Stage 6
The controlled certification decision
A certification decision is never automatic and never commercial. It is taken by an authorised decision-maker, on the record, using the assessment result and the evidence review — not the assessor's opinion and not the organisation's intent.
Decision inputs
Three inputs, reviewed together.
The decision file brings the assessment result, the evidence review and the employee experience evidence into one record so alignment — or the absence of it — is visible.
- STEP 01
Assessment result
Dimension-level results across the eight Excellence Dimensions, with the scoring record and any conditions or gaps raised during assessment.
- STEP 02
Evidence review
The completeness, authenticity and currency of submitted evidence — policies, records, governance minutes and operating practice — reviewed against the published requirements.
- STEP 03
Employee experience alignment
Anonymised employee experience findings compared with organisational intent and documented workplace reality, using the WWEC Workplace Excellence Truth Map™ views.
Decision rules
What a decision-maker must confirm.
| Check | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Scope integrity | The certified scope matches the entities, sites and workforce populations actually assessed. |
| Evidence sufficiency | Every requirement is supported by current, verifiable evidence, not by declaration alone. |
| Alignment | Organisational intent, workplace reality and employee experience are consistent within the assessed scope. |
| Independence | No assessor or reviewer with a declared conflict of interest took part in the decision. |
| Threshold | The assessment result meets the published requirements for the WWEC Women-Centred Workplace™ Certification. |
Outcomes
Four possible decisions.
Each outcome is recorded with reasons, is communicated to the authorised representative and may be appealed within 15 days.
- STEP 01
Certified
The organisation meets the requirements within the defined scope. A certificate is issued for a Certification Validity Period: 1 Year, and the listing is published to the certified workplaces directory.
- STEP 02
Certified with conditions
Requirements are met, with specified improvement actions to be evidenced within an agreed period. Failure to evidence the actions places the certification under review.
- STEP 03
Deferred
Evidence is incomplete or unresolved. The file remains open, the outstanding items are specified, and the decision is retaken once they are addressed.
- STEP 04
Not certified
The requirements are not met within the proposed scope. The organisation receives the reasons, the improvement priorities and the earliest reapplication point.
After the decision
Verification, listing and renewal.
A certified organisation appears in the public directory with its scope, status and validity period, and any third party can verify the certificate independently. Improvement and renewal then continue the WWEC Workplace Excellence System™ cycle.
A certification decision applies only to the scope stated on the certificate and only for the stated validity period. No application, assessment result or package selection creates an entitlement to certification.