Best companies to work for in 2026: Codepoint earns Platinum certification
Codepoint, a Portuguese software development company, is among the best companies to work for in Portugal in 2026. We've received Platinum (HappyAtWork) certification in the ChooseMyCompany "Best Employers of 2026" rankings, in the small companies category (fewer than 25 employees). Platinum is the highest level of certification.
In 2023 we were named one of the best companies to work for in Braga, and in 2025 we were recognised as a TOP 5% SME in Portugal. But of all the recognition we've received, this is the one that means most to me. We didn't do the assessment. Our team did.
How does ChooseMyCompany certification work?
The rankings are based solely on what employees say. Between October 2025 and September 2026, the EmployeesIndex survey gathered 3,089 responses under the C-FAIRR protocol, and 73 companies were certified. Each person rates 24 statements about their work, from leadership to pay.
Certification looks at satisfaction, but also at participation rates and how willing people are to recommend their employer. Platinum requires a score above 400 out of 500.
Why do people stay at a company?
Expresso published an analysis of the results (full article, in Portuguese), and some of the findings are worth a closer look.
71% of employees would recommend their company as a place to work. That's a good figure, but it also means almost one in three isn't convinced.
What works well is the sense that the work matters: 83% feel what they do is useful and has an impact. Work-life balance (78%) and relationships with colleagues (76%) also score well.
The interesting part is that purpose and balance are among the factors least linked to recommending an employer. Because nearly everyone rates them highly, they no longer separate the people who feel connected to their company from those who don't.
What really counts is something else: trusting leadership, understanding decisions, knowing how to progress and seeing teams work well together. That's also where scores are lowest:
56% understand how they can progress in their career
54% understand the decisions their company makes
47% think different departments collaborate effectively
Pay is the weakest point in the study (40% feel their pay matches their responsibilities), but it isn't what ties people to a company most.
One more finding stood out to us: the best results came from very small teams of 10 to 30 people, where recommendation reached 100%.
What our team says
"It's rewarding to see this satisfaction shared across the whole team. The good atmosphere, the way we help each other and the technical curiosity we live day to day naturally show in the product we deliver to our clients."
Filipe Falcão, Senior Backend Engineer
"This recognition is the result of a close, committed team, a culture of trust and autonomy to grow, and a healthy balance between work and personal life."
Rita Sousa, Project Manager
"The good atmosphere and the supportive spirit we have make all the difference, both for how the company runs and for our place in this ranking."
Ana Carvalho, Software Engineer
"It's always good to see a genuinely welcoming place get the recognition it deserves. I really value the atmosphere within the team, and I think it shows in our results."
João Cunha, Junior Software Engineer
"We're a small, close-knit team, and it's really cool to see our work come to life in the products we launch."
Gabriela, Product Designer
What the team and the study have in common
Read next to the study, the team's words keep coming back to the same things. Those are exactly the factors the study links to people staying. Being small helps. In a team where everyone knows each other, a decision can be explained in a conversation and nobody needs to book a meeting to talk to leadership. But size alone guarantees nothing. Closeness only counts if it's used to listen, explain and show people a way forward.
What we're taking from this
A certification is a snapshot, not a finish line. The study points to three things we want to keep working on:
Explaining why decisions are made, not just announcing them.
Making each person's path clear. It isn't always a promotion: it can be training, a new project or more responsibility.
Getting engineering, design and project management working together from the start of every project.
We'll keep asking the team how we're doing. And listening to the answers.
Thank you to everyone who took the survey, and to everyone who makes Codepoint a good place to work every day.
