Great Places to Work 2016

GREAT WORKPLACES Do you love where you work?

Getting from good to great

Standing out from the crowd How the UK’s Best Workplaces outperform the average organisation

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Best Workplaces – Which organisations have made this year’s ranking?

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“My dad always tells me I need to get some life experience. Now that I’ve started at McDonald’s, I know exactly what he means. I’ve learned how to work in a team and take pride in what I do. I feel like I’m on my way to a promising future.”

Charles

There’s a lot our employees can do with a role at McDonald’s. Whether it’s gaining valuable skills for the future, earning while they learn or just having the time to do what they love.

We’re proud of our people and are delighted to have been recognised as one of the 25 Best Large Workplaces in the UK for the last 10 years.

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WELCOME

CONTENTS 26

Helping you get from ‘Goo d’ to

‘Big Picture ’ actions

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‘GOOD’

‘Great’

‘GREAT’ ‘Fine-Tuning ’

Trust Ind © score ex

Improvement over time

55% UK National Average

Untitled-2

1

70% Threshold for consideration as a ‘Best Wor kplace’

actions

85% UK Best Wor

kplaces Top 100

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EDITORIAL Redactive Media Group and Great Place to Work® UK SALES MANAGER James Brunt SALES EXECUTIVE Thomas Grafton PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Joanna Marsh ANALYSIS Suzy Lee, Clare Hill, Amy Ong, Marianna Roach GREAT PLACE TO WORK® UK Amy Ong, Anna Nurzynska, Benedict Gautrey, Charles Fair, Clare Hill, Elliot Slade, Emdad Khan, Filip Kitundu, Helen Wright, Jonathan Reid, Mariana Skirmuntt, Marianna Roach, Mathew Hellela, Matthew Dunbar, Musteyde Fikret, Natalie Grant, Nick Honour, Nicola Papenfus, Dr. Petrina Carmody, Sam Merchant, Sonya Bedi, Suzy Lee, Tom O’Byrne EXTERNAL CONSULTANT Phil Wilson PUBLISHED BY Redactive Media Group, 17-18 Britton Street, London, EC1M 5TP, Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200 PRINTED BY Wyndeham Peterborough FRONT COVER Adam Nickel

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Standing out from the crowd Culture, trust and recognition are just a few of the areas in which the UK’s Best Workplaces outperform the average organisation. This year’s database reveals some insights into how the best and average workplaces compare.

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Talking the language of employee engagement Engagement needs senior management involvement if it’s going to be a success, but how can HR professionals communicate to CEOs that engagement is worthwhile? We asked senior figures at Best Workplaces about their engagement strategies.

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Best Workplaces 2016: Large We highlight the top 31 best UK workplaces in the large category, which features six new entries.

Best Workplaces 2016: Medium We highlight the top 50 best UK workplaces in the medium category, which features a first-time entrant at number one.

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Best Workplaces 2016: Small We highlight the top 20 best UK workplaces in the small category, including another first-time entrant sitting proudly in the top spot.

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Interview: Large winner Softcat has grown its turnover from £50 million to £600 million in the past decade. CEO Martin Hellawell tells Tom O’Byrne, CEO of Great Place to Work® UK, how it has achieved such rapid growth.

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Interview: Medium winner In its first year of participation, local housing organisation RHP Group tops the group. Chief Executive David Done tells Tom O’Byrne how this was achieved.

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Interview: Small winner Foundation SP CEO Simon Grosse explains to Tom O’Byrne how the technology solutions company embraced trust and engagement.

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What’s it like to work at... …a great workplace? We asked employees at our top-ranking organisations about their experience of work.

How to be a great business, employer and brand Building a company culture to win competitive advantage.

Hall of Fame and Special Awards Every year a new set of organisations enter our Hall of Fame or win our Special Awards. What role does leadership play in their success?

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NUMBER CRUNCHING

Standing out from the crowd The UK’s Best Workplaces easily outperform the average organisation. We look at how employees responded to a range of statements in our Trust Index© survey covering 17 different workplace areas or categories.

TOP 5 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UK BEST WORKPLACES AND AVERAGE WORKPLACES BY TRUST INDEX© SCORE Best Workplace score

84%

Average workplace score

86% 42%

People look forward to coming to work here

82%

87%

82% 40%

44%

This is a fun place to work

Difference between the two

Management deliver on their promises

41%

Management’s actions match their words

47%

Trust in leadership

TOP 5 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UK BEST WORKPLACES AND AVERAGE WORKPLACES BY CATEGORY AND SIZE Best Workplace score

Average workplace score

Top 5 large UK Best Workplaces

Top 5 medium UK Best Workplaces

Top 5 small UK Best Workplaces

Recognition

88% 42%

94% 49%

99% 56%

Reward

82% 39%

86% 43%

92% 42%

Talent management

84% 39%

91% 48%

99% 58%

Values and ethics

85% 40%

92% 47%

98% 54%

Trust in leadership

90% 43%

95% 49%

98% 60%

Great Place to Work® Trust Index© Survey data and Research Now 2015 4

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TOP 5 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UK BEST WORKPLACES AND AVERAGE WORKPLACES BY CATEGORY/JOB ROLE

Trust in leadership

Reward

Values and ethics

94% = Ԣ 70% в= 88% = Ӧ 56% = Φ 94% = Ԣ 66% = Њ 92% = Ԏ 67% Д= 94% = Ԣ 72% = ц Recognition

Trust in leadership

Values and ethics

Talent management

Reward

Recognition

Trust in leadership

Values and ethics

Talent management

Reward

Recognition

Directors

86% Ӓ = 50% = ͪ 76% = Ѯ 44% ̮= 85% ӈ = 47% ͌= 84% = Ҿ 46% = ͂ 87% = Ӝ 50% = ͪ

Managers

75% = Ѥ 39% = ˼ 65% = Ѐ 35% ˔= 75% Ѥ = 38% ˲= 75% = Ѥ 38% = ˲ 86% = Ҡ 40% = ̆

Staff

Average workplace score

Talent management

Best Workplace score

TOP 5 KEY DRIVERS OF ENGAGEMENT IN ALL WORKPLACES

For all Staff

For all Managers

For all Directors

1. Teamwork

1. Teamwork

1. Teamwork

2. Career and development

2. Career and development

2. Values and ethics

3. Values and ethics

3. Values and ethics

3. Empowerment and accountability

4. Wellbeing

4. Corporate social responsibility

4. Communication and involvement

5. Corporate social responsibility

5. Communication and involvement

5. Diversity

Great Place to Work® Trust Index© Survey data and Research Now 2015 www.greatplacetowork.co.uk 5

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FEATURE

Talking the language of employee engagement Engagement needs senior-level buy-in if it’s going to be a success, but how can HR professionals communicate to CEOs that engagement is worthwhile? We asked senior figures at Best Workplaces about their engagement strategies

“W

E’VE BEEN FOCUSING ON engagement since 2008 and this is our third Great Place to Work ® entry,” says Hyatt’s HR Director Dawn Turner.

“We wanted to test ourselves against other industries, not just hotels.”

She says that to engage senior leaders: “HR has to be supportive, collaborative, coaching and also real. It requires an honest and open dialogue and we’ve created an environment where failure isn’t seen in wholly negative terms. It’s version 0.5, then version 1.0, then version 1.5. At Hyatt it’s OK to try something new and if it doesn’t work, we look at how we can work together to make it better.”

Tellingly, results from employee engagement surveys now form part of the senior leadership’s incentive schemes.

Michael Gray, Hyatt’s Area Vice President for the UK & Ireland, says: “In years gone by, the role of the HR manager sometimes caused frustration in colleagues. HR’s role was to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, to make sure we follow the law and act fairly. Things have changed since then and engagement is an important key performance indicator. Questions are asked and league tables published. It’s very much a focus at Hyatt,” he says.

At Wellcome Trust, executive board member Ted Smith, Director People and Facilities, says: “You can’t talk about staff engagement unless your HR team is engaged with the executives. If HR is seen

as fluffy, or as a process operator, as opposed to the place that’s challenging and thinking differently, you’re going to fail.

“Even those people who are very driven and ‘command/control’ still respect you when you come back to say: ‘Here’s the evidence, make this change and you’ll see a productivity gain.’ They grab it straight away.”

Wellcome’s Head of HR, Deirdre Carty, adds: “We’re not big on textbook theories or ‘jargon’. Engagement is talked about in very practical terms, so ‘it’s the way people feel around here.’ But our senior team does recognise that the greater the levels of engagement the greater the impact on how well we achieve our mission and therefore the views of our people are taken seriously.”

At chocolatiers Lindt & Sprüngli, UK Managing Director Joel Burrows says that he has always tried to increase engagement with employees. “I wanted to ensure there’s an agreement between the company and the employee in terms of what they get beyond a salary. It’s come to the fore over past three or four years. Our directors are measured on improving our Great Place to Work® survey scores.

“It takes an investment in time and money, but it pays off in the long run. It’s definitely improved retention rates and it’s made it easier to get good people to come through the doors.”

Lindt HR Director Jenny Lawrence says Great Place to Work® has been really helpful: “One of the reasons we’ve made such a big shift is through the empowerment we give to our people. It’s deliberately not an HR-led initiative. We encourage our people to own the culture they want to work in and take an active role in making initiatives happen.”

Bridget Marshall, Twining’s Head of HR for the UK and Ireland, says that having worked on engagement

Our directors are measured on their Great Place to Work® scores.

It takes an investment in time and money, but it pays off

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strategies in previous organisations, senior management involvement is crucial. “It shouldn’t be an HR initiative,” she says. “Internally, we call it ‘building a winning organisation’ – the premise is that it’s one of the enablers to achieve the business strategy. My peers and I on the board, together with the general manager, regularly review all our engagement activities that we each sponsor and are accountable for the success. However, it is the wider team that really makes it happen with their passion and energy around a number of areas including charity, health and happiness, and skills development.”

It’s also vital, she says, that employee engagement isn’t ‘de-prioritised’ when companies face financial challenges or need to move the business in a different direction.

“Cutting engagement activities would be disastrous. If you have good engagement then when you do face business challenges, people are more likely to go the extra mile to make the business a success.”

For Clare Booth, Senior HR Business Partner at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, engagement is definitely a business topic, not an HR one. She says: “We do a lot of work to make sure our colleagues are engaged, particularly around communication – we have an active employee forum which focuses on a number of opportunities to maximise our employee engagement. We always try to keep the lines of communication open at all levels of the business.

This works really well for us.

“There’s been a step change in the employee forum, moving away from typical forum topics to meaty business topics that the representatives are passionate about and want to take responsibility for. There’s still a steer from the leadership team, but the power is very much with them.

“We recently created a remote-working initiative, and we couldn’t have done that without the involvement of the forum. It’s been absolutely critical,” she adds Managing Director Bob Middleton echoes her thoughts: “There is an outstanding relationship between the leadership board and HR. Clare is part of my leadership team and involved in every conversation, whether it’s a people topic or wider business topic.

“As is the case for most financial services companies, our organisation is constantly evolving. We need people who are adaptable, understand the reasons for the change and want to be part of the journey.

“In Milton Keynes, there’s a war for talent. We’re surrounded by competitors and other attractive companies. We’re painfully aware that recruitment and engagement are our battlegrounds and having a great culture will help us to stand out from the crowd,” he says.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR CREATING A BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HR AND THE CEO

1

As a company, be clear about what you want to do, then link the people strategy to the business strategy.

2

Senior-management involvement in engagement is critical – it positions engagement as a business initiative, rather than an HR initiative.

3

If the CEO is focused more on financials than people,

give them hard data about the impact of engagement.

4

In some organisations, moving to an HR business partner model can give HR a greater understanding of the business and earn its respect.

5

Make results from engagement surveys part of an appropriate incentive scheme for senior leadership to gain their full attention.

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UK RANKINGS

Best Workplaces 2016 Large: 500+ employees

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1

Softcat Plc

Employees 862 Sector IT www.softcat.com

There is a genuine sense of people caring for each other, and those who have been here a long time really want to help newer staff succeed.

2

McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd

Employees 31,250 Sector Food and Beverage Service www.mcdonalds.co.uk

McDonald’s has taught me skills for life. I’ve learned how to work in a team and take pride in what I do.

I feel like I’m on my way to a promising future.

3

Salesforce UK

Employees 600 Sector IT www.salesforce.com

Every day I grow in new ways and work with people who are passionate about making our customers successful. I love it!

4

Cisco UK

Employees 3,236 Sector IT www.cisco.co.uk

The care Cisco shows for its people when they need help is a source of great inspiration to me and other leaders in Cisco.

5

Capital One (Europe) Plc

Employees 977 Sector Banking/Credit Services www.capitalone.co.uk

The recruitment, induction and training I received really gave me the feeling that the company cared about me as a person as well as an employee.

6

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Employees 830 Sector Hotel/Resort www.hyatt.com

The caring, friendly and family feel of being part of a great company and knowing that your contribution, however small, is part of the company’s success.

7

Pets at Home

Employees 7,503 Sector Retail/Specialty www.petsathome.com

Everyone helps out everyone. It’s an amazing store to be working in. It is practically my dream job.

8

Volkswagen Financial Services (UK) Ltd

Employees 863 Sector Banking/Credit Services www.vwfs.co.uk

I love working for the company and enjoy being part of a positive, driven working environment which celebrates its successes.

9

Rackspace

Employees 1,134 Sector IT Storage/Data Management www.rackspace.co.uk

It’s a quirky work environment with the occasional superhero running around and an ‘it happens sometimes’ approach instead of a blame culture.

10

Adobe Systems Europe Ltd

Employees 557 Sector IT Software www.adobe.com

They have a great balance between working smart, caring for the local community and allowing employees to enjoy their personal lives.

11

Pentland Brands

Employees 1,303 Sector Retail/Clothing www.pentland.com

This is a unique place to work, the camaraderie and sense of family is something Pentland Brands should be very proud of.

12

Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Employees 4,692 Sector Education & Training www.brighthorizons.co.uk

Everyone who works here has a passion for the welfare and development of children. It’s so rewarding to see the children learning and happy.

13

Mars UK

Employees 4,025 Sector FMCG www.mars.co.uk

We are encouraged to step out of our comfort zones and take on new things, but always in a safe environment that accepts mistakes as opportunities.

14

Frontier Agriculture Ltd

Employees 891 Sector Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing www.frontierag.co.uk

There is a feeling of pride across the business and a desire to do what is right for the company, the customer and for individual employees or teams.

15

REL Field Marketing

Employees 685 Sector Advertising & Marketing www.relfm.com

The amazing culture at REL is shaped by our People Promise and puts people at the heart of everything we do.

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16

Admiral Group Plc

Employees 5,581 Sector Auto Insurance www.admiralgroup.co.uk

It is such a warm and friendly place, everyone is treated equally and there are no egos.

17

MBNA

Employees 1,870 Sector Banking/Credit Services www.mbna.co.uk

Having been with MBNA for 20 years, I’ve always been made to feel valued and encouraged to have a voice to positively influence change.

18

Hilton Worldwide

Employees 12,162 Sector Hotel/Resort www.hiltonworldwide.com

We take things in our stride and there are daily reminders of our shared values which support us through each day and any crises or critical incidents.

19

Marshall Motor Holdings Plc

Employees 2,200 Sector Retail/Specialty www.marshallweb.co.uk

It lives its values, cares about its people and creates a team environment, looking out for its customers and continuously striving to improve.

20

Flight Centre (UK) Ltd

Employees 1,998 Sector Travel Management www.flightcentre.co.uk

Within Flight Centre, I progressed from a Travel Consultant to an Area Leader in eight years and now lead a growing team of 120 consultants.

21

AccorHotels UK & Ireland

Employees 4,958 Sector Hotel/Resort www.accorhotels-group.com

I joined the apprenticeship scheme after leaving school and have worked in different hotels and cities. There are so many opportunities here.

22

Discovery Networks

Employees 937 Sector TV/Film/Video www.discoveryuk.com

The focus on employees’ health and wellbeing is exceptional.

23

L&Q

Employees 1,521 Sector Not-for-Profit/Charity www.lqgroup.org.uk

I’m proud that I’m trusted to perform here.

Plus, I get to work among people who are as passionate about customer service as I am.

24

EMC Computer Systems (UK Ltd)

Employees 1,600 Sector IT http://uk.emc.com

I’m so proud to work for a company with such a great culture, people and vision, yet a truly strong sense of community. It gives me a real buzz.

25

Bayer

Employees 950 Sector Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals www.bayer.co.uk

Most of us are motivated by the right motives – making a difference to the world and people around us.

26

AbbVie

Employees 520 Sector Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals www.abbvie.co.uk

I am proud to work for a company that puts patients at the centre of everything we do and has a remarkable impact on people’s lives.

27

Wellcome Trust

Employees 691 Sector Not-for-Profit/Charity www.wellcome.ac.uk

Working at Wellcome you know that if there is an area for improvement, either internally or externally, then you can do something about it.

28

Capita (Cheltenham and Swindon)

Employees 981 Sector Business Process Outsourcing www.capita.co.uk

I feel I am treated with respect and given the trust and autonomy to manage myself and my team as I see fit.

29

City Football Group Ltd

Employees 536 Sector Professional Football www.mcfc.co.uk

It’s a dynamic and exciting place to work. We’ve grown rapidly but retained our friendly atmosphere.

It’s a privilege to be part of this organisation.

30

Gowling WLG

Employees 1,116 Sector Legal www.gowlingwlg.com

People are approachable, friendly and willing to help. There is no hierarchy and we feel that we have an important part to play and can add value.

31

KFC UK & Ireland

Employees 27,960 Sector Food and Beverage Service www.kfc.co.uk

The camaraderie here I have not seen anywhere in previous companies I have worked for. Everybody works hard and managers lead by example.

WINNER: Europe’s Best Workplaces 2015 WINNER: World’s Best Multinational Workplaces 2015

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UK RANKINGS

Best Workplaces 2016 Medium: 50-499 employees 1

RHP Group

Employees 260 Sector Not-for-Profit/Charity www.rhp.org.uk

There is a positive culture of honestly delivering an excellent customer experience, whether with external customers or internally with colleagues.

2

Cosatto Ltd

Employees 51 Sector Manufacturing & Production www.cosatto.com

We are trusted to work when and where we like.

And the CEO gives us the chance to win a £10,000 ‘Once in a Lifetime Experience’ every year.

3

Goodman Masson Ltd

Employees 136 Sector Recruitment www.goodmanmasson.com

The company really does create opportunities for employees to have a work-life balance by hosting events and activities for us to get involved in.

4

R.Twining & Company Ltd

Employees 101 Sector Tea & Coffee Merchants www.twinings.co.uk

My colleagues are empowered to constantly come up with new ways to make work fun and inspiring and to create a truly great place to work.

5

UKFast

Employees 191 Sector IT/Internet Service Provider www.ukfast.co.uk

Everything about UKFast makes it unusual and unique. There is so much thought and time put into making it an amazing place to be.

6

Baringa Partners

Employees 350 Sector Consulting – Management www.baringa.com

Baringa cares for its employees in a way I haven’t experienced before, taking pride in developing people to be the best in everything that they do.

7

bdht

Employees 140 Sector Not-for-Profit/Charity www.bdht.co.uk

Everyone really is genuinely happy to be here and genuinely happy to help customers and each other.

8

Autodesk

Employees 334 Sector IT Software www.autodesk.co.uk

I am most proud of being part of the Autodesk family where people work as a community and the management team has an open-door policy.

9

AXON

Employees 50 Sector Professional Services www.axon-com

The diverse, thoughtful and talented team make it a pleasure to come to work and help us deliver outstanding work for clients every day.

10

Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition

Employees 171 Sector FMCG www.danone.co.uk

Everyone has a joint passion and belief in what we do – it is clear this company cares for its employees and its consumers.

11

Madgex

Employees 77 Sector IT Software www.madgex.com

Madgex is a company that really cares about its employees, and clients, and this is built into the culture of the whole company.

12

Brand Learning

Employees 89 Sector Professional Services www.brandlearning.com

I’m proud of our team spirit and culture. Everyone is passionate, supportive and genuinely valued.

Working here is more than a job.

13

Liquid Personnel

Employees 105 Sector Recruitment www.liquidpersonnel.com

I’m proud that the business has been so successful, and the team has grown and changed so much, but we’re still Liquid.

14

Virgo Health

Employees 73 Sector Consulting - Environmental www.virgohealth.com

We have transformed to reflect our ‘Being Human’ proposition, enhancing our culture, developing our team and delivering double-digit growth.

15

Lansons

Employees 110 Sector Advertising & Marketing www.lansons.com

I love it that everybody builds on our founders’ legacy; everyone involved in Lansons – from clients to colleagues – really cares about the company.

16

Intuit UK

Employees 129 Sector IT Software www.intuit.co.uk

Our people do ‘the best work of their lives’ every day… the incessant commitment demonstrated to each other and our customers is phenomenal.

10

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17

National Instruments Corporation (UK)

Employees 140 Sector Electronics Manufacturer http://uk.ni.com

Ideas for improvements are always taken seriously.

This helps develop a great culture where everyone’s input is valued and we don’t stagnate.

18

Impact International

Employees 72 Sector Consulting – Management www.impactinternational.com

We make a genuine, positive difference to the people who attend our programmes and this has a multiplier effect in their organisations.

19

Spring Personnel Ltd

Employees 84 Sector Recruitment www.springpersonnel.com

Our brand feels like a family, everyone cares as well as being inspired to succeed.

20

Cadence Design Systems Ltd

Employees 185 Sector IT www.cadence.com

It might not be unique, but employees are allowed five days per year paid time off to do voluntary work in the community.

21

Liberty IT

Employees 398 Sector IT Software www.liberty-it.com

I’m proud that we develop applications that help millions of people worldwide to protect the things they cherish the most.

22

Baird

Employees 98 Sector Financial Services www.bairdeurope.com

The privately-held, employee-owned business model gives all associates an opportunity to own an equity stake in the business.

23

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Employees 81 Sector Education & Training www.rcvs.org.uk

Seeing the benefits of high staff engagement on the service we provide removes that Sunday night feeling about work!

24

MediaMath

Employees 123 Sector Media/Online Internet Services www.mediamath.com

Everybody is always friendly and open, you can expect support any time.

25

OPEN Health

Employees 205 Sector Advertising & Marketing www.openhealth.co.uk

The atmosphere and environment created and encouraged by senior management is unique and brilliant. It’s easily the best place I’ve worked at.

26

NetApp UK Ltd

Employees 356 Sector IT Storage/Data Management netapp.com/uk

I am proud of the team culture and the ‘go-beyond’ attitude of all my colleagues.

27

Third Bridge

Employees 150 Sector Consulting – Management www.thirdbridge.com

Many people here become managers, create new roles for themselves and achieve great things.

Seeing their successes makes me feel really proud.

28

Adecco UK Ltd

Employees 475 Sector Recruitment www.adecco.co.uk

We are not just a team, we are a family. It has every element – fun, challenge and passion.

29

Hitachi Data Systems UK Ltd

Employees 158 Sector IT Storage/Data Management www.hds.com

People get recognised for their success. If you want something to change, you have the freedom to make recommendations and implement.

30

Puig UK Ltd

Employees 190 Sector Retail/Specialty www.puig.com

Puig is a family-run company and that’s exactly how it feels. I feel like a valued member of this family.

31

Fleet Alliance

Employees 55 Sector Financial Services & Insurance www.fleetalliance.co.uk

This is the only employer I have had where I genuinely feel valued and looked after.

32

Qlik

Employees 307 Sector IT Software www.qlik.com/uk

I’m very proud of Qlik’s people, values, culture, and products, but our incredible CSR efforts locally and worldwide really make it special.

33

MarketMakers

Employees 242 Sector Advertising & Marketing www.marketmakers.co.uk

As soon as you join, you can start working your way towards your first promotion by attending power sessions and learning about the business.

34

Lindt & Sprüngli UK Ltd

Employees 177 Sector FMCG www.lindt.co.uk

I feel inspired working at Lindt and actually proud to work for a business that looks after its employees.

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UK RANKINGS

35

Office Angels Ltd

Employees 325 Sector Recruitment www.office-angels.com

We change people’s lives! We train people to have the best skills to personally be able to improve their lives in and out of work.

36

ResMed (UK) Ltd

Employees 86 Sector Medical Sales/Distribution www.resmed.co.uk

Inspired by strong leadership, innovative products and instilled with trust and autonomy, it’s great being part of a ResMed family that truly does care.

37

Weslo Housing Management

Employees 80 Sector Not-for-Profit/Charity www.welso-housing.org

I am most proud of working for a company that genuinely cares for people and actively encourages every single employee to realise their full potential.

38

Spring Technology

Employees 80 Sector Recruitment www.spring-technology.co.uk

Management is supportive when someone has an idea and trusts their team to try new things, while keeping an open mind about the results.

39

Cirrus Logic

Employees 352 Sector IT Hardware www.cirrus.com

I am proud to be part of a company that values both employee job satisfaction and product leadership in equal measures. Cirrus Logic rocks!

40

HSO Enterprise Solutions Ltd

Employees 95 Sector IT Software www.hso.com

HSO has created a culture that instils a deep sense of comradeship, and support is there whenever and however you need it!

41

FactSet

Employees 388 Sector IT Software www.factset.com

Ours is a very collaborative culture, thanks to the people. Everyone is intelligent, friendly and hard-working, which leads to a great environment.

42

Badenoch & Clark

Employees 315 Sector Recruitment www.badenochandclark.com

Our appraisal and Personal Development Program makes me very proud. It allows our culture to be open, honest and straightforward.

43

GCS Recruitment Specialists

Employees 72 Sector Recruitment www.gcsltd.com

I feel pride in what we have achieved, pride in the success stories we create and pride in the value we provide to our customers.

44

Unibet (London) Ltd

Employees 280 Sector Online Betting & Gaming www.unibet.co.uk

I am very proud to work with so many talented and dedicated colleagues across all our markets.

45

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK Ltd

Employees 444 Sector Auto Insurance www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk

The company aspires to achieve exceptional levels of fairness and transparency and to create a culture we can all be proud of.

46

SC Johnson

Employees 328 Sector FMCG www.scjohnson.com

There is a genuine feeling that doing the right thing for the company and the community is highly respected.

47

FinancialForce.com

Employees 241 Sector IT Software www.financialforce.com

Work-life balance is great. There is a real sense you’re trusted and management are easy to talk to, departments collaborate well together.

48

Jobsite

Employees 175 Sector IT/Internet Service Provider www.jobsite.co.uk

The company has a family feel; open, friendly and a lot of fun. This culture goes beyond our written policies, it is created and reinforced by everyone.

49

General Mills UK Ltd

Employees 167 Sector FMCG www.generalmills.co.uk

A relaxed culture, family feel, casual dress code and an environment where you are encouraged to be yourself – a place where you smile, often.

50

Ketchum

Employees 202 Sector Professional Services www.ketchum.com

There isn’t much that makes me more proud than working for an agency that does incredible work, has incredible people, and nurtures these people.

WINNER: Europe’s Best Workplaces 2015 WINNER: World’s Best Multinational Workplaces 2015

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info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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23/03/2016 12:20

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22/03/2016 18/03/2016 09:05 14:30

UK RANKINGS

Best Workplaces 2016 Small: 20-49 employees 1

Foundation SP

Employees 27 Sector IT Software www.foundation-sp.com

FSP has strong values that everyone lives by – family, success and passion. I love that the company cares about me, my family and my personal and professional growth.

2

DMW

Employees 45 Sector IT Consulting www.dmwgroup.com

There’s a commitment from all those that you work with at DMW to genuinely do a great job – be it for clients or for our own internal activities.

3

Futureheads Recruitment Ltd

Employees 30 Sector Recruitment www.wearefutureheads.co.uk

Futureheads’ values are amazing – not just words but a culture to live by. Every day we work in a collaborative and ethical business with learning, knowledge and fun running through its core.

4

Resurgo

Employees 30 Sector Not-for-Profit/Charity www.resurgo.org.uk

With Resurgo’s culture of trust and integrity, I’m proud to work in a team that dares to take risks, strives for excellence and transforms lives.

5

New Chapter Consulting Ltd

Employees 36 Sector Recruitment www.newchapter.co.uk

I am valued and respected as much as any sales employee – rare in a sales culture. The company always looks after my best interests and I’m excited about my career prospects here.

6

Synergy Vision Ltd

Employees 25 Sector Professional Services www.synergy-vision.com

We are committed to building a strong team culture, where everyone is in it together and pulls in the same direction.

7

Propellernet

Employees 47 Sector Media www.propellernet.co.uk

The business helps us be a best version of ourselves while creating meaning and delivering business success; there is a bucket list business plan of sorts.

8

FISCAL Technologies Ltd

Employees 38 Sector IT Software www.fiscaltechnologies.com

We are proud of discovering our potential at FISCAL – we didn’t know which direction our careers were going when we started, but we have been given many opportunities to develop them.

9

money.co.uk

Employees 43 Sector Financial Services & Insurance www.money.co.uk

I look forward to coming into work and collaborating with down-to-earth, witty, intelligent people. We’re a small team but together pack a big punch.

10

Arrow Valves Ltd

Employees 20 Sector Manufacturing & Production www.arrowvalves.co.uk

It is more than just a job – it has a place in your heart that makes you feel honoured to come to work.

11

firstlight Public Relations

Employees 21 Sector Advertising & Marketing www.firstlightpr.com

Being part of a team with such a collaborative and equal approach to working has given me the opportunity to grow professionally without any barriers to my development.

12

Centor Insurance and Risk Management Ltd

Employees 36 Sector Financial Services & Insurance www.centor.co.uk

Centor is a great place to work. I feel like part of a family here and couldn’t be happier with my choice of workplace.

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Career Moves Group

Employees 25 Sector Recruitment www.careermovesgroup.co.uk

It’s a company that really cares about people, ethics, doing things appropriately and applying creative thinking to a subject that’s important to get right... recruitment.

14

Zenopa Ltd

Employees 38 Sector Recruitment www.zenopa.com

The levels of trust and autonomy given to employees is unique; this is a supportive and progressive workplace.

15

London Vision Clinic

Employees 47 Sector Healthcare www.londonvisionclinic.com

I am proud to work for a unique clinic that constantly provides outstanding service and great care both to its employees and patients.

16

AV Rillo

Employees 38 Sector Legal www.avrillo.co.uk

You are encouraged to progress and even if you make a mistake it’s recognised that mistakes happen. There is no blame culture here.

17

CPS

Employees 43 Sector IT Consulting www.cps.co.uk

I’ve been with CPS since 1996 and I am truly proud of the fact that we have managed to retain a family feel to the culture, even as we have grown.

18

Catalina UK

Employees 48 Sector Advertising & Marketing www.catalinamarketing.co.uk

Whether we are going through challenging periods or periods of success, we always take time out to celebrate and reflect on learnings.

19

Thinkbda Ltd

Employees 23 Sector Advertising & Marketing www.thinkbda.com

Working with such talented, creative and amazing people on a daily basis fills me with immense pride.

20

Just IT Recruitment

Employees 25 Sector Recruitment www.justit.co.uk/recruitment

Alongside our continued growth and success year-on-year we have managed to remain a company where everyone feels valued and welcome.

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WE CAN ALSO HELP YOU GAIN RECOGNITION AS A GREAT EMPLOYER, BUSINESS AND BRAND IN THE 2017 BEST WORKPLACE AWARDS. FIND OUT MORE TODAY.

www.greatplacetowork.co.uk

GPTW.April2016.016.indd 16

info@greatplacetowork.com

0870 608 8780

22/03/2016 09:07

INTERVIEW: SOFTCAT

One-to-one Softcat, winner of Best Workplace – Large Category, has grown its turnover from £50 million to £600 million in the past decade.

CEO Martin Hellawell tells Tom O’Byrne, CEO of Great Place to Work® UK, how it has achieved such rapid growth

T

HIS BUSINESS WAS SET UP MORE THAN 20 years ago with one clear goal in mind – to create an organisation where people enjoyed coming to work and felt engaged.

The founder of Softcat, Peter Kelly, was determined to set up a workplace that broke away from the feel of the more run-of-the mill, soulless and anonymous corporates. His aim was to establish a happy and vibrant working community and this is the culture that still pervades Softcat.

The impact of such a legacy means that our people focus is not regarded as a specific HR responsibility, it’s everyone’s responsibility and is driven at from all angles. The outcome is a positive attitude among staff that produces great customer service and increases profitability. It has led to us winning ‘Most Trusted Leadership’ in the Large category and we are now a Laureate, so it is definitely working.

How do I define engagement? For me it is how positively connected employees are to the company and what it stands for. It’s the most critical issue for our IT-reselling business. We don’t have any intellectual property, we haven’t invented any products and we don’t make any, so the attitude of our employees and quality and enthusiasm of the customer service we offer is how we differentiate ourselves – it is the cornerstone of our success.

Our formula is simple: we recruit the right staff in the first place, train and develop them continuously and ensure they are engaged so they offer a fantastic service to customers, who are then encouraged to buy more.

Communication is the biggest element in creating that engagement. We communicate regularly using a number of platforms including, for example, weekly meetings and email. Nobody has an office here to encourage visibility and we aim to be as transparent as possible.

We always look for new ideas from staff, through formal and informal mechanisms, and are always seeking feedback and opportunities to listen to them, so they feel they have a stake in the direction of the company.

I devote an entire week of my time to go through, and respond to, findings from our annual employee satisfaction survey, the results of which, including the critical comments about me, are shared with everyone in the company.

I work closely with HR and it’s very important that I do.

High trust and engagement run through the DNA of this company but so we don’t compromise on that, and for us to grow as an organisation, we have to make sure we attract the right talent at the outset.

The HR team is pivotal to this. They know precisely what we are looking for in terms of attitude, potential and ambition, despite the fact that we tend to recruit people at an early stage of their career so they have no track record to speak of. HR is also the eyes and ears of the organisation – getting out and about and working hard to keep staff motivated and passionate about what they do.

Ultimately, though, it’s not just down to my relationship with HR that means there is an emphasis on people at Softcat. It is ingrained here, it’s set in stone and that foundation can’t be broken up easily.

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Not your average bean counters.

It’s the exceptional talent and the spirit of our people that make us more than the average ďŹ nance company. We are delighted to take our place in the 2016 UK Best Workplaces ranking.

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22/03/2016 09:09

INTERVIEW: RHP GROUP

One-to-one In its first year of participation, local housing organisation RHP Group is this year’s winner of Best Workplace – Medium Category. Its Chief Executive David Done tells Tom O’Byrne, CEO of Great Place to Work® UK, the secret of its success

W

E HAVE A BIG AMBITION – TO BE one of the best service providers in the UK and to be talked about alongside the great names of service. We don’t just compare ourselves with other housing associations but with all kinds of organisations across the business world. Alongside that goal we also want to be one the country’s best employers. We know that to achieve our ambition of being a leading service provider our people have to be fully engaged. Experience has shown us a clear link between employee satisfaction and the quality of services we deliver. We are convinced we don’t get one without the other.

For me, engagement is about aligning what we are trying to achieve as an organisation with culture. That requires three ingredients: a compelling, clear vision that excites people; attracting people to the organisation that truly understand our vision and passion; and freeing people up to do brilliant, exceptional things.

This people approach has fantastic benefits for us at all levels. We have a turnover of more than £50 million per year and an AA credit rating with Standard & Poor’s – the joint highest in the housing sector. But we also have a Trust Index© score of 96 per cent from Great Place to Work®.

To put engagement at the heart of what we do we have transformed our recruitment approach. We used to hire predominantly from the housing sector but now we hire from all backgrounds and sectors. We are simply looking for people who share our passion for amazing service.

The way we describe jobs, the way we interview people,

(moving away from formal interviews to engaging people in real conversations in groups rather than one-to-one), and the way we induct people, is all geared to that aim.

Despite our success we are always looking for ways to make it to the next step on our path towards excellence.

Every month we have a Great Place to Think session where we invite external speakers to talk to employees about various business issues. For example, a bombdisposal expert came in to talk about risk management.

This innovation piece is the key to our future success.

We have lots of conversations and forums, both formal and informal, about great service to encourage staff to speak their mind and share ideas.

HR is an integral part of everything we do, it’s not a stand-alone activity. At executive meetings, culture and engagement are the first things we discuss, it’s part of everyone’s remit.

Although our HR team is completely in sync with our aims and objectives, they also constantly try to look at ways to improve things. They analyse the survey results so we can access lots of information about areas to work on, as well as areas we are good at. It’s vital information.

It’s through HR that I can learn about the heartbeat of the organisation. As CEO it’s not always that easy to get close to people in the organisation. HR gives me a window into reality.

I have complete trust in the HR team to implement the ideas they come up with. The biggest contribution I can make is to create a culture where people can try things out and not be afraid to make a mistake.

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Great places rely on great people.

Our people take responsibility, build trust, work with passion, embrace diversity and never stop learning. These aren’t only our values, they are how we work.

We have a wide range of roles in a flexible, customer-focused environment with excellent benefits.

Join us if you want to be part of it. www.lqgroup.org.uk

WELL RUN, WELL FUNDED, AND WELL POSITIONED, FinancialForce.com is growing so fast you can feel the updraft. We’re an innovative Cloud ERP company that offers exciting challenges, generous rewards and clear paths for advancement.

WE’RE HONORED TO BE SELECTED AGAIN as one of the best places to work in the United Kingdom. This is testament to the talented people that are making such a successful impact on

Be challenged

the Cloud ERP marketplace.

Be respected

team across the globe–a blend of smart, unique and

Be relevant

welcome to join.

Be rewarded

We’ve pulled together a great talented people who never cease to amaze. And you are

Your best work is yet to be done. Find the job that’s as good as you are at FINANCIALFORCE.COM/CAREERS

BE FORCEFUL

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22/03/2016 09:11

INTERVIEW: FOUNDATION SP

One-to-one Foundation SP, winner of Best Workplace – Small Category, realised it needed to change to get the best out of its 36 employees. CEO Simon Grosse tells Tom O’Byrne, CEO of Great Place to Work® UK, how the technology solutions company embraced trust and engagement

E

NGAGEMENT FOR US IS ABOUT THE creation of total trust and authentic behaviour between business and employee – creating the conditions for our staff to become the best they can be.

Creating such an environment requires an emotional investment between the employee and the company so staff feel they can take pride and feel motivated to work here. We take time to listen and provide opportunities for staff to contribute, rather than a more traditional command and control environment. It’s about creating an open culture and getting people’s contributions so they feel part of it, as well as giving lots of recognition along the way.

Foundation SP didn’t set out with that approach though.

Almost two years ago we realised that to get the best out of people it needed to be about empowerment and responsibility, rather than just telling people what to do.

We introduced a mantra internally about ‘how it feels’ – so making sure that how it feels for employees and for the business is always being looked at, being measured and being tracked. We’re always looking for ways to ensure we’re looking at the best ways to optimise it.

We had an opportunity to build a business and needed to engage people on the journey, rather than just focusing on chasing revenue and profits, which too many businesses do. It’s a mistake to just focus on these outcomes. Happy, engaged staff make for a great client experience; if clients place more business with us

and we manage it in a good way, we’ll grow and make profits. The first agenda item every single week at management meetings is employee satisfaction. It comes before the financials.

We believe that the approach we’ve taken to people and values – alongside our business-focused approach to engaging with clients – is what differentiates us from our competitors. We have openly discussed the four key pillars of our business with our staff, customers and community partners. Our values focus on creating a great culture in which employees and clients feel engaged, rewarded and happy. We focus on building bridges by finding ways to connect people and businesses so they can share knowledge and ideas. And we encourage creative productivity, by focusing on innovation.

HR is integral to our people plan. Ultimately, I own the performance and direction of the business because our people are critical to our journey. There is a fantastic relationship between our staff and the HR function in running the systems, processes and contributions, but it’s also very much a day-to-day activity for me to ensure we’re in tune with how people are feeling.

Is the approach is working? 100% yes. There’s a shared purpose, shared vision and a collective team spirit. And at least 50% of our strategic goals for the company for 2016 came from staff roundtables, rather than the leadership deciding the goals. It gives us a head start in terms of getting everyone’s buy-in.

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FEATURE

What’s it like to work at a great workplace?

We asked employees at our top-ranking organisations about their experience of work…

B

EING RECOGNISED AS A BEST WORKPLACE IS an accolade many organisations aspire to – and job hunters seek out. It tells current and future employees this organisation is one in which their talents will be appreciated and make a difference, a place where they can grow personally and professionally, and where they can enjoy working in a supportive culture with like-minded people.

People who work at Best Workplaces enjoy coming to work. Their employers get the ‘hygiene’ factors right – pay and reward, a decent working environment, the right tools to do the job – but there’s something else. What sets these great workplaces apart is trust; trust and a spirit of generosity, compassion, understanding and a genuine interest in and concern for their employees.

While there is no magic checklist to being a Best Workplace, we examine 17 different areas to determine whether or not an organisation has got what it takes to be recognised as one. And of those 17, we’ve picked out six areas that really distinguish a great workplace from an average one. And it’s not so much what these organisations do, as how they do it.

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1

Mission, vision, values and purpose Being a great workplace isn’t all about generous pay and a great working environment in state-ofthe-art offices with perks like free lunches or sports facilities. Yes, many great workplaces have all of this and more, but what they also have is a strong sense of purpose and mission, vision and culture.

These determine what the business is about, where it’s going, how it’s going to get there and the kind of culture it needs to help them do that. Everyone who joins the organisation needs to understand and believe in what the business is trying to achieve and how their role fits in with that. Employers at

Being a great workplace isn’t all about generous pay and a great working environment in state-of-the-art offices

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great workplaces also help staff see that what they do has real meaning – it’s not just a job. And great workplaces put the needs of their employees first, as some tell us.

‘You really get the impression that profit margins come second to the employee experience that the business can provide.’

Futureheads employee ‘This is not a corporate money-making machine. It cares about its environment, the people who work here and its customers. It is constantly looking at ways to improve and that is a very positive and thoughtful way of working. I wish it was a standard ethos across all businesses.’ RHP Group employee Employees also need to be a ‘good cultural fit’; in that they fit in with the values that help create the organisation’s culture. In great workplaces values are an active and integral part of everyday life, lived and breathed by everyone, particularly the leaders.

Trust is one of the most important values – and all great workplaces are built on trusting relationships between managers and staff, and between colleagues. You’ll see it in everyday relationships; does your manager trust you to do your job without looking over your shoulder?

Leaders in the Best Workplaces role model the values of the organisation – they are used to drive the business. Average workplaces may well have values, but if they’re stuck on a wall they’re not going to make much difference. No wonder average workplaces have lower levels of trust.

‘Senior managers shouldn’t just put the values up on the wall, they need to act on them and live them.’ Employee at ‘average’ workplace

2

Wellbeing Wellbeing doesn’t just affect the individual employee, it affects everyone around them at work, at home and, ultimately society. That’s why the Great Place to Work® social mission or purpose is to help improve society by improving workplaces.

Employers have a duty of care to look after their employees’ wellbeing and this can be as simple as recognising them as individuals and showing appreciation. Great employers recognise their employees as people with lives outside work and do what they can to remove or reduce distractions and barriers to their wellbeing,

such as providing health plans, loans to help buy property or just showing extra compassion and consideration for employees going through difficult times.

Providing flexible working will also help address the growing work-life balance issue.

Employers that put the needs of employees first, rather than those of the business, tend to offer a more comprehensive range of flexible working options. The culture of trust that they are likely to have in place is essential for flexible working to be successful.

Unfortunately, at average workplaces, not only does there tend to be little or no trust (which can also lead to micro-management) but often employees feel they are expected to put the organisation’s needs first.

At average workplaces, there tends to be little trust and employees often feel they are expected to put the organisation’s needs first

‘…the support, through difficult times, which I have had personally, along with the encouragement and care that the directors and colleagues take in individual and group wellbeing is exceptional.’

Softcat employee ‘Improve the work-life balance – there is an expectation that [the company] comes first. Remove the underlying, unspoken expectation that you have to be available 24/7, 365 days a year.’ Employee at ‘average’ workplace

3

Rewards Both the UK’s Best Workplaces and the UK’s average companies have strong benefits packages, but it’s an extra level of compassion that usually distinguishes the best from the rest.

‘This [reward package] incentivises people to remain with the business and also shows that the company

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FEATURE

cares about its people – that is, helping them to set up a good home life as well as a work life.’

Goodman Masson employee.

4

Showing appreciation Great workplaces recognise that everyone likes to be recognised and appreciated. If employees choose to stay and add value to the organisation, employers should make the workplace somewhere they want to be so they create opportunities for fun and social connection.

Lack of opportunity for development and progression is one of the main contributory factors to high levels of turnover

‘On Fridays, we partake in ‘Feel-good Friday’ where we all share something we feel good about. It’s great to share in each other’s success and happiness and end the week on a happy note. The company works hard to ensure everyone enjoys coming to work.

I certainly do!’ New Chapter Consulting employee

5

Giving employees a voice Great workplaces recognise that employees are responsible for driving the organisation forward every day and will have valuable views and suggestions to contribute. So initiatives to capture this feedback and give employees a voice are universal at great workplaces. The majority have some kind of employee survey or, at the very least, a suggestion box. While many average employers also solicit feedback, their employees feel that their opinions are not taken on board and so they have little or no power to make any changes.

‘Actually listen to staff about how to move the business forward rather than just paying lip service.’

Employee at ‘average’ workplace ‘It would benefit the company as a whole if management sometimes asked workers: “What can we do?” rather than: “This is what we are going to do.”’

Employee at ‘average’ workplace

6

Develop people to be their best and to do their best Great employers have an understanding that the workplace presents opportunities for genuine fulfilment and that we all want to be our ‘best selves’. Development in

24

great workplaces goes well beyond skills development; it allows people to find where in the organisation they can be themselves the most, do the type of work they enjoy and where their unique contribution, both personal and professional, can be recognised.

‘I have never worked somewhere where I have felt so free to be myself nor encouraged to express myself.’

Resurgo employee

‘I feel the company genuinely cares about me as a person and invests in me to grow and develop my sense of purpose in the business.’ Twining’s employee Likewise, lack of opportunity for development and progression is one of the main contributory factors to high levels of employee turnover in some of the UK’s average companies.

‘The organisation needs to take a serious look at career progression and development of its employees. So much talent has left the organisation.’

Employee at ‘average’ workplace Learning in Best Workplace organisations often goes beyond formal training and other development activity.

For example, at Best Workplace Futureheads, complaints or instances of mistakes are treated as an opportunity to coach and embed real learning.

Here employees feel that the focus of management is on knowledge, learning and growth.

‘The way they treat me feels like they genuinely see potential in me.’ Futureheads employee So, what kind of organisation do you work for – average or great?

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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FEATURE

Technology and products may be comparatively easy for competitors to replicate but culture isn’t.

How can your organisation build a culture to win that competitive advantage?

be a great employer, T business and brand ABOUT GREAT PLACE TO WORK ® We help organisations boost business performance by understanding and improving their workplace culture – a key competitive advantage. A hightrust culture is critical for driving and sustaining engagement which, in turn, drives business and financial performance. We assess culture by measuring how employees experience it through our Trust Index© survey, and by evaluating the leadership and people practices that create it through our Culture Audit©.

Together, this provides a unique and holistic perspective of an organisation’s culture, which no other consultancy provides.

The Great Place to Work® Institute runs the largest study of workplace cultures and people practices in the world. Every year

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it surveys more than 4 million employees across over 6,600 organisations, representing the views and experiences of more than 12 million workers. These studies culminate in annual national, regional and global Best Workplace rankings.

The data we collect through our global surveys is used by academics to research the link between workplace cultures and financial performance. Their research over many years shows that high-trust, high-engaged workplaces consistently perform better than their peers and outperform the market.

We share our data and insights through our research and other publications at national, regional and global level as well as through conferences and events.

HE BEST WORKPLACES HAVE ONE THING in common: a strong culture aligned to a strong strategy. That doesn’t just enable them to become Best Workplaces, it provides them with an advantage over their competitors.

Organisational cultures built on trust drive sustainable engagement, which ultimately drives business and financial performance. That is what 30 years’ of research has told us. But when employees are asked to rate how much they feel they trust their employers and their employers trust them, the average organisation scores just 55%.

In contrast, our top 100 Best Workplaces have average trust scores of 85%, as measured through our Trust Index© employee survey. To be even considered for a place on the Best Workplaces ranking, an organisation needs a trust score of at least 70%. So how do organisations grow from being an ‘average’ workplace to a ‘good’ workplace - or even a ‘great’ one, like our Best Workplaces?

First you need to understand your organisation’s current culture and to do that we look at what creates it – your values, your leadership, your management and your people systems and processes. We do that by measuring how employees experience it through our Trust Index© survey, and by evaluating the leadership and people practices that create it through our Culture Audit©.

The data from the employee survey and the Culture Audit© provides a unique and detailed analysis of your workplace culture. When evaluating your data there are three potential gaps we look at:

The gap between your current culture and your desired culture. Where do you want to be? What’s the best way of getting there?

The gap between how your people practices compare with best-in-class organisations such as our Best Workplaces, or others in your sector. For example, flexible working is increasingly seen as the norm so if you don’t offer flexible working or the choice is limited, you could be losing talent to competitors who are seen to offer better opportunities.

The gap between your people practices and how they are perceived by employees. For example, you may think that communication in your organisation is good but employees may have a different view.

info@greatplacetowork.co.uk

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Helping you get from ‘Good’ to ‘Great’ ‘Big Picture’ actions ‘Fine-Tuning’ actions Trust Index© score

Improvement over time

55%

70%

85%

UK National Average

Threshold for consideration as a ‘Best Workplace’

UK Best Workplaces Top 100

Key steps to becoming a great workplace

1 2

Get everybody on the same page, starting from the top. What is your vision for the future? What are your goals? What kind of culture and values are important to your organisation?

Two key Great Place to Work® tools can help you achieve your goals by increasing your understanding of workplace cultures. Our Trust Model focuses on building and maintaining trust and shows what trust looks like from the employee and the management perspective. Our Culture Audit© explores the nine key areas of people management that are important for driving culture in your organisation – hiring, inspiring, speaking, listening, thanking, sharing, developing, caring and celebrating.

3

Employee opinion and involvement, and action, should be central to your improvement strategy. Survey how your employees view the organisation regularly and their role in it.

Importantly, make sure employees know you will act on their feedback – and give feedback on their feedback. Even if some changes are not possible, let employees know why. The most common failing of survey programmes is a lack of feedback and action – perceived or otherwise.

4

Our top 100 Best Workplaces have average trust scores of 85%, as measured through our Trust Index© employee survey

Set up a virtuous cycle of survey/feedback/ action/re-survey.

At each stage, look at what action you can take for the greatest impact. It’s better to do a few things and do them very well than try to do too many which may have little impact – often because of commitment overload.

And always communicate, communicate, communicate.

You’ll find that at the beginning of your improvement journey, the actions you take will be bigger and predominantly at organisational level.

As your culture and performance gets stronger, it’s more about fine-tuning what you do and directing your action at a more local level – for example, coaching lowerperforming line managers in order to change behaviours.

And, who knows, if you do get to ‘great’, you could even be recognised as a Best Workplace.

Wherever you are on your journey, we can help.

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7R ÀQG RXW PRUH FRQWDFW greatpeople@ketchum.com

@ketchumuk

At Bayer we encourage you to question the status quo and constantly think beyond the obvious.

We foster open discussions, sharing knowledge across our community and partnering with external networks. We always start by listening – because

our customers are at the heart of everything we do. At Bayer you have the opportunity to be part of a culture where we value the passion of our employees to innovate and give them the power to change.

Passion to innovate | Power to change

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22/03/2016 09:13

HALL OF FAME AND SPECIAL AWARDS

Leaders of the pack Every year a new set of organisations enters our Hall of Fame or wins our Special Awards. What role does leadership play in their success?

T

HE FIRST BEST WORKPLACES list appeared in the UK in 2001.

In the intervening years, the ranking has played host to hundreds of large, medium and small organisations across a range of sectors.

This year, two companies have reached the significant milestone of being ranked Best Workplaces for every one of those years.

Car insurance specialist Admiral and international law firm Gowling WLG (formerly known as Wragge) first made the ranking in

2001 and have consistently demonstrated the characteristics of Best Workplaces ever since.

Admiral puts its success down to the “single most important contributor” – its company culture – which helps nurture employees who are “friendly, happy, confident, helpful, fun-loving, ambitious and positive”. And Gowling WLG’s employees note how the firm’s lack of hierarchy results in a sense that they all have an essential part to play in its success.

However, leadership still plays a crucial role in organisations’ sustained success as

Best Workplaces. But it must be the right kind of leadership.

In 2016, we also welcome three new Masters organisations. McDonald’s Restaurants UK, Baringa and Ketchum have now appeared on the list for the past decade.

We asked them how their approach to leadership ensures their continued success.

This year too, we’ve asked our new Laureates – those that have made the ranking for five consecutive years – what role leadership plays in their success.

2016: LAUREATES ACCORHOTELS

“We are striving to make it a place where the leaders empower their employees to reach the maximum they can be and everyone has a voice.”

Thomas Dubaere, Managing Director

INTUIT

AUTODESK

“Leadership involves driving results and nurturing the conditions where employees can thrive, while demonstrating high standards of dignity and respect.”

Ian Mitchell, Vice President, HR

LONDON VISION CLINIC “We want our staff to feel comfortable,

“Great leadership helps to inspire and motivate our employees to deliver against our shared vision and goals, creating a happy, positive workplace.” Ross Fraser, Vice President and Managing Director

SOFTCAT

EMC

‘It all started with the dream of using the skills and resources that make our company unique to solve a big, unmet social need and help change the world in an unprecented way.’ Scott Cook, Founder

valued and proud to be part of our team and strive to achieve this with our facilities, benefits and our internal culture.” Ida Lewinsohn, Clinic Manager “We don’t shy away from change but move actively towards it; a forward-thinking attitude where every employee helps to mould our programmes and practices together.” Martin Hellawell, CEO

2016: MASTERS BARINGA PARTNERS

MCDONALD’S

KETCHUM

“It is about having a vision that inspires and motivates, values that guide and direct, and a culture that is entrepreneurial and collaborative.”

Adrian Bettridge, Managing Partner

“McDonald’s takes a personal approach to caring for its diverse employees, with a philosophy that every employee has a right to personal progression.”

“Being ranked for 10 consecutive years has been an incredible honour and has strongly influenced how we manage our company.”

Denise Kaufman, CEO, Ketchum London

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HALL OF FAME AND SPECIAL AWARDS

Special Awards 2016 MOST TRUSTED LEADERSHIP “Hire good people then do everything humanly possible to help them make a difference and become great. And, along the way, trust each other to do the right thing.”

Paul Davies, Managing Director, Firstlight

Small category winners FIRSTLIGHT PR FOUNDATION SP

“Foundation SP really does involve everyone in the business, we are all in this together.” Simon Grosse, CEO

Medium category winner COSATTO

“Our open leadership and management style plays a massive role in creating trust, security and happiness, making Cosatto a place that the team enjoys coming to and giving 100% on a daily basis.”

Andrew Kluge, CEO

Large category winner SOFTCAT

“When it comes to good people management and engagement it’s important that senior people put what they believe into action. The message is important but it has to be demonstrated through everyday behaviour. It’s got be genuine.” Martin Hellawell, CEO

EXCELLENCE IN CSR

EXCELLENCE IN WELLBEING

AUTODESK

PROPELLERNET “Autodesk is committed to advancing sustainable business practices within our company.

Our efforts extend across our value chain, from suppliers and business partners, to our own operations and the customers who use our products.”

Ian Mitchell, Vice President, HR

EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FUTUREHEADS RECRUITMENT “We use workshops, whiteboards and presentations to teach and develop theories to groups and individuals from the Futureheads Squad. Appealing to all learning styles to empower is part of the way we have fun and learn.”

Be Kaler, Director

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“By aligning our mission and values to the hopes and dreams of our people we’ve created something incredibly powerful; a business that helps us be a best version of ourselves while creating meaning and delivering business success.”

Nikki Gatenby, Managing Director

EXCELLENCE IN EMPLOYEE VOICE FOUNDATION SP “We really do live our core values of Family, Success, Passion.

Order of priority in the business is employee satisfaction first, with client satisfaction and finally business satisfaction.”

Simon Grosse, CEO

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Thanks to our talented and passionate employees, Salesforce UK is reaching new heights, which is why we are especially proud to be named one of the “UK’s Best Workplaces in 2016”.

We are bound together by a common mission to help our customers succeed and to give back to our communities, and each of us knows the role we play in achieving those goals. Simply put, we all understand that a commitment to achieve something £Ø ã Ø ã¨ Ã ÊèØÜ ¼ó Ü ĆÃ Ü ¨Êô ô Ê èÜ«Ã ÜÜŬ Above all else, our people are what makes Salesforce UK a best place to work.

Join the #SalesforceOhana: salesforce.com/ukcareers

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