British employees have spoken and voted for the nation’s best companies to work for, thanks to Great Place to Work UK.
Hilton, Cisco and Salesforce are considered to be the top ‘super large’ companies to work for in the UK, according to Great Place to Work’s latest list, based directly on employee feedback. Construction company The Sovini Group won the top spot in ‘large’ company to work for category, followed by biotech/pharmaceutical company Stryker UK Ltd and Insight Direct UK Ltd in the tech sector.
Tulchan Communications LLP scooped the top ranking in the ‘medium size’ category list, followed by tech-based firms Intuit QuickBooks and Natilik. Professional services firm Ryan secured the top spot in the ‘small company’ category, followed by finance and insurance firm PEN Partnership with tech company Xledger Ltd in third place.
METHODOLOGY & TRUST INDEX
To compile the lists, Great Place To Work carries out a Trust Index survey with all employees; and further verifies the employee experience by gaining an in-depth understanding of the programmes and practices organisations have in place via its Culture Audit assessment. Its For All methodology measures the company culture to make sure all employees enjoy working there, not just a few.
However, this year, its For All methodology was adapted because of Covid-19; to ensure an accurate assessment of workplace cultures that considered the vast changes and challenges brought in by the pandemic. By asking the right questions, it obtained data that gave a clear picture of which companies truly put their people first and sustained high levels of trust, engagement and support for their employees amid the crisis. The 183 organisations who’ve earned their place on the 2021 UK’s Best Workplaces list have proven themselves to be exceptional employers providing a positive employee experience. Check out the video below on the virtual event announcing this year’s lists.
UK’S BEST WORKPLACES 2021
TOP COMPANIES IN THE SUPER LARGE RANKING
There’s a common belief that achieving a ‘family feel’ in the workplace is something only possible at SMEs. “Super large organisations like Hilton, however, are constantly debunking this myth year on year,” noted Great Place to Work UK. “Hilton has displayed heroism and bravely in their response to the brutal challenges thrust upon the hospitality industry. They did this by playing to their strengths and putting people and culture at the heart of their recovery strategy.”
Regular communications, providing uninterrupted access to critical training and development and empowering leaders to share learnings helped to foster a culture of trust. This collaborative approach enabled Hilton to manage the crisis in a way that supported a diverse, dispersed global workforce of employees; all experiencing the pandemic in many different ways.
“What was important was trying to understand the needs of every individual and provide the best possible solutions,” stated Hilton‘s Senior Vice President Human Resources EMEA Ben Bengougam. “Hilton has always had a strong culture; but the pandemic has brought teams together and amplified the Hilton culture in ways we didn’t know were possible. It’s our Team Members that have acted as enablers to help shape our approach; and inform our new ways of working. With this, we leaned heavily into our values to guide our decision making with hospitality and integrity; all the while approaching our teams with empathy, respect and support.”
UK’s Top 10 super large firms to work for
Companies in the Top 10 ‘super large’ ranking include:
- Hilton
- Cisco UK
- Salesforce
- DHL Express UK
- Admiral Group
- SAP
- Home Group Limited
- Principality Building Society
- Softcat plc
- Gowling WLG (UK) LLP
TOP COMPANIES IN LARGE SIZE CATEGORY
The Sovini Group secured the top slot in this ranking. “Although many businesses claim to put employees first, only some can prove it,” points out Great Place to Work. “At this firm, value in people is role-modelled from the top, filtering down into an effective people strategy employees love. That’s why this leader in property, construction and facilities management has been a top company to work for five years in a row. Reading through thousands of employee survey responses, we sadly see many people working at large size organisations feeling as though they are just a number or cog in the machine.”
At this firm, however, leaders recognise that everyone brings unique value to the same organisation, working on behalf of, for and supporting each other daily. Its people strategy “is ultimately what makes them stand out above competitors”.
“An organisation is essentially a community. If our people don’t come into work tomorrow, we haven’t got a business. Recognise that and value them for the contribution that they bring,” stated the company’s CEO Dr Roy Williams. “Everybody has got a role to play, and we are grateful for the roles that they play, as an individual, as a collective, as a team. And we come together as a big family in support and recognition of each other.”
UK’s Top 10 large companies to work for
The top 10 Best Places to Work in the UK (in the large company category), include:
- The Sovini Group
- Stryker UK Ltd
- Insight Direct UK Ltd
- SC Johnson
- Lindt & Sprüngli UK Ltd
- Danone Specialised Nutrition UK
- Baringa Partners
- Adobe
- ServiceNow
- Liberty IT
TOP COMPANIES IN MEDIUM SIZE CATEGORY
Tulchan Communications LLP, the top company in this ranking, has been on the UK’s Best Workplaces lists since 2019; practicing empathy, trust and flexibility long before the Covid-19 crisis. In leading with empathy, managers at Tulchan considered the challenges and constraints under which their people were suddenly operating early on. This included caring responsibilities employees may have; home-schooling children while working from home; and understanding the physical situation people are in (like whether they have sufficient space and office equipment to work comfortably).
Leaders also made time to understand what mental strain individuals may be experiencing during lockdown; offering counselling and support through internal and external resources. As with all the Best Places to Work in the UK, Tulchan sustains their award-winning culture through trust. Managers trust that people will deliver great work doing it in their own time.
“We instinctively like to empower people to get on with their job; to make decisions about how they do their job and to give people responsibility,” stated Andrew Feldman, Managing Partner at Tulchan Communications. “But that has been magnified massively by us all working separately; and having to give people even more trust in terms of doing what they need to do to get the job done.”
UK’s Top 10 medium companies to work for
The Top 10 Best Places to Work in the UK (in the medium sized category) include:
- Tulchan Communications LLP
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Natilik
- SafetyCulture
- South Liverpool Homes
- Foundation SP
- Tanium
- Impact
- Rimini Street Limited
- Found
TOP COMPANIES IN SMALL SIZE CATEGORY
Professional services firm Ryan secured top spot in this category. Part of what makes Ryan stand out above the competition is their understanding of ‘culture’, which happens through experiences or through stories according to Great Place to Work UK. By paying attention to the stories around them, leaders at Ryan were able to make sure their strategy was aligned to the needs and concerns of their workforce.
“When you’re in the trenches, working every day, producing new initiatives, and you’re designing new ideas, you get caught up a little bit in the gradual movement. All of a sudden, we are cast into this gigantic global situation and we sit back and go: ‘What we’ve been doing is actually working really well’,” stated Ryan’s Global Chief People Officer Tony Bridwell.
“People want certainty, but they follow clarity,” added Bridwell, whose ‘show up, speak up, sync up’ philosophy focuses on displaying authentic, sincere compassion and maintaining transparency no matter how tough things get.
UK’s Top 10 small companies to work for
The Top 10 Best Places to Work in the UK (small company category), include:
- Ryan
- PEN Partnership
- Xledger Ltd
- Centor Insurance and Risk Management Ltd
- Reddico Digital
- Astound Commerce UK
- Achievers
- Napier
- PlotBox
- TePe Oral Hygiene Products Ltd
Click here to see the full lists for 2021. Check out our recent articles on the top companies to work for in the US, the Middle East, and Australia/New Zealand.
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