Great Places to Work 2017 by Redactive Media Group

GREAT WORKPLACES Increasing returns Making the most of your employee engagement investment

Pick and mix Winning cultures at winning organisations

Life is sweet This year’s Best Workplaces™

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At McDonald’s we’re proud to employ great people who love their jobs. Some want to improve their prospects. Others want a job that ﬁts around family time. And some just want to earn a bit of extra cash working alongside friendly people. Everyone needs different things. But no matter who they are or where they’re going, they’ll ﬁnd a role that suits them here. Because whatever you want to get out of your career – with McDonald’s, you can.

mcdonalds.co.uk/people

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CONTENTS EDITORIAL Great Place to Work® UK and Redactive Media Group SALES MANAGER Sarah Walsh SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVES Lauren Matthews, Charles Boutwood PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Joanna Marsh EDITING AND DESIGN Anna Scott, Gene Cornelius, Sarah Campbell ANALYSIS Suzy Lee, Chris Caldwell, Kari Johannsen, Carlota Mohamed Wilson GREAT PLACE TO WORK® UK Adeola Taiwo, Alvin Ashford-Quaye, Amy Ong, Benedict Gautrey, Carlota Mohamad Wilson, Elliot Slade, Hayat Hamici, Helen Wright, Jason Hawes, Jonathan Reid, Kari Johannsen, Magda Parkinson, Mariana Skirmuntt, Marianna Roach, Mathew Hellela, Matthew Dunbar, Mukesh Sachdev, Musteyde Fikret, Natalie Grant, Nick Honour, Nicola Papenfus, Petrina Carmody, Phil Wilson, Sarah Akanbi, Seamus Robertson, Suzy Lee, Tom O’Byrne, Tugrul Bolayir, Zarah Patel PUBLISHED BY Redactive Media Group, 17-18 Britton Street, London, EC1M 5TP, Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200 PRINTED BY Wyndeham Peterborough FRONT COVER Alex Chilton Design PUBLISHED May 2017

Trust and engagement at the Best Workplaces™ The findings of our annual survey into trust and engagement levels. How much more willing are Best WorkplacesTM employees to go the extra mile than in other UK organisations? And how much more do they trust their bosses?

The top 5 drivers of trust There are five business and HR practices in particular that create the kind of environment where people can flourish. Here’s how Best WorkplacesTM turn them into reality.

The frontrunners in the race to survive and thrive The pace of change in the world of work is breathtaking, but Best WorkplacesTM face their challenges head-on. We find out what happens behind the scenes at top employers – and discover secrets of their success.

The large list The top 37 large Best WorkplacesTM (with 500 or more employees). Management consultancy Baringa Partners takes this year’s number one spot.

The medium list The top 56 medium-sized Best WorkplacesTM (with between 50 and 499 employees), headed by housing trust bdht.

The small list The top 27 small Best WorkplacesTM (with between 20 and 49 employees). IT company Foundation SP tops the list this year.

Increasing returns Employee engagement is more than a moral obligation. Organisations with an engaged workforce perform better – it’s as simple as that. So measuring the return from your investment in engagement is as important as keeping track of any other financial metric. We find out how it works for some of the Best WorkplacesTM.

A growing worldwide success story Our data shows that employers around the world – and in the UK in particular – are getting better at creating cultures of trust and increasing levels of wellbeing. And that can only be good for our global society.

Why you need a people performance system It’s all very well collecting data about your people – but then what? Research suggests that few organisations have the capability to thoroughly analyse the information and use it to their business’s advantage. So where do you start?

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NUMBER CRUNCHING

Top 5 drivers of trust

Employees need to trust their employer and their colleagues to be engaged at work. The UK Best Workplaces™ demonstrate this: on average, they score 86% on the Trust Index© compared with just 55% for average organisations. Trust and engagement are influenced by organisations’ approaches to values and ethics, communication and involvement, teamwork, recognition and empowerment and accountability. We’ve examined how well Best Workplaces™ fare against average workplaces on trust and engagement across some of the 58 Trust Index© employee survey statements.

Values & Ethics

Em mploy yees workin ng in differren nt func ctiions s – how w eng gaged d are the ey? ?

Communication & Involvement

Teamwork

Recognition

Empowerment & Accountability

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Key mea asures of eng gagement

Key mea asures of trrust

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BEST PRACTICES

Values & Ethics Great Place to Work® measures the trust in an organisation through its Trust Index© employee survey. The 58 core statements are categorised into 19 core business and HR areas. Here are the top 5 categories – with examples from some of this year’s Best Workplaces™– which help create the kind of environment where trust and engagement are high and people can flourish. Selected statements from the Great Place to Work® Trust Index© employee survey

Fletchers Solicitors

Cadence Design Systems

Throughout 2016 Fletchers Solicitors celebrated a ‘Year of Values’. They dedicated each quarter to demonstrating a different value: what it means, how staff can incorporate it into their work and what Fletchers has done to embody the value.

Cadence conducts ‘stay interviews’ to gain insight into how employees are finding life at the organisation. Employees have the opportunity to express what keeps them at Cadence and identify any concerns or issues that might prompt them to leave. These conversations allow the organisation to work proactively with employees and leaders to resolve and improve workplace issues, boosting retention in the process.

Marshall Motor Holdings The company’s ‘Code of Business Ethics’ booklet includes an easy-to-use ‘decision tree’ to help colleagues decide what is the best course of action to take when faced with a difficult situation. Every employee has completed online training on the code, and every new starter goes through the training when they join.

Thinkbda Thinkbda has a bespoke year-long programme for each employee to take long-term ownership of one of the company’s corporate values. It involves six half-day training workshops on how to embody the values and bi-weekly workshops where employees take turns to discuss their allocated value. Each employee also has this value printed on the back of their business cards.

Management delivers on its promises Management’s actions match its words Management is honest and ethical in its business practices People avoid politics and backstabbing as ways to get things done Managers avoid favouritism

Communication & Involvement

Hilton Worldwide The company makes the most of social media, with leaders and employees not using computers all day, staying connected via Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook, instant messaging and texting. Podcasts and their scripts (which can be translated into more than 40 languages) are used to communicate about a variety of topics. Team members can post feedback and questions directly to the podcast blog.

AbbVie Leaders run three sales conferences a year. These allow both remote-working and customer-facing employees to have face-to-face sessions with colleagues and senior leaders, ensuring open dialogue and consistency of message.

I can ask management any reasonable question and get a straight answer Management is approachable, easy to talk with Management involves people in decisions that affect their jobs or work environment Management keeps me informed about important issues and changes

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Teamwork

Recognition

Empowerment & Accountability

R.Twinings & Company Limited

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

AccorHotels UK & Ireland

Each employee is allocated a ‘house group’ – a collaborative initiative led by employees. They can earn points for their house group through activities all year round, including charity events, winning values awards and referring friends for employment.

As part of ‘celebrating our people’ week, hotel managers thank their staff each day in different and unique ways. Some managers act as chauffeurs and wash employees’ cars. Others host a tea or coffee break and serve food to employees at a special banquet.

Hilton Worldwide

Goodman Masson

The company’s ibis brand runs an employee engagement scheme where hotels compete against each other in business challenges such as increasing breakfast sales or guest satisfaction ratings. Winning regional teams receive a cash reward, a team dinner and a celebration ceremony. Following the ceremony best practices are shared across the network.

The annual ‘team member appreciation week’ is designed as a thank you to all employees from the President and CEO. A variety of customisable recognition tools, best practices and e-cards in multiple languages are made available and all hotels and corporate locations have a schedule of activities, competitions, treats and events.

In a programme to thank employees, a golden ticket was left on a different desk every day for 13 weeks over summer. Winners had the chance to attend events and activities including Euro 2016 in France, parachute jumping, supper at an exclusive London restaurant, cricket at Lord’s and a hot air balloon ride.

Mars UK

Intuit UK

The Coffee Connections initiative randomly pairs two people to have a coffee together in the office to build a connection and encourage camaraderie.

The Scott Cook Innovation Award (named after the company co-founder) recognises employees who create innovations that deliver real benefits to their customers, employees and shareholders. They receive a statue, recognition on the ‘Innovation Wall of Fame’, dinner with the executive team and an allexpenses paid trip for two. In addition, winners are also granted either half of their time for six months or all of their time for three months to work on a project of their own creation.

People care about each other here There is a ‘family’ or ‘team’ feeling here We’re all in this together You can count on people to cooperate People celebrate special events around here

Liberty IT All employees are encouraged to take part in regular internal ‘hackathons’. These involve teams developing a good idea and pitching it to the wider community. The event is full of opportunities for selfdevelopment and networking, and it’s a great way for employees to increase their visibility in the organisation.

Intuit UK Intuit UK has developed an innovation programme called ‘Lean StartIN’. It is designed to empower employees to identify and quickly test their ideas, and it offers them sessions where they are taught rapid experimentation techniques in an intensive two-day workshop.

Management shows a sincere interest in me as a person, not just an employee

Management trusts people to do a good job without watching over their shoulders

Management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort

People here are given a lot of responsibility

Everyone has an opportunity to get special recognition

Management makes its expectations clear

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ROUNDTABLE

The frontrunners in the race to survive and thrive The pace of economic, political and technological change that organisations face in 2017 is breathtaking. Our Best WorkplacesTM are perfectly positioned to meet the challenges that arise

HE WORLD OF WORK in 2017 is characterised by continuously shifting challenges ranging from the uncertainties caused by Brexit to retaining organisational culture during expansion. They pose problems and opportunities internally, externally, on a macro and micro level for all organisations. The Best WorkplacesTM are no exception. Take the housing association bdht, which is ranked number one Best WorkplaceTM 2017 in the Medium category. Its income has reduced significantly because of the government’s austerity budget cuts. However, it has committed to meet its business objectives of growth and excellence, and continues to provide quality of service for existing customers and build homes for new customers. “The number one issue for us at the moment is remaining competitive in an environment in which our income is reducing year-on-year in real terms,” says Chief Executive Mike Brown. “We are very ambitious to continue to grow the business to meet our social purpose.”

Managing and sustaining growth Business growth is the major challenge for consultancy Baringa Partners, ranked first in the Best WorkplacesTM 2017 Large category. “Over ten years we’ve gone from 50 people to almost 600,” says Managing Partner Adrian Bettridge. “We need to manage our growth sustainably, maintaining and reinforcing the culture as we grow. We need to take the best of what we have in the UK and create a great culture and client proposition across the world.” A similar challenge is faced by tech provider Foundation SP, ranked number one in the Best WorkplacesTM 2017 Small category. “We are a technology business but what we do for our clients is more than technology: it’s about engaging people,” says Simon Grosse, the company’s CEO. “For us, our culture is our strategy, and the big thing is maintaining our high people standards and attracting and retaining talent whilst also actively planning for growth.” Human capital is also the most pressing issue for Gowling WLG, a law firm which has been ranked a Best WorkplaceTM for 17 years in a row. “The quality of our lawyers drives our success. So we have to make sure that our proposition is sufficiently different in the sea of sameness of law firms,” says HR Director Chris Oglethorpe.

Innovating capability Oglethorpe adds that another major issue for his organisation is coping in an increasingly digitised and automated world of work. But this could work in Gowling WLG’s favour. He says: “As a law firm, we can capitalise on some of the automation of processes to allow our lawyers to focus on more interesting, valuable work.”

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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Search marketing agency Propellernet, which has been a Best WorkplaceTM for five years in a row and is now a Laureate, has had to adapt to the fast-moving industry in which it operates. “The rate of change in digital marketing is only getting faster. We are working at the bleeding edge of the marketing industry,” says Managing Director Nikki Gatenby. “A massive strategic challenge for us is that our clients, quite rightly, expect us to be experts in a medium that evolves every 24 hours. It’s widely reported that it takes 10,000 hours to be an expert – so there is a constant need to learn and innovate while maintaining a solid business,” she adds. “Our people need to be comfortable with change, ready to put the hours in to learn new things, and see taking risks or things not working out not as failures but as learning opportunities.” One of the ways Propellernet approaches these challenges is to examine what will make life better not only for clients but employees too. For example, it created a tool to automate the production of ‘PR coverage books’ to collate client press coverage. When the tool was launched it saved the Propellernet PR team the equivalent of a day a week previously spent on this thankless task. At the same time, in developing this tool, Propellernet found itself with a new product on its hands, which it has now launched to clients globally. “We’ve solved an industry issue by fulfilling our agency’s purpose: making life better for our clients and our team too,” Gatenby says. Meanwhile, in the completely different world of car leasing, fleet manager Fleet Alliance – another organisation that has been ranked a Best WorkplaceTM for five consecutive years – also focuses on being the best in its sector and instilling in its employees pride in their work. In this

SECRETS OF SUCCESS: BARINGA PARTNERS Our experience has proven to us that when you get the people proposition right, execute it well, put your hand up when you make mistakes, are humble enough to see this as a continuous improvement process (you never get to where you really want to be but you are always striving for it), then that’s when you really engage the hearts and minds and energy of the workforce.” Adrian Bettridge, Managing Partner

SECRETS OF SUCCESS: GOWLING WLG We are very clear that engaged people provide better client service. Our values and culture are a strong driver of that. We are very clear that engagement is driven out of strong communication, a clear offering and a good understanding of where people fit with strategy. We take the wider feedback from Great Place to Work ® and really focus on what it is saying, as opposed to simply saying that we have got a badge called ‘great place to work’.” Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director

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Cloud ERP on the Salesforce Platform

PROUD TO HAVE BEEN VOTED A

TOP 50 UK WORKPLACE SINCE 2013

In Good Company Helping organisations create high-performing workplaces where people feel trusted and valued

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ROUNDTABLE

“For us, our culture is our strategy, and the big thing is maintaining our high people standards and attracting and retaining talent while thinking about growth” sector, challenges are linked to the economy. The main issues facing organisations such as Fleet Alliance are uncertainty around Brexit and the government’s green agenda to reduce emissions from cars. “We need to make sure that we are advising customers properly,” says Managing Director Martin Brown. “If we want to be the best and have pride in what we do then, really simply, we need to have a team that is coming into work wanting to do the job. I can’t make car leasing sound as cool as working for Google. But if we don’t have a nice environment in which people feel engaged and trusted then we won’t be anywhere near our competitors.”

Trust and engagement

This is why trust and engagement form a crucial component of any Best WorkplaceTM response to the strategic challenges it faces. For recruiter Adecco, another Laureate with five consecutive rankings as a Best Workplace™, trust is one of its most important values. “People are empowered to make their own decisions and given support when they require it,” says Alex Fleming, President, General Staffing. “Giving our colleagues independence encourages entrepreneurial spirit and ownership. This creates strong, engaged and motivated teams.” Fellow Laureate FinancialForce, a cloud applications provider, considers engagement “hugely influential in meeting the skills gap” – the major challenge it faces – according to Kirsten Brumfitt, Senior Director, Employee Success. “Over the past two or three years our most successful method of recruitment has been employee referrals, testament to the mutual trust between the company and our employees.” Baringa focuses on trust too. “It’s a bit like your family environment at home,” says Adrian Bettridge’s colleague David Harris, Lead Partner for People Initiatives. “Everybody would like to have a trusting, open and supportive environment. We foster that behaviour from the very top and it’s essential to demonstrate that in every interaction with our people and our clients.” Housing association bdht, meanwhile, has a very specific way of improving trust and engagement. It has given its workforce a noredundancy promise. “We need to migrate the business to a position where we reduce our overall cost but maintain profitability, employment and the commitment to all of our staff,” Chief Executive Mike Brown says. “We don’t see this as management, we see this as every single member of staff getting involved in the leadership of the business.”

SECRETS OF SUCCESS: bdht If you’re going to set out an ethical stall then you have to be genuine. If you are going to say you care then you genuinely have to care, and any evidence of you not behaving ethically or not caring will damage the business. And don’t forget to celebrate success. If you’ve done well, share that within the organisation immediately. The feedback allows you to focus on what needs to be done and motivates your staff to do it.” Mike Brown, Chief Executive

SECRETS OF SUCCESS: FLEET ALLIANCE Our culture is like a circle and it’s impossible to plot how it all fell into place. But now it’s continuous. We engage the team, and the more the team is engaged the more profit we will make. The more profit we make the more clients we win. The more clients we win the more money we have for engagement and a social purpose. It’s really hard to break it down into its components.” Martin Brown, Managing Director

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Having fun is a serious business...

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ROUNDTABLE

“Work has a moral and social significance. It gives us all a reason for being. It gives us dignity, pride and self-esteem” This has meant being open about the challenges the business faces, and demonstrating to employees where they fit in with what bdht is trying to achieve. The organisation believes in ‘adult-adult’ relationships – not protecting, or excluding, employees from difficult messages. Any downsizing has come from natural wastage and roles have been redesigned. The organisation has looked hard at finding every individual employee’s unique ability to add value – including their employees on the autistic spectrum, whose skills have been redeployed to make the best use of them. “Work has a moral and social significance,” Brown adds. “It gives us all a reason for being. It gives us dignity, pride and self-esteem.”

Learning from Best WorkplacesTM

Recent changes at bdht were partly driven by being ranked seventh as a Best WorkplaceTM (its first ranking) in 2016. “We thought we were pretty good, but we realised there were better organisations out there,” Brown says. The Best WorkplacesTM ranking gives organisations the momentum to continue to focus on their engagement. “It provides a benchmark and we can say that we have an honest and open approach where engagement and individual input matters and is recognised,” says Harriet Kempton, Head of Marketing, PR & Events at Career Moves Group, a recruiter that becomes a Laureate of Best Workplaces™ in 2017. “This helps us to find the right people that work well in our culture.” The programme also provides “no better credibility statement” when solutions providers like Foundation SP are consulting with clients in the area of transformation and people, Simon Grosse says. “From a client perspective that value proposition is significantly strengthened by being a Best WorkplaceTM. It becomes compelling and easier for us to attract high-quality people to come and work here. We are also starting to see the emergence of a new ecosystem for us, including organisations that want to talk to us about how we run our business because of our approach, success and passion about it.” But most crucially the Best WorkplacesTM ranking is like “holding a mirror up to the organisation”, according to Propellernet’s Nikki Gatenby. The flaws and the highlights of a business’s culture become visible, showing organisations what they are getting right and where they need to improve. Having this knowledge is crucial for organisations to meet whatever challenges come their way. ■

SECRETS OF SUCCESS: PROPELLERNET We have a sense of purpose – to make life better. Everyone here understands what it means and how it works. We also have strong values and live them properly. We value innovation and creativity (that’s what our clients buy us for) but also adventure, fun and wellbeing (that’s what they start to feel when they are working with us). People have to want to come into work every day and they have to want to take risks.” Nikki Gatenby, Managing Director

SECRETS OF SUCCESS: FOUNDATION SP It’s a journey and it’s a continuous cycle of improvement and you’re never done. We’ve always known along the way that integrity and being authentic are so important because those things resonate so much with people. But there are also times when we have to be bold and do things that maybe other people haven’t done before. Our ethos is to embrace more, to continously affect positive change, and consciously develop our culture. Great culture and high performance should not be mutually exclusive.” Simon Grosse, CEO

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UK RANKINGS

Large: 500+ employees 1

Baringa Partners

Employees 501 Management Consulting www.baringa.com

Every year for the past ten years we have invested in making Baringa a better place to work for everybody who is in it – listening to new ideas, innovations and trends and embracing them when appropriate. It astounds me how much our people collectively care for each other and our clients, and are passionate about building a better Baringa.” Adrian Bettridge, Managing Partner

Salesforce UK

Employees 1,028 IT www.salesforce.com

We’re bound by a common mission to help our customers succeed and give back to our communities, and each of us knows the role we play in achieving those goals. Gavin Mee, Country Leader, UK

The Sovini Group

Employees 564 Construction/Infrastructure www.sovini.co.uk

I’m most proud that we’ve built a successful business that feels like a family, where people care about what they do and support each other to achieve it. Roy Williams, CEO

McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd

Employees 37,124 Food and Beverage Service www.mcdonalds.co.uk

McDonald’s has taught me skills for life. I’ve learned how to work as a team and take pride in what I do. I feel like I’m on my way to a promising future. Charles, Crew Member

Softcat plc

Employees 1,032 IT www.softcat.com

Recognition and appreciation for colleagues comes naturally and it brings a sense of pride and unity across the whole company. Martin Hellawell, CEO

Hilton

Employees 8,768 Hotel/Resort www.hiltonworldwide.com

Engagement is at the core of our business strategy. When we look after our people they look after our customers and business success flows from that simple equation. Ben Bengougam, SVP, HR, EMEA

Adecco*

Employees 551 Recruitment www.adeccogroupuk.co.uk

Adecco is very team-spirited and has an ‘in it together’ mentality. We invest enormously in our employees and attribute our success to the people who work for us. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this success. Rebecca Houghton, Principal Branch Manager

Cisco UK

Employees 2,098 IT www.cisco.com/uk

Cisco has a commitment to employees called the ‘People Deal’, which focuses on inspiring and engaging employees in a meaningful way. We’re proud of what this helps us achieve. Scot Gardner, CEO UK & Ireland

Pets at Home

Employees 7,950 Retail/Specialty www.petsathome.com

It is our colleagues who make us the fantastic business we are. We appreciate the individuality of each of them. Vicky Hill, Head of People

Mars UK

Employees 3,928 FMCG www.mars.co.uk

Our unique culture stems from five principles. Through responsibility and mutuality we empower associates to treat the business as their own. Blas Maquivar, President Mars Chocolate UK & Global Retail

* Adecco: 2017 Laureate – a Best WorkplaceTM for five consecutive years 14

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Adobe Systems Europe Ltd

Employees 601 IT Software www.adobe.com

The strongest vehicle of attitude and behaviour change is constant open feedback. Employees feel valued because their opinion matters. Victoria Palmer, Head of Talent Enablement & Operations, EMEA

Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Employees 5,148 Education & Training www.brighthorizons.co.uk

Our mission is to provide families and employers with exceptional care and education. People are at the heart of all we do. John Handley, People Director

REL Field Marketing

Employees 729 Advertising & Marketing www.relfm.com

People engagement is the heart of our business and engine of our growth. Our vision reflects that simplicity: ‘Loved by our people and first choice for customers.’ Stephen Gordon, Divisional Managing Director

Admiral Group plc

Employees 5,727 Auto Insurance www.admiralgroup.co.uk

We think our culture is the single most important contributor to our success. Our staff make the difference and managers are here to help them. Ceri Assiratti, People Services Manager

Best WorkplaceTM every year since 2001 – when UK awards began

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Employees 850 Hotel/Resort www.hyatt.com

The November 2014 gas explosion at Hyatt Regency London The Churchill was a terrible incident but it was also an incredible display of the camaraderie and spirit of Hyatt. Dawn Turner, Area Director, HR – UK & Ireland

AccorHotels UK & Ireland

Employees 4,728 Hotel/Resort www.accorhotels-group.com

We love blending cultures and are proud of our differences but we all share the same passion: people. We make our ‘talents’ grow and we welcome guests with our heart. Sophie Kilic, SVP HR

Bayer

Employees 868 Pharmaceuticals www.bayer.co.uk

Every day I see the passion of Bayer’s culture at work, people driven by the higher purpose to improve lives and leave a lasting legacy for future generations. Dr Alexander Moscho, CEO UK & Ireland

Rackspace

Employees 1,148 Data Management www.rackspace.co.uk

Our culture is unique. There is a great feeling of empowerment, family and loads of opportunities to develop and grow your career. (Employee)

AbbVie

Employees 552 Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals www.abbvie.com

AbbVie is a great place to work due to our highly engaged and motivated people and their dedication to patients with severe diseases. Monika Pocinkova, UK HR Director

MBNA

Employees 1,852 Credit Services www.mbna.co.uk

I always share news when I have it. Leadership is about making a choice to stand for something, and it is visible. Ian O’Doherty, Chief Executive

SAS Software Limited

Employees 677 IT Software www.sas.com/uk

We believe in meaningful work and a culture that makes it possible. Treat employees like they make a difference and they will. Jim Goodnight, CEO

Marshall Motor Holdings Plc

Employees 2,469 Retail/Specialty www.marshallweb.co.uk

Despite the size of our business you are made to feel like you are part of a close family and are supported to develop and grow your career. Roger Baldwin, Sales Colleague

Thai Leisure Group

Employees 742 Food and Beverage Service www.thaileisuregroup.co.uk

All staff care about the business and about each other – it is a real family. (Employee)

Flight Centre Travel Group

Employees 1,921 Travel Management www.flightcentre.co.uk

A flat structure makes everything and everyone accessible. I love getting up to go to work in the morning and genuinely enjoy my job, which makes life a lot better in general than in previous jobs. (Employee)

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UK RANKINGS

City Football Group

Employees 596 Professional Football www.mancity.com

We are most proud of our strong sense of pride and unity within the group. We are very much ‘one team’ who is always striving to be globally game-changing. Zoe Brough, HR Manager

KFC UK&I

Employees 10,172 Food and Beverage Service www.kfc.co.uk

At KFC we empower people to make a real difference – to themselves, their teams, the wider business and the community. Our culture is fun, friendly and collaborative. Cody Cluff, VP HR

Gowling WLG UK LLP

Employees 1,120 Legal www.gowlingwlg.com/ en/united-kingdom

Engagement is driven by strong communication, a clear offering and a good understanding of where people fit with strategy. Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director

Best WorkplaceTM every year since 2001 – when UK awards began

Yorkshire Building Society

Employees 4,445 Credit Services www.ybs.co.uk

I love the fact that we strive to give our customers the best experience ever, and this is at the heart of everything we do. Yorkshire Building Society employee

L&Q

Employees 1,711 Housing www.lqgroup.org.uk

This is the 13th consecutive year we have received this honour. It recognises us as having a high-trust and a high-engagement workplace culture that attracts and retains talent and helps drive our business success. Tom Nicholls, Group HR Director

Totaljobs Group

Employees 507 Online Internet Services www.totaljobsgroup.com

Being trusted and empowered to contribute ideas to aid the strategy of our local office is a big plus. We have a fun office atmosphere and sensational incentives for top performers. Jamie Bull, Online Sales Executive

Tenpin Limited

Employees 885 Hospitality www.tenpin.co.uk

All our employees want to feel valued, happy and engaged. Our people strategy, ‘It’s all about YOU’, supports that. Helen Gilbert, Director of People and Talent

H&M

Employees 9,872 Retail/Clothing www.hm.com

Our people are our strength and our success. Within H&M, the opportunities for progression are endless. When they grow, we grow! Carlos Duarte, Managing Director, H&M UK and Ireland

Home Group Ltd

Employees 2,460 Housing www.homegroup.org.uk

We’re most proud of our social purpose with a commercial edge. Doing the right thing makes a real difference to our customers’ lives. Mark Henderson, CEO

Employees 15,065 Professional Services www.ey.com

We have 26 people networks, a flexible working culture and an inclusive leadership programme. We want all our people to feel that they can be themselves at work. Maggie Stilwell, UKI Managing Partner for Talent

TSB

Employees 8,035 Financial Services & Insurance www.tsb.co.uk

Our unique culture, based on making banking better for all UK consumers, differentiates us and creates a workplace that our partners are proud of. Rachel Lock, HR Director

Barnsley Premier Leisure

Employees 549 Sports Management www.bpl.org.uk

BPL prides itself on the quality of its staffing team and the ‘can do’ attitude that is present in everything that we do. (Employee)

Britvic Soft Drinks

Employees 1,692 Soft Drinks www.britvic.com

Whoever you are, wherever you work, you can make a difference. This isn’t just about leaders and engagement champions, this is about everyone doing something to make Britvic an inspiring place to be. Doug Frost, Chief HR Officer

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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Great clients Great people Brighter together

Baringa Partners LLP Dominican Court, 17 HatďŹ elds, London SE1 8DJ

+44 (0)203 327 4220 enquiries@baringa.com baringa.com

Why working in partnership is a good thing for all of us. At TSB we believe in working in partnership. Which means we spend our time actively helping our customers, not just selling them things. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found that working this way is good for both our customers and our business, as well as everyone who works here. And weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re delighted to have been recognised as one of the 2017 Best Workplaces.

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UK RANKINGS

Medium: 50-499 employees 1

bdht

Employees 132 Housing www.bdht.co.uk

We are most proud of the bdht culture: it is tangible and can be described by all of our employees. It is the determining factor that governs what we do, how we treat each other and how we respond to the challenges the business faces. The culture begins with our mission statement which is real and has meaning to the bdht family. Mike Brown, Chief Executive

Belron International Ltd

Employees 129 Vehicle Repair & Maintenance www.belron.com

We employ lovely people with great attitudes and we trust everyone to do their jobs brilliantly – which they do. Jo Steel, Head of People and Leadership

Goodman Masson Limited

Employees 132 Recruitment www.goodmanmasson.com

Our employee engagement programme, The Experience ®, is at the heart of everything we do, and in many ways has created the DNA of the organisation. Guy Hayward, CEO

Impact International

Employees 75 Management Consulting www.impactinternational.com

We are all in this together and we all contribute to making Impact the greatest workplace in the world. Verity Bellouere, Programme Manager

UKFast

Employees 292 Internet Service Provider www.ukfast.co.uk

Through strong and fast growth we’ve maintained that special family feel throughout the business and throughout the years. (Employee)

R.Twinings & Company Limited

Employees 86 Tea & Coffee Merchants www.twinings.co.uk

Our success is down to our working culture: leadership and agility balanced with fun and camaraderie. Alan Rootkin, Sales Director UK & Ireland

AXON

Employees 61 Professional Services www.axon-com.com

We invest in people on a wide scale, but also individually, so every employee is valued for their contribution to the company’s success. (Employee)

CPS

Employees 54 IT Consulting www.cps.co.uk

We believe that an engaged workforce is a happy and productive one. As we have grown, we have made sure that everyone can contribute to the business. Steve Adams, COO

Natilik

Employees 110 Telecoms www.natilik.com

I’m inspired every time I walk into the office. We accomplish some incredible things alongside a team of incredible people. (Employee)

Intuit UK

Employees 121 IT Software www.intuit.co.uk

We live our ‘We Care and Give Back’ core value by providing opportunities for employees to volunteer locally, and to make a difference on their own terms. Dan Marsh, Head of Employee Relations EMEA

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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DMW

Employees 50 IT Consulting www.dmwgroup.com

Everyone attends an annual offsite ‘Strategy Day’, which is a great opportunity to understand how DMW has performed and how we can develop it into an even better place to work! Kate Shaw, Managing Consultant

Propellernet*

Employees 55 Media www.propellernet.co.uk

By aligning our values to the hopes and dreams of our people, our business helps us be a best version of ourselves while delivering success. Nikki Gatenby, Managing Director

Virgo Health

Employees 60 Advertising & Marketing www.virgohealth.com

We’re a highly ambitious, supportive and passionate team and we live and breathe our ‘Being Human’ ethos. We have a progressive internal culture. Ondine Whittington, Managing Director

FIRST

Employees 50 Event Marketing www.firstprotocol.com

The experience of working with such a talented and inspirational, global group of people is what makes it so rewarding. Paul Stephenson, Account Director

Autodesk

Employees 340 IT Software www.autodesk.co.uk

We have some of the most talented and committed employees anywhere. Their passion for helping customers create a better world makes us special. Jan Becker, SVP Human Resources and CREFTS

Cadence Design Systems Limited

Employees 184 IT www.cadence.com

Our culture of open communication allows individuals to bring forward new ideas. Employees feel empowered to make their mark on the business. Ian Dennison, Sr., Group Director, R&D

Baird

Employees 86 Financial Services www.bairdeurope.com

Our independent, employee-owner model is Baird’s biggest differentiator. It creates a culture of camaraderie, allows us to attract and retain the best people and put our clients first. (Employee)

PayPal UK

Employees withheld Financial Services www.paypal.com/uk

Our ‘Culture Champions’ are employees who are passionate about our company, customers and the wellness of all our employees. Cameron McLean, VP, UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Vibe

Employees 50 Recruitment www.vibeteaching.co.uk

Our impact on people could not make me more proud. We ‘inspire better education’ and ‘make people happy’. Paul Harris, Founder & CEO

Madgex

Employees 80 IT Software www.madgex.com

We really care about what we do and what we stand for. There’s a real sense of camaraderie. I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere like it. Hanna Smith, People Director

Spring Technology

Employees 141 Recruitment www.spring.com

The leaders here have years of experience in the recruitment industry. They give me the support and belief in myself to develop and grow. Gemma Marshall, Senior Consultant

National Instruments Corporation (UK) Ltd

Employees 106 Electronics Manufacturing uk.ni.com

Seeing the impact of our work on the engineering world through our customers, and collaborating with them and colleagues to make this a reality. Cate Prescott, VP Global HR

Office Angels*

Employees 335 Recruitment www.adeccogroupuk.co.uk

My inspirational colleagues and strong brand make me proud to work here. The specialised and constant training and support have made me successful. Kimberley Harvey, Recruitment Consultant

* Propellernet, Office Angels: 2017 Laureates – Best WorkplacesTM for 5 consecutive years www.greatplacetowork.co.uk 19

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UK RANKINGS

Cirrus Logic

Employees 423 IT Hardware www.cirrus.com

Following the acquisition of Wolfson Microelectronics, we’re now truly a global team, unified in culture. Bill Schnell, Manager, Strategic Communications

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Employees 70 Education & Training www.rcvs.org.uk

The people in our organisation are what make us stand out. They are the true leaders of engagement. Matt Wallace, HR & Training Manager

Lansons

Employees 113 Advertising & Marketing www.lansons.com

Over a third of our people are partners in Lansons. Our commitment to sharing our success with our people is truly inspiring and engaging. Helen Proud, Director

Lindt & Sprüngli (UK) Ltd

Employees 219 FMCG www.lindt.com

Management have been great at putting people’s needs first and I think that contributes to a positive attitude when working. Specifically, giving them confidence to do a good job. (Employee)

Meltwater

Employees 77 Online Internet Services www.meltwater.com

We care about every individual and try to make sure they have a positive and challenging experience with Meltwater. Jan Sutherland, Sales Manager

Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition*

Employees 178 FMCG www.danone.co.uk

The fact that everyone has stayed motivated, committed and carried on business as usual, despite the challenge of our office relocation, is testament to the strength of our culture and the trust that exists in our organisation. Liz Ellis, HR Director

Liquid Personnel

Employees 134 Recruitment www.liquidpersonnel.com

We have to accept regular change to move forward. Our success comes from our team being adaptable, flexible and working together. Paul Cellini, Marketing Manager

Smart Energy GB

Employees 68 Not-for-Profit www.smartenergygb.org

We define the problems together, we create the solutions together, we produce the work of a lifetime together and we celebrate our success together. Gavin Sheppard, Director of Marketing

QuantiQ

Employees 110 IT www.quantiq.com

QuantiQ is extraordinary people doing extraordinary things every day. Our team is knowledgeable, engaging and above all thoughtful. Stuart Fenton, CEO

Winshuttle

Employees 54 IT Software www.winshuttle.com

We have created a culture where our PACT values of ‘people, action, continuous learning and trust’ are at the heart of everything we do. Lorraine Hartill, HR Director

Liberty IT

Employees 443 IT Software www.liberty-it.co.uk

Over 18 years, we have built a team working towards a common goal but, more importantly, whose members have a genuine respect for each other. Dianne Gallagher, HR Operations Manager

*Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition, Liquid Personnel: 2017 Laureates – Best WorkplacesTM for 5 consecutive years 20

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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UK RANKINGS

Third Bridge

Employees 185 Management Consulting www.thirdbridge.com

A team is most effective when everyone can influence change. Our founders look to the team for ideas on how we can keep growing. Emmanuel Tahar, CEO

HSO UK Ltd

Employees 125 IT Software www.hso.com

Our culture is one of empowerment, where employees are fully supported to make the role their own. We invest in our people so that they develop individually and collectively. David Little, Managing Director

Media iQ Digital

Employees 73 Media www.mediaiqdigital.com

From the top down we eat, sleep and breathe our company values. We have the passion, ambition and determination to just get things done better than anyone else. Gurman Hundal, CEO

Evaluate Group Ltd

Employees 90 Online Internet Services www.evaluategroup.com

We are most proud of our open culture which is based on trust, one of our core values. We have maintained our culture while growing rapidly. Alexander Karle, CEO

Sellick Partnership

Employees 71 Recruitment www.sellickpartnership.co.uk

The relationship between Managing Director Jo Sellick and every employee underpins this company. He has no door to close. Rob Gee, Group Director

FactSet

Employees 436 IT Software www.factset.com

We have a unique culture in the finance sector. We understand that to be successful we must harness our employees’ potential. Andrew Burton, VP & Director International HR

SC Johnson

Employees 323 FMCG www.scjohnson.com

I’m proud to be part of a family company committed to doing the right thing for employees, our customers and the community. (Employee)

Reward Gateway

Employees 94 IT www.rewardgateway.com

Engaged employees are more productive because they love what they are doing. This is what we tell our clients, and the philosophy we live by. Robert Hicks, Group HR Director

Technology Management Ltd

Employees 94 IT www.tecman.co.uk

No politics and prima donnas: we are one team and we all do what it takes to succeed. Anyone will help anyone. James Crowter, Managing Director

Fletchers Solicitors

Employees 301 Legal www.fletcherssolicitors.co.uk

Being a great place to work is one of our guiding principles. We want to create an environment where people can flourish, develop and enjoy what they do. Ed Fletcher, CEO

MarketMakers

Employees 258 Call Centres www.marketmakers.co.uk

Our MarketMakers Business School lies at the heart the business. Everybody has the opportunity to learn throughout their career. (Employee)

Fleet Alliance*

Employees 61 Financial Services & Insurance www.fleetalliance.co.uk

A people-focused management style and excellent benefits package have helped build and retain a loyal, caring and motivated team. Martin Brown, Managing Director

*Fleet Alliance: 2017 Laureate – a Best WorkplaceTM for 5 consecutive years www.greatplacetowork.co.uk 21

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UK RANKINGS

BigHand

Employees 112 IT Software BigHand.com

It’s all about the people – the BigHanders! The pride, passion, teamwork and fun is infectious and flows into our relationships with our clients. Ian Churchill, CEO

Jobsite

Employees 203 Internet Service Provider www.jobsite.co.uk

We are proud of our culture: a family feel, open, friendly and a lot of fun. This culture goes beyond our written policies. Nick Gold, CEO

Renault UK Limited

Employees 203 Automotive www.renault.co.uk

We embrace flexible working. We believe this enhances trust, creating a positive environment which empowers the team. Siân Vernon, Director, Human Resources

CONTEXT

Employees 133 IT Consulting www.contextworld.com

Our values are our bedrock. Without them, we would not be able to achieve our mission of being a trusted global provider of insight and intelligence in the ICT sector. Adam Simon, Global Managing Director

Driver Hire

Employees 114 Recruitment www.driverhire.co.uk

Good people flourish here. We take finding ‘Driver Hire’ people seriously and we invest in our people to make our culture special. Chris Chidley, CEO

Neueda Consulting Ltd

Employees 56 IT Consulting www.neueda.com

We live our values. The calibre and openness of our people makes our organisation a great place to work. Peter Russell, Director of Sales and Marketing

FinancialForce

Employees 233 IT Software www.financialforce.com

We continually seek ways to provide support that doesn’t stifle but instead nurtures individuals and unifies our teams. Kirsten Brumfitt, Senior Director Employee Success

Badenoch & Clark

Employees 303 Recruitment www.adecco.com

Collaboration, peer support and development are threaded into our culture. Every day I go home feeling satisfied that my contribution has had a positive impact. Kelly McQueen, Executive Consultant

General Mills UK Ltd

Employees 170 FMCG www.generalmills.co.uk

We are proud of the environment we create – where people feel they can be themselves – this leads to a unique team and a winning culture which delivers business growth. Sue Swanborough, HR Director, General Mills Northern Europe

Mars Capital

Employees 72 Financial Services & Insurance www.marscapital.co.uk

The words employees use to describe what it is like working here are ‘hardworking’, ‘enthusiastic’, ‘fun/ witty’, ‘driven’, ‘reliable’ and ‘dependable’. Sian Williams, Group HR Manager

*FinancialForce: 2017 Laureate – a Best WorkplaceTM for 5 consecutive years 22

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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TECHNOLOGY RUNS ON GREAT PEOPLE

Great places rely on great people Our people work with passion, take responsibility, embrace inclusion and have real impact. We have a wide range of roles in a ďŹ&#x201A;exible working environment with excellent beneďŹ ts. Join us if you want to be part of it. www.lqgroup.org.uk

Technology can do more than keep your everyday business running smoothly. It can drive your success. At World Wide Technology, we use a proven and innovative approach to help large public and private organizations discover, evaluate, architect and implement advanced technology.

VISIT US ONLINE: WWT.COM

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UK RANKINGS

Small: 20-49 employees 1

Foundation SP Employees 33 IT Software www.foundation-sp.com

Our employees regard our values and our commitment to authentic, mutually beneficial relationships as a key factor in joining and staying at FSP. Our values provide the energy and framework to guide our business together – and to feel great along the way! Simon Grosse, CEO

McCarthy Recruitment Ltd

Employees 27 Recruitment www.mccarthyrecruitment.com

Our team spirit and unique culture helped us through the recession and ensured significant growth this year. We are a people-centric business. Kate McCarthy, Managing Director

World Wide Technology

Employees 27 IT Consulting www.wwt.com

The leadership team filter the core values, culture and information to the team. Employees view WWT as more than just a place to work. Ben Boswell, Director, UK office

Amoria Bond Limited

Employees 42 Recruitment www.amoriabond.com

We are proud of our focus on progressing lives through our ten-step progression plan, our meritocratic environment and our organic-growth business model. Daniel Daw, Founder and Managing Director

Career Moves Group*

Employees 23 Recruitment www.careermovesgroup.co.uk

Because of our culture, staff stay with us for four to five years on average, which is unusual in recruitment. It means clients can be assured of a consistent approach. Claire Smith, Head of HR

Found

Employees 44 Online Internet Services www.found.co.uk

Our supporting, caring environment means everyone feels part of the Found family. Trust and respect are a two-way street. Tina Judic, CEO

money.co.uk

Employees 48 Online Internet Services www.money.co.uk

We are small but pack a big punch. And we give 10% of profits to charity. I feel the management really care about our development. Emma King, Researcher

Decision Tech

Employees 42 Online Internet Services decision.tech

Everyone understands and is aligned towards the same goal, is positive about working here and believes we have a bright future. Michael Phillips, CEO

Amobee EMEA

Employees 32 Online Internet Services www.amobee.com

From welcoming new hires to achieving a work-life balance, we have programmes in place to take care of our most important asset – our people. David Barker, Managing Director and SVP, EMEA

Centor Insurance and Risk Management

Employees 40 Financial Services & Insurance www.centor.co.uk

We treat our staff exceptionally well. We involve, reward, nurture and develop them and give them the very best technology to do their work. Paul Field, Claims and Support Director.

Thinkbda Ltd

Employees 25 Advertising & Marketing www.thinkbda.com

Our values are based on ‘The rules for being amazing’. They shape everything we do from our interior décor to marketing and HR. David Knowles, Managing Director

AV Rillo

Employees 35 Legal www.avrillo.co.uk

Our focus on staff culture has developed a happier team; allowing them to make their clients happier. Our NPS ® and business have increased, as have our staff engagement levels. Angelo Piccirillo, Partner

* Career Moves Group: 2017 Laureate – a Best WorkplaceTM for 5 consecutive years 24

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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Sobi UK & ROI

Employees 26 Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals www.sobi-uk.co.uk

People can be themselves at Sobi. Most employees have had a job in the pharma industry before, but they now feel they have a career with us. (Employee)

Roevin

Employees 28 Recruitment www.roevin.co.uk

We are just as proud of our heritage and industry experience as we are about the fantastic people who have built the company into a great place to work. Gary Meechan, Head of Roevin

Bacs Payment Schemes Limited

Employees 40 Credit Services www.bacs.co.uk

We believe we are a great example of how trusting your people can impact the culture and productivity of your business. (Employee)

firstlight Public Relations

Employees 28 Advertising & Marketing www.firstlightpr.com

We hire good people then do everything humanly possible to help them make a difference and become great. Paul Davies, Managing Director

Medela UK Ltd

Employees 36 Medical Sales/Distribution www.medela.co.uk

We are proud of the empowerment our people enjoy. Results show that we have a knowledgeable, engaged, skilled and happy workforce. Paul Furlong, Managing Director

Madano

Employees 32 Professional Services www.madano.com

We focus on creating an environment of trust; hiring the right talent, both for team fit as well as skill and experience; and empowering the team. Michael Evans, Managing Partner

London Vision Clinic

Employees 48 Healthcare www.londonvisionclinic.com

We develop organically, support each other and strive for the very best in our service. Work doesn’t feel like work, and it’s an absolute pleasure to be part of it. Kate O’Brien, Patient Care Coordinator

ClearScore

Employees 38 Financial Services & Insurance www.clearscore.com

The ClearScore Principles and Operating System – our rule book on how we are better than and different from other companies – is our core competitive advantage. Justin Basini, CEO & Founder

JITR | Just IT Recruitment

Employees 26 Recruitment www.jitr.co.uk

Our People Development Framework is the cornerstone of helping everyone at JITR work towards their career ambitions consistently and transparently. Lee Dempster, CEO

New Street Group*

Employees 44 Recruitment www.newstreetgroup.com

Our consultants create and deliver against their own business practice plans. This fosters an environment of personal accountability and is aligned to our values. Debbie Norman, HR Director

Rowlinson Knitwear

Employees 45 Textile Manufacturing www.rowlinson-knitwear.com

We provide financial support when people are in need. Interest-free loans have helped 25% of our workforce. Providing loans to clear debts has improved our people’s wellbeing. Donald Moore, Managing Director

ISL Recruitment

Employees 23 Recruitment www.islrecruitment.co.uk

My opinion is listened to, so can make a real difference. The business is values driven, with autonomy key, and I know my personal development is important to ISL. (Employee)

Nintex

Employees 47 IT Software www.nintex.com

The impact our employees have on our success is tremendous. We aim to be connected, transparent and encourage a collaborative culture. Nicola Cresswell, HR Business Partner

Hutch

Employees 43 IT Software www.hutchgames.com

By encouraging engagement, collaboration and innovation, our team is able to deliver games of higher quality, faster, and at lower cost than our competition. Shaun Rutland, CEO and Co-Founder

Computer Task Group (UK) Ltd

Employees 25 IT Consulting www.ctg.com

CTG promotes agile working, a high degree of trust is displayed by management and as an employee I feel like a major stakeholder and know where I fit in the bigger picture. (Employee)

* Previously listed as Interim Partners www.greatplacetowork.co.uk 25

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FEATURE

Spending money on employee engagement isn’t just ‘the right thing to do’ morally. There are also sound financial reasons – so it’s worth measuring what you’re getting from your investment

REAT EMPLOYERS ARE also higher value firms. Best Workplaces™ have stock returns that are better than their peers’ by between 2 and 3 percentage points a year, wrote Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at London Business School, in his 2014 study, Employee satisfaction and firm value: a global perspective. This finding has been replicated in the majority of Western economies where Great Place to Work ® has multiple years of data. If employees aren’t engaged in their work, any organisation – whether it’s a small business or a global corporation – will underperform. Equally, any organisation that invests in programmes and processes to engage its workforce will reap the benefits.

‘People’ businesses Engagement is a key priority for multinational consultancy EY. “It’s on

Correlations Another Best Workplace™ that focuses on people serving people is hotel chain Hilton Worldwide. Its annual global team member survey, which goes out to more than 160,000 employees, measures engagement. “Employee engagement is not an exact science and it’s quite difficult to draw correlations between investments in engagement and financial returns on those investments,” says Ben Bengougam, Senior Vice President, HR, Europe, Middle East & Africa. “However there is ample evidence where indirect correlations can be made to improved customer experience and financial performance over the same measurement period.” One company that can make direct correlations between what it spends on employee engagement and an increase in financial returns is this year’s Best

“Revenue growth was 10 points higher for business groups recording the highest levels of engagement than those with lower levels” the firm’s scorecard [which fits on to a side of A4] alongside other metrics,” says Maggie Stilwell, Managing Partner for Talent, UK & Ireland. EY has found from its global people survey, which it undertakes every two years, that revenue growth was 10 points higher for the business groups recording the highest levels of engagement than those with lower levels. These ‘best-inclass’ engagement groups also had 7 points higher gross margin and 6 points higher retention than those groups with lower engagement. “Retention is a key statistic for us,” Stilwell adds. “We like to keep hold of our best, most talented people for the benefit of clients.”

Workplace™ in the Small category, Foundation SP. The tech provider has retrospectively measured what it has spent on employee engagement and what its profit figures have been for the same period. In 2014, when the company invested £50,000 across eight categories of employee engagement, including directors’ time, HR time and external consultancies, it posted a pre-tax profit of £130,000 and engagement spend was 2% of revenue. In the most recent financial year, the company has invested £276,000 in engagement – 8% of revenue – and is demonstrating a pre-tax profit of £600,000. “Our values are more important to us than return on investment,” says CEO Simon

Grosse. “However, the ROI tells a powerful story. It’s refreshing for us to see how much we have invested in employee engagement and it has been worth it. If someone had said to me two and a half years ago, ‘You’re spending £50,000 on engagement, do you want to increase it to £276,000?’ I’d have probably said, ‘No thank you’. But there is absolutely a correlation between the two.” Financial services sector recruiter and Best Workplace™ Goodman Masson also measures engagement spend, setting aside £250,000 for this financial year. It has seen improvement across a range of HR and financial metrics. Productivity per head has risen by £1,400 over four years to £11,400 in 2016. Profit per head has gone up from £10,700 in 2013 to £14,500 in 2016. The number of direct hires has increased from 26% in 2013 to 67% in 2016. And sickness days have gone from 279.5 in 2013 to 155 in 2016. The Experience ®, Goodman Masson’s employee engagement programme, allows the company to take measurements through four components: ‘work’, ‘grow’, ‘reward’ and ‘connect’. CEO Guy Hayward says: “There is not one thing that we do in isolation, but because we have those four components people stay with us, they know their markets better, have stronger client relationships and their performance goes up.”

Measurement The same applies to AV Rillo, a Best Workplace™ that invests about £200,000 in engagement, a “big part of its budget”, according to partner Angelo Piccirillo. The conveyancing firm measures its employee engagement levels through absence records, retention rate and profit, and customer loyalty through Net Promoter Score ® (NPS). “Last year we scored +65. This quarter we’re currently at +76,”

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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“Profits have climbed by 68% year-on-year and NPS® scores have gone from -24 when the bank was launched to +23 this year. Our success is all down to our partners and the experience they are giving to our customers”

blogs from the CEO); and a decision to strip out about 40 different bonus schemes inherited from Lloyds and replace with a flat rate on-target award of 10% for all employees. “Showing how we stack up against the best of the best” has also been crucial to

Piccirillo says. “It’s going up because we keep our staff engaged. In turn they are happier and more focused on providing excellent client care.” ISL Recruitment sees its ranking as a Best Workplace™ for the first time in 2017 as a starting point for measuring return on its investment in employee engagement, says Director Alan Furley. “We think we are doing good things and if we can get someone to independently verify that it helps us attract good clients and employees with similar values. It’s also helped us realise that being a Best Workplace™ is not a final destination but a step along an ongoing journey.”

A guide to business success But measuring return on investment in engagement isn’t all about knowing what is spent on engagement programmes. Best Workplaces™ vary in their approaches to counting engagement spend. EY’s Maggie Stilwell “can’t give a pound figure of how much we invest”. Rowlinson Knitwear, which has made the Best Workplaces™ ranking for the first time this year, doesn’t record what it spends on engagement. However, measurement of how engaged employees are is as important as financial statistics, says the school and corporate garment producer’s Managing Director, Donald Moore. “Just like the numbers, it is a guide to success,” he adds. Since becoming employee-owned in September 2015 the company has seen

employee satisfaction leap from 34% to 100% and customer satisfaction jump from 43% to 98%, not surprising now that employees share a greater responsibility in the success of the business. The impact on the bottom line has been significant – a rise from 2% profit to 13% with a higher sales turnover. “Employee engagement is what we are all about – we’ve put customers and employees before profit,” Moore says. This has meant increasing lower-paid employees’ salaries at a much greater rate than those of the highest-paid members of the workforce, paying everyone’s pension contributions and having monthly meetings with an employee council that represents all parts of the company.

Validation High Street bank TSB has also prioritised employee voice at a senior level. Its engagement approach has a number of significant elements: an Interlink Forum (a chat tool on the intranet); Link Group (150 employees or ‘partners’ from all parts of the business who meet the executive committee regularly to discuss employeerelated topics); transparent communications (including bi-monthly live Q&As and video

“Employee engagement is what we are all about – we’ve put customers and employees before profit”

the bank’s entry into the Best Workplaces™ ranking for the first time this year, says HR Director Rachel Lock. “It validates the culture we are building and enables me to see if we are on the right track.” TSB doesn’t track the amount it invests in employee engagement but “we do what we need to do in line with our values and I don’t think you can put a price on that sort of thing”, Lock says. Measuring engagement is really important to the bank, particularly since its split from Lloyds Banking Group in 2013. Profits have climbed by 68% year-on-year and NPS ® scores have gone from -24 when the bank was launched to +23 this year. “Our success is all down to our partners and the experience they are giving to our customers,” Lock adds. Not all Best Workplaces™ measure the financial return on employee engagement or possible correlations with financial success. But they do all invest in engagement. The amount they invest is not important – it doesn’t have to be big sums – but instead the focus should be on how strategic their approach to engagement is. And when they do measure ROI, the results always demonstrate that engaged employees equal happy customers, which results in business success. ■

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is an r e g a n al ma r as e s n i e g e h S . My eader l as g n m i a z e a t m e a t of th r a p i d to a a r f a ’t much d isn n am a e t e n e h o t y n a to help d r a h w o rk

WE HAVE A FANTASTIC CULTURE OF OPENNESS AND DYNAMISM. THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO PUSH THROUGH YOUR OWN IDEAS WITH EXPOSURE TO PARTNER LEVEL AND A WELCOMING, FAMILYFRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE

I feel empowered to and I love rk come to wo every day 28.indd 28

Working made lothere I have close fri s of very ends. Th is a reall ere y family f strong eeling

a e k a m I If ake my mist ger will y f a i n t a c m me re e w p n l he nd the o it a rn it intg tu earnin a l rience expe

My employer’s response to my mental health issues and family loss has been ver y supportive. I feel close to those who manage me and grateful to work here

I HAVE NE VER WORKED A T WHERE I F A PLACE VALUED A EEL SO N TO CONTR D ABLE IBUTE SO MUCH 28/03/2017 14:21

EUROPEAN AND GLOBAL BEST WORKPLACES TM

An increasing number of workplaces around the world are demonstrating higher levels of trust and employee wellbeing, according to Great Place to Work® data HIS YEAR’S UK Best Workplaces™ have made quite an impact around the world. Among the 19 multinational businesses in Europe’s Best Workplaces™ list, 15 are Best Workplaces™ in the UK. Seven out of eight of the large businesses and five out of six of the small and medium-sized businesses in Europe’s Best Workplaces™ list are Best Workplaces™ in the UK. The story is the same further afield, too. Of the 25 global companies that have made the annual list of the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces™, 14 are in this year’s Best Workplaces™ in the UK. These organisations have been recognised as having trust-based workplace cultures consistently across many (up to 23) countries. In addition, about three-quarters of the countries that Great Place to Work ® has data for have recorded higher trust levels across their national Best Workplaces™. In some cases, the increase in the national Trust Index © benchmark has been minimal, suggesting a period of stability. No country saw its Best Workplaces’™ trust levels drop by more than 5 percentage points. At the same time, trust levels jumped at least 5 points in 11

countries, led by a 21% surge at the Best Workplaces™ in Poland. The World’s Best Multinational Workplaces™ have improved the most in the area of employee wellbeing in the Trust Index ©. Rating of the statement ‘People are encouraged to balance their work and personal life’ has increased by 5.1 points in five years (see table, below). Among the top ten scoring statements

“Regardless of where they are or what they offer, more and more organisations realise that high-trust workplaces – where every employee’s potential is realised – are good for business and good for our global society” Kim Peters, Executive Vice President of Great Place to Work ®’s Certification programme Most improved Trust Index© statements at the world’s Best Multinational Workplaces™ 2011-16

Point difference

2016 score

‘People are encouraged to balance their work and personal life’

5.1

79.4%

‘People celebrate special events around here’

3.8

84.7%

‘Promotions go to those who best deserve them’

3.4

69.6%

‘This is a psychologically and emotionally healthy place to work’

3.3

81.1%

‘People avoid politicking and backstabbing as ways to get things done’

3.1

73.7%

on the Trust Index © across the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces™ are: ‘I’m proud to tell others I work here’ (91.3%); ‘Management is honest and ethical in its business practices’ (89.2%); and ‘When I look at what we accomplish, I feel a sense of pride’ (89%). When it comes to the differences in Trust Index © statements between Best Workplaces™ and unranked organisations, some of the biggest points gaps are: ‘Everyone has an opportunity to get special recognition’ (5.9) and ‘People care about each other here’ (5.1). Business leaders recognise that greater levels of trust mean better performance and greater innovation in their organisations. Employees are more likely to risk sharing ideas in a climate in which they feel secure and proud of what they do. Collaboration needs friendships between employees. Social media provides visibility into organisations, and greater demands for better physical, mental and emotional health among employees provide an imperative for employers to ensure their workplaces are better. There’s a growing recognition that everyone deserves to work in an organisation where they trust their leaders, take pride in what they do and enjoy spending time with their colleagues. And the best workplaces around the world are getting better. ■ www.greatplacetowork.co.uk 29

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28/03/2017 14:12

HR ANALYTICS

Organisations that don’t yet know how to analyse data about their people are missing out on opportunities to improve their business

OMPANIES WITH MORE than 500 employees are now required by law to include non-financial information in their annual reports to improve transparency. The new rule came into effect this year, after the requirements of the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive were transposed into UK law on 1 January 2017. Under the Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Non-Financial Reporting) Regulations 2016, businesses must disclose their activity relating to environmental, social and employeerelated matters, respect for human rights and anti-corruption and bribery matters – “as a minimum”. Car insurance multinational Admiral Group, which has been ranked a Best Workplace™ for 17 consecutive years, opens its annual report with: “We pride ourselves on being a great place to work.” Alongside its accounts, Admiral focuses on employee matters, giving figures for staff satisfaction and outlining its employer values.

Gathering metrics

It’s perhaps not surprising that a longtime Best Workplace™ would highlight its people strategy in its annual summary of activities. But it has become increasingly common for HR and finance departments in organisations to work together to provide metrics relating to people that give investors a better sense of overall performance. In 2013, a CIPD report, Talent analytics and big data: the challenge for HR, outlined the importance to businesses of developing the capability and skills to analyse people metrics. In the intervening four years the volume, speed and availability of data has grown. Statistics on organisations’ people and performance are critical to them remaining competitive. However, few organisations actually have the capability to understand HR analytics, according to the 2016 academic paper, ‘HR and analytics: why HR is set to fail the data challenge’, in Human Resource Management Journal. This is due partly to a lack of understanding of analytical thinking and a lack of government regulation.

“The increasing amount of data about people held on HR information systems has the potential to be used to make better staffing decisions” 30

Using data for improvement

The increasing amount of data about people held on HR information systems has the potential to be used to make better decisions about staffing strategy. Organisations may already collect metrics related to return on investment, such as revenue per full-time equivalent or labour costs. They should go further than this, however, and focus on the impact of employee engagement and organisational culture on financial data. Organisations need to move from transactional to more trusting and engaging relationships among the workforce. This should be reflected in what they measure. This is not easy, but organisations can start by considering some specific areas of HR metrics. For example, what role does people management play in the business’s strategy? What impact does staff turnover have? What is the value of training? Is the varying performance of business units the result of employees’ performance?

Getting the full picture

By considering what may prevent the gathering of these measurements, organisations can work out how to answer these questions. This is where data management, storage and reporting technology can help. However, data analytics should not be the only measurement of the impact of HR . Getting the full picture of an organisation’s human capital needs qualitative evidence, too. The Great Place to Work ® Culture Audit © evaluates HR and management practices qualitatively. It scores them against other benchmark organisations. The Trust Index ©, meanwhile, gathers employee opinion. This kind of cultural analysis should feed into an organisation’s strategy, as well as HR analytics. The non-financial reporting regulations currently apply only to large companies. But an in-depth understanding of people metrics and of culture is one area that Best Workplaces™ of all sizes have in common. The ability to analyse the impact of people on business strategy both qualitatively and quantitatively provides a significant competitive advantage. ■ Get in touch with Great Place to Work ® to find out how we can help you to measure and improve your people’s performance

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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28/03/2017 14:13

Advertisement Feature

Do you work for purpose or pay?

Colleagues at Home Group’s multi award-winning customer service centre

We all need financial reward in order to live. However, no matter how big your pay packet, you’ll be risking the Monday morning blues if job satisfaction levels are on the floor. The thing is, you don’t need to sacrifice one over the other – you can have your cake and eat it.

Susan added: “The great thing about Home Group is that we work commercially in order to achieve our social goals. This means we create our own funds – through new housing developments and sales – in order to reinvest this money back into the business to support those who need it the most.”

One employer that offers ﬁnancial reward combined with meaningful employment is Home Group - one of the UK’s largest developers of new homes and providers of affordable housing and integrated housing, health and social care.

“This allows us to attract top quality candidates to our roles, from the public and private sector, as we can offer competitive salary packages and a great work life balance, sector leading learning and development as well as a focus on making sure all colleagues understand our strategy and the role they play in delivering it.”

Based in the North East, Home Group is a national charity and social enterprise as well as a commercially minded organisation that values efﬁciency and effectiveness.

Home Group has won awards for the strength of its reward packages but it is the strong values-based culture, camaraderie and closeness to customers that many of its colleagues value most.

Susan Coulson, Director of People at Home Group said: “We know that, for most, the opportunity to play a part in changing somebody’s life for the better is key to their job satisfaction.”

“Because Home Group works with some of society’s most vulnerable people, we truly understands the need to look after our colleagues, supporting a healthy and happy workforce that, in turn, delivers an exceptional service to its customers.

The organisation supports affordable solutions for individuals and families who want to take their ﬁrst step on the property ladder; provided care and support for those living with mental health problems and learning disabilities, and currently houses 120,000 customers in 55,000 homes across the UK – so it certainly plays a signiﬁcant role in today’s housing, health and wellbeing agenda.

Susan concluded: “We’re really proud of our passionate team of colleagues who work incredibly hard to make a big difference to people’s lives. We’re currently going through a really exciting period of growth and change, which is creating new opportunities for even more brilliant people to join us.”

For more information and to view current vacancies, visit www.homegroup.org.uk/careers

Seeing Anthony ready to take on the world

June moving from isolation to celebration

Seeing Sarah’s eyes light up

Xander realising this one’s for keeps

That’s when it hits home. At Home Group, you’ll get to experience moments like these. That’s because we’re changing things for the better. Sales-savvy managers, compassionate support workers, IT gurus and customer solutions pros. Our diverse and dynamic roles are open to brilliant people like you.

www.homegroup.org.uk/careers

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Home Group Limited (Charitable Registered Society No.22981R) Home and Communities Agency Registered No: L3076

23/03/2017 08:57

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23/03/2017 08:58