Transparent by design.
Every badge is derived from the public formulas on this page. No black box, no editorial judgment, no paid override — just math anyone can independently recompute.
Same inputs always produce the same score. No editorial weighting, no hidden knobs.
Every formula, threshold, and weight is documented on this page. Changes ship with a version bump.
Employers cannot pay for placement, removals, or a better score — zero exceptions since day one.
Every certificate carries a QR code and public verification URL returning the underlying record.
Scoring formula
Each employee rates all 15 categories on a 1–5 scale. We average all category ratings for an overall score, then convert to a 0–100% employee satisfaction figure. Nothing else influences the number.
satisfaction_% = (overall_score / 5) × 100
verdict = satisfaction_% ≥ 75 ? "Good" : "Worst"
Skipped categories drop out of the mean — they don't count as zeros.
Verdict threshold
Employees report a healthy workplace. Certificate valid 12 months.
Employees flag serious issues. Certificate remains until a re-survey inverts the verdict.
Time-decay weighting
Recent employee experience matters more than ancient history. Older reviews are down-weighted so a badge always reflects the current reality.
Sample floor
A certificate only issues after 3+ verified employee submissions. Below the floor, the organization's profile shows a "building consensus" banner and no badge. Individual outliers dissolve into the mean once enough employees have submitted.
15 categories measured
Every category is weighted equally — no dimension counts more than another.
Fraud & manipulation controls
Only work-email addresses matching the organization's domain can submit. Personal emails are rejected before insert.
Certificates only issue after ≥ 3 verified employee submissions. Below that, profiles show a 'building consensus' banner.
A one-way hashed IP fingerprint blocks the same reviewer from stuffing multiple submissions.
An automated toxicity + coordinated-submission detector flags suspicious clusters for human review. AI never overrides ratings.
Appeals & disputes
- Employers can submit evidence of coordinated bad-faith submissions or a material factual error to appeals@worstworkplace.com.
- Verified appeals trigger a full re-audit within 14 days; results are attached to the certificate record for transparency.
- Content-policy removals (identifying details, hate speech, defamation) are handled inside 48 hours.
- Disagreement with a rating is never grounds for removal — the mean of many submissions is designed to dilute individual bias.
- Worst-rated organizations can request a re-survey after documented change; a fresh, verified window replaces the old score.
Version history
Every methodology change ships with a version bump and a dated changelog. Old certificates keep their original version stamp.
Verify a certificate in seconds.
Enter a certificate number or scan the QR code from any published badge.