The Best Small & Medium Workplaces™ in Europe highlight organisations setting the standard for great workplace cultures across the continent. Despite ongoing economic challenges, these organisations find meaningful ways to support their people, proving that a strong foundation of trust is key to long-term business success
This year’s list celebrates 100 organisations chosen from feedback representing over 2.7 million employees across Europe. To be considered, companies first earned a spot on their national Best Workplaces™ list – in Ireland, the Best Workplaces in Ireland™ 2025 – and have between 50 and 499 employees in Europe. We’re proud to see three Irish companies – Distilled, Cloudera, and Cairn Homes – recognised among Europe’s best. Below, we explore how each is investing in their people to build thriving, trust-based cultures.
Europe’s Best Small & Medium Workplaces in 2025 are proving that when people feel welcome, they stay and thrive. 98% of employees say they were made to feel welcome from day one of joining their organisation, and 95% are proud to tell others where they work — making these organisations natural magnets for talent.
Strong, empowering leadership fuels this culture: 95% trust management to let them do their jobs without micromanaging, and 89% are offered training and development opportunities to further themselves professionally. This combination of trust and investment in professional growth builds not just engaged employees but future-ready organisations that are shaping the future of work.
At Cloudera, ranked #13 on the list, AI isn’t about replacing people – it’s about giving them more time and space to do their best work. “If you have large scale processing jobs that require maximum uptime, this can supplement the human workforce,” said Jamie Griffin, VP of Global Commercial Operations, in our latest Best Workplaces report. “AI will continue its work, free from distractions. In some respects, AI enables us to have these distractions, such that we can communicate more freely, innovate on projects and build a better culture with our colleagues and friends.”
By integrating AI into day-to-day workflows, Cloudera helps its teams make faster, data-driven decisions, accelerating innovation while reducing risk. This approach allows employees to spend less time on manual tasks and more time engaging in meaningful problem-solving and creative work – a major draw for top talent looking for growth opportunities.
Cloudera’s investment in technology isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about shaping a future where people feel supported, inspired, and empowered. For current and prospective employees, that’s a powerful reason to stay – or join.
At Distilled, they believe that open communication and transparency is key to any Great workplace. The team achieve this by implementing regular check-ins with employees, encouraging feedback loops, and ensuring that leadership is approachable and actively engaged with their workforce. This approach not only enhances collaboration but also strengthens the overall morale and trust within the team, making it a core aspect of their organisational culture.
Distilled also organise regular wellness activities, providing employees with the support and resources they need to prioritise their physical and mental health on-site. All of this combined helps Distilled's team feel more connected, engaged and ready to give their best to perform within the organisation. It's no surprise then that Distilled have been named as a Best Workplace in Ireland, Best Workplace for Women, Best Workplace for Health & Wellbeing and Best Workplace in Tech in 2025 alone - marking a remarkable year of recognitions for the team.
Hear more on Distilled's Great culture in Chief People Officer Laura Doyle's podcast episode of The Red Cube 👇
Cairn Homes knows that strong leadership starts with a healthy workplace. Since joining the Great Place to Work journey in 2020, they’ve used employee feedback to shape initiatives that build resilience and support leaders to better care for their teams.
With 48 trained Mental Health First Aiders, dedicated mental health training for all people managers by 2025, and flexible working policies, Cairn is embedding wellbeing into its leadership culture. Quarterly wellness workshops, enhanced leave entitlements, and mindfulness campaigns all stem from listening to employee voices.
The impact is clear: in just three years, employees reporting Cairn as a psychologically healthy workplace rose by 11%, and those encouraged to balance their work and personal life increased by 21%. By putting wellbeing at the heart of leadership development, Cairn is creating a culture where both people and performance thrive. This commitment to trust and empowerment was reflected at the highest level earlier this year, with Cairn being recognised as a Best Workplace for Health & Wellbeing 2025, as well as CEO Michael Stanley named Most Trusted Leader 2025.
Check out more on Cairn's great culture in our report below 👇
Want to know what other Great companies were recognised?
Discover the full list of the Best Small & Medium Workplaces in Europe below 👇
About the Best Small & Medium Workplaces in Europe List
Great Place To Work selected the 2025 Best Small & Medium Workplaces in Europe List by analysing companies’ workplace programs and surveying over 1.5 million employees across multiple countries in the region. Of those, 300,000 responses came from companies eligible for the list, and this ranking is based on that feedback.
To be eligible for the Best Small & Medium Workplaces list, companies must be Great Place To Work Certified with between 50 and 499 employees in Europe, and be recognised on one or more Great Place To Work Best Workplaces lists in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, or the United Kingdom during 2024 or early 2025.
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. We help organisations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. We recognise Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in more than 60 countries.
To join the thousands of companies that have committed to building high-trust company cultures that help them attract, retain and take care of their people, contact us about getting Certified today.