Ask HN: Companies that advertise being a "best place to work", is it a red flag?

You should look at the organization / methodology of the survey, but generally it's a positive to get ranked IMO. I used to get surveys these yearly at a past job from the Boston Globe / Best Places to Work and it was basically a third-party email to all employees with a survey you'd fill out.

The most anyone could realistically ask you to do was please fill out the survey positively to try and support the company if you believe it's a best place to work and remind more people to complete the surveys. I don't think companies are really out here trying to game the more reputable surveys, and it would be pretty easily for single employees to defect/report if they were. They also required some level of basic written comments from employees.

Probably a mild green flag for quality of life / general happiness from current employees for the past year.

I never trust surveys of companies even if it is a reputable 3rd party. There are too many ways to game such systems. If I wanted real answers I would find out who works in the group(s) I might end up in and reach out to them via email if I can and then set up a call. I would be honest and say I do not trust surveys of "best places to work" and would happily sign an NDA to not share their brutally honest answers. Even that I would take with a grain of salt as they may think it is a test or trap.

Convincing current employees may work on those that are isolated but if one works in a toxic environment they will likely know it. There was a time I would have semi-trusted sites like f'd company of long ago but those get infiltrated, sued and ultimately compromised by corporations that do not like people airing their dirty laundry and also gamified by their competitors.

If a new position turns out to be a crap-show I would just leave and not add it to my CV. If an individual manager is the issue, those come and go. I have found it very easy to make them explore new opportunities.

I consider it a small green flag, if the award is from somewhere semi-reputable.

I've worked at places where employee surveys were done by the 3rd party to decide on winners. Companies that know they mistreat their employees won't bother and some companies will have management surprised when they find out how poorly their employees rated them on those surveys.

I don't think of it as really being a big positive, but it at least weeds out many of the worst.

It's usually not a green flag. Most of those "best place to work" certifications require compensation or other hand-greasing to acquire.

Amazon added to its list of Leadership Principals “Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer”…

Not a green flag. It is pay to play insignia.

null signal. totally meaningless.

Marketing cost vs improved hiring, comp, quality of life, etc (which is expensive and hard).