The award is based on an anonymous and representative survey of FreiLacke employees. The topics of the survey include trust in managers, team spirit, fairness, appreciation, respect and identification with the company. In addition, management is asked as part of a culture audit what measures and programs have been set up to create an attractive workplace culture.  

German companies of all sizes and from all industries took part in the current Great Place To Work® national „Best Workplaces in Germany 2026“ list . They voluntarily submitted to an independent assessment of their workplace culture by the Great Place To Work ® Institute and the verdict of their own employees. The list of the best employers was determined from the overall field of participants (benchmarking differentiated by company size). 

Partners of the “Best Workplaces in Germany ” list, which has been held annually since 2002, are Handelsblatt, Personalmagazin, Das Demographie Netzwerk e. V. (ddn) and Initiative Ludwig-Erhard-Preis (ILEP). 

“It is impressive how consistently and sustainably the participating companies in the Great Place To Work ® initiative regularly gather feedback from their employees in order to further develop their company, and this in a market environment that is sometimes so volatile”, says Andreas Schubert, Managing Director at Great Place To Work ® Germany. “The fact that they made it onto the list of the best out of over 1,000 participating companies shows the top quality in terms of the workplace culture they have in place.” 

Employee feedback was reviewed, and measures such as new break areas, the modernization of the company cafeteria, and workplace improvements were developed and implemented in project teams.  

“It was important for us to work together with our employees to further optimize our already strong results, to continue improving our workplace and corporate culture. Good working conditions and motivated employees are also key factors for creating high-quality, innovative products for our customers,” says Managing Director Dr. Rainer Frei. 

Frank Hauser, Managing Director of the German Great Place to Work® Institute, shares this view: “The award recognizes a workplace culture characterized by a high degree of trust, pride, and team spirit. Attractive working conditions and a supportive culture of collaboration are key to economic success and to tackling the major challenges of the future.”