Manchester, United Kingdom Jul 13, 2026 (Issuewire.com) Ahead of its public launch, the Culture Credibility Calculator was piloted with organisations across the education, healthcare, housing, charity, technology, public and private sectors.
Through the pilot, Lion & Mouse found that while many organisations are investing in workplace culture, relatively few currently demonstrate the internal conditions needed to communicate confidently about it externally. Almost half of participating organisations were classified as ‘Early Stage’ in their public culture readiness, with only two organisations achieving the highest ‘Ready to Lead’ rating.
Rather than measuring policies or initiatives alone, the free assessment explores the underlying conditions that shape workplace culture, examining leadership, psychological safety, shared purpose, employee experience and organisational values through the Five Conditions of Belonging framework.
Developed by employer branding specialist, Lion & Mouse, the Culture Credibility Calculator has been created as the first step in helping organisations understand whether the culture they communicate through their employer brand and wider organisational messaging is genuinely reflected in employees’ day-to-day experiences.
Lion & Mouse says the findings should not be viewed as a measure of organisational success or failure, but as an indication that many employers are still at the beginning of their culture journey.
Rebecca Adams, founder of Lion & Mouse, said:
“Culture and employer branding have become two of the most talked-about topics in business, but many organisations are still unsure whether the employee experience genuinely reflects the values they’re communicating publicly.”
“Workplace culture is shaped by the everyday experiences employees have at work; how leaders behave, whether people feel safe to speak up, how decisions are made, whether values are lived consistently and whether people genuinely feel they belong.
“The calculator isn’t designed to provide all the answers. It’s designed to start the right conversations.
“Real culture transformation doesn’t happen because an organisation receives a score or downloads a report. It happens when leaders use those insights to make deliberate changes to behaviours, systems and decision-making over time.
“Our ambition is to help organisations move beyond asking ‘What initiatives should we introduce?’ to asking ‘What kind of workplace experience are we creating every day?’”
The launch comes as organisations with 250+ employees prepare for increased scrutiny around workplace accountability, including anticipated mandatory Equality Action Plans linked to gender pay gap reporting from 2027 onwards.
Earlier this year, the UK government announced new voluntary gender pay gap and menopause action plans for employers with 250 or more staff, with plans expected to become mandatory from spring 2027. The guidance encourages organisations not only to publish pay gap data, but to evidence meaningful action, accountability and workplace support measures. (GOV.UK)
Users receive a Public Culture Readiness Score alongside tailored recommendations designed to help identify priorities for further exploration. Lion & Mouse stresses that the assessment is intended as a diagnostic starting point rather than a standalone solution, with the aim of encouraging deeper organisational reflection and long-term culture transformation.
The calculator has also received backing from Women’s Leadership Group (WLG), with Chair and Fellow FCIPD, Vicky Brook, supporting the need for organisations to take a more evidence-led approach to workplace culture.
Vicky Brook said:
“Culture and belonging should never be left to assumption or perception alone. In a workplace environment increasingly shaped by rapid change, AI advancement and evolving employee expectations, organisations need honest insight into how people truly experience their culture.
“Strong cultures do not happen by chance. They are intentionally built through accountability, leadership, inclusion and genuine commitment to people. This tool helps organisations ask the questions that matter and turn insight into meaningful action.”
The assessment also considers organisational context, including sector, company size, leadership responsibility and wider workplace pressures, helping organisations understand the factors that may be influencing employee expectations and organisational credibility.
The pilot marks the first phase of an ongoing research project. Lion & Mouse is now inviting organisations across the UK to take part in the next stage, with the aim of creating one of the country’s largest benchmarks exploring the relationship between workplace culture, belonging and organisational reputation.
Adams added:
“As AI, automation and public scrutiny continue to reshape the workplace, trust is becoming one of an organisation’s most valuable assets.
“Employer branding and organisational reputation can no longer be viewed simply as communications activities. They’re shaped by the experiences employees have every day.”
“Our hope is that this pilot encourages organisations to see culture not as a project to complete, but as an ongoing organisational capability that deserves the same strategic attention as financial performance, customer experience or operational excellence.”
Organisations can complete the Culture Credibility Calculator free here.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Lion & Mouse is a UK culture and communications consultancy specialising in organisational culture, belonging, reputation and strategic communications.
The Culture Credibility Calculator is a free online diagnostic designed to help organisations evaluate the credibility of their workplace culture before communicating publicly about values, inclusion, wellbeing and social impact. It forms the first stage of Lion & Mouse’s wider organisational culture transformation methodology, built around the Five Conditions of Belonging.
The pilot involved 18 organisations from the education, healthcare, housing, charity, technology, public and private sectors. Lion & Mouse is now inviting organisations across the UK to participate in the next phase of the research.
Women’s Leadership Group (WLG) is a professional leadership network focused on inclusion, workplace culture and women’s leadership development.
Media enquiries
Rebecca Adams
Founder, Lion & Mouse
hello@lionandmouse.co.uk
lionandmouse.co.uk
Source :Lion & Mouse
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