Controlled scheme document
WWEC Women-Centred Workplace™ Certification
This page is the authoritative summary of the flagship WWEC certification: who may apply, what must be evidenced, how the decision is taken, how long certification lasts and what a certified organisation must continue to do.
Trademark WWEC Women-Centred Workplace™ is a protected mark of the council. Use of any mark requires an active licence or written permission. Trademark & brand usage.
Validity
Certification Validity Period: 12 Months
WWEC Certification is valid for 12 months from its effective/issue date, subject to the certification status and scope shown in the official verification record. There is no automatic extension; continued certification after the validity period requires renewal/re-certification under the applicable WWEC procedure; it is not automatic.
Issued
By WWEC Certification Administration after a recorded positive decision of the Certification Decision Panel, for the confirmed scope only.
Maintained
Through continued conformity and notification of material change within 30 days.
Renewed
Only through reassessment. Renewal notification is sent 90 days before expiry.
A certificate that has expired, been suspended or been withdrawn confers no right to use any WWEC mark. Current status is always confirmed through Verify Certification.
Requirements
What must be met
All seven requirements apply. Meeting some of them does not create an entitlement to certification.
- STEP 01
1. Eligible applicant
A registered legal entity able to name an authorised representative. Eligibility, certification scope, workforce population and applicable evidence periods are determined in accordance with the current WWEC Certification Scheme and approved methodology.
- STEP 02
2. Defined scope
The certificate applies only to the legal entity, locations, business units and workforce populations confirmed by WWEC. Anything outside the confirmed scope is not certified.
- STEP 03
3. Evidence across eight dimensions
Documented policy, system and practice evidence for each of the eight WWEC dimensions, current at the time of assessment and traceable to a named owner.
- STEP 04
4. Employee experience input
A completed WWEC Employee Experience Survey for the in-scope population, meeting the approved minimum valid-response requirement for the eligible workforce in scope. Results are reported only in aggregate; subgroups below 5 valid responses are not reported separately.
- STEP 05
5. Assessment and scoring
A WWEC Authorised Assessor scores each applicable criterion 0–4 (converted to 0–100) across the eight equally weighted dimensions. A separate WWEC Certification Reviewer then reviews the file. Certification requires at least 70/100 overall, at least 50/100 in every dimension and all applicable Mandatory Requirements satisfied.
- STEP 06
6. Certification decision
Certification is granted only by decision of the WWEC Certification Decision Panel, taken separately from the commercial relationship and recorded with reasons. WWEC Certification Administration then issues the certificate. The WWEC Council governs the scheme and does not routinely make individual certification decisions.
- STEP 07
7. Ongoing obligations
Certified organisations must maintain conformity, notify WWEC of material change within 30 days, use the mark only within the certified scope, and cooperate with any complaint investigation.
Decision rules
Four possible outcomes
The council records one of four outcomes with reasons. Every outcome may be appealed within 15 calendar days of the decision date.
Certified
The applicable requirements are met for the defined scope. A certificate and mark licence are issued for a 12-month validity period.
Deferred
The evidence or survey input is insufficient to decide. The file remains open pending the specified submissions.
Not certified
The applicable requirements are not met. The organisation may reapply after addressing the recorded gaps.
Certification cannot be bought. Fees cover assessment and the services in the selected package; the certification decision is taken independently by the Womenians Workplace Excellence Council™.