 10 employees.
• Modern HealthcarecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 May 2026WRG partners with Modern Healthcare to conduct extensive employee surveys for the annual Best Places to Work in Healthcare ranking, recognizing healthcare employers for outstanding workplace practices.
• Ad AgecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 January 2026WRG conducts the annual Ad Age Best Places to Work ranking, evaluating companies based on employee survey responses (80%) and employer questionnaires covering pay, benefits, culture, and leadership. Recognizes 50 companies in the advertising industry.
• Ad AgecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 January 20262026 honorees include 25 companies with 151+ employees and 25 with 150 or fewer employees, all headquartered in the U.S., identified amid industry challenges including economic uncertainty, AI adoption, and shifts in DEI efforts.
• Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ)regionalGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026WRG partners with Ottawa Business Journal as program partner for Best Places to Work in Ottawa program, which recognizes top employers in the Ottawa region.
• Ottawa BotregionalGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026WRG partners with Ottawa Bot as program partner for Best Places to Work in Ottawa program.
• Pensions & InvestmentscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 December 2025WRG partners with Pensions & Investments for the annual 'Best Places to Work in Money Management' survey, with employee surveys comprising 80% of evaluation score. Winning companies demonstrate commitment to workplace culture supporting retention and business success.
• Modern HealthcarecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 October 2025Chartis has been recognized for tenth time as a best place to work in healthcare by Modern Healthcare, reflecting strong employee satisfaction and industry leadership with over 1,350 professionals serving more than 900 clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Best Companies Group: Best Companies Group is the direct predecessor firm that WRG's founder led for 17 years. It administers essentially the same Best Places to Work programs with publishers and conducts the same employee survey methodology, making it the most direct competitor.
• Energage (Top Workplaces): Energage powers the USA Today Top Workplaces programs and other media-affiliated employer recognition rankings, using employee surveys and benchmark reporting. It is the most operationally similar direct peer to WRG's media-partner model.
• Great Place to Work: Great Place to Work administers globally recognized 'Best Workplaces' certification programs using a similar employee-survey-driven methodology and partners with publishers such as Fortune. It directly competes with WRG in the employer recognition category.
• Quantum Workplace: Quantum Workplace provides employee engagement surveys, benchmarking, and Best Places to Work program administration (e.g., for the Des Moines Register). It overlaps WRG in both methodology and the publisher-partnership business model.
• Culture Amp: Culture Amp is an employee experience platform offering engagement surveys, benchmarks, and analytics to mid-market and enterprise HR teams. It overlaps WRG's custom survey and benchmark reporting services for HR buyers.
• Peakon (Workday): Peakon, now part of Workday, provides continuous employee listening, engagement surveys, and benchmarking for enterprises. It is comparable to WRG's custom employee survey and analytics practice but is integrated into a larger HCM platform.

Broad incumbents

• Gallup: Gallup is a large-scale research and consulting firm best known for the Q12 employee engagement survey and broader workplace analytics. It overlaps WRG on employee survey administration and benchmark data, though at much greater scale and breadth.
• SurveyMonkey: SurveyMonkey is a broad survey platform used by enterprises and HR teams for employee feedback and market research. It competes with WRG at the survey-administration layer and offers enterprise HR benchmarking features.

Emerging players

• Officevibe (Limeade): Officevibe, part of Limeade, provides lightweight employee engagement surveys and analytics for SMB and mid-market employers. It overlaps WRG's custom employee engagement survey practice in a more SaaS-native delivery model.
• TINYpulse: TINYpulse offers anonymous employee pulse surveys, engagement analytics, and best-place-to-work certification tooling. It is comparable to WRG's employee survey and benchmarking capability, particularly for SMB and mid-market buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Workforce Research Group