THE U.K.’S 100 Most Loved Workplacesby Hank Gilman
Newsweek 11/11/2022 IT HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR COMPANIES TO BOND WITH AND NURTURE EMPLOYEES. HERE ARE THE BUSINESSES IN GREAT BRITAIN DOING JUST THAT
IN THE U.K., AS AROUND THE WORLD, THE threat of recession is looming over companies and employees alike. The worry: High inflation and interruptions to the energy
supply caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war will cause corporate profits to shrink and spark major layoffs, hurting both the workers who’ve been let go and those who remain behind.
In this challenging environment, it’s especially important for companies to keep employees motivated and productive, giving them reasons to feel connected to and satisfied with the business they work for. Employers who succeed at this critical task—companies like the ones in our first U.K. edition of Newsweek’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces—are the ones most likely to thrive in the times ahead.
As with its U.S. counterpart, which was published in October, this collection of small, medium and large companies was produced with our research partner, the Best Practice Institute of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. What separates our list from other workplace rankings is that we get to the bottom of how employees feel about their whole working experience, rather than simply extol company benefits.
Our bottom line is this: Do workers feel loved— and in sync—with the company they work for?
That kind of “emotional connection,” as BPI terms it, can mean success for a company. This works for any business, big or small, says BPI founder and CEO Louis Carter, author of In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance by Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace (Mcgraw-hill, 2019). BPI’S research director, Scott Baxt, also points out that employees, research shows, are as much as four times more likely to be more productive if they love their company. Those same workers also tend to stay on the job longer, cutting down on turnover.
As Baxt explains, the businesses on this, and the U.S. list, “highlight how they have given a voice to all employees and, in return,” have likely been “rewarded with increased productivity and performance.”
How did the companies make the list? More than 450,000 employees were surveyed at businesses ranging in size from 50 employees to well north of 5,000; some 410 companies were accepted to apply for certification as a “Most Loved Workplace” and nearly 300 made the cut. The top 100 among them were chosen based on several factors that BPI’S research has revealed are most important to employee sentiment and satisfaction, with best practices culled from the employee surveys, interviews with hundreds of company officials and public company rating sites. The criteria included: Is collaboration and teamwork important? Are there opportunities for advancement? Does the company promote understanding and respect within their culture? Are worker values aligned with their company?
The Top 100
As in the U.S., flexible work arrangements seem to be entrenched at the companies on the U.K. Most Loved list. Also as with the U.S. list, career development was crucially important to employees at our U.K. companies.
Virgin Atlantic, this year’s top company, for example, has a special program called “Springboard,” which was created for women who are struggling with work-life balance—an issue whose critical importance was laid bare during the pandemic—and who want to thrive in the corporate world. It was designed to also help Virgin reach a 50/50 gender mix “within our leader population.” Pharma company Perkinelmer (No. 8) has a “Mycareerjourney” portal that lets employees see new jobs at the firm. They’re also matched with the resources needed to develop skills for those jobs.
BPI’S Carter says that the alignment of employee and company values was crucial as well. “The most mentioned significant words by the companies (in our surveys) were ‘value’ and ‘culture’ with 45 percent of the companies making mention of at least one of those words,” he says. “The companies begin the execution of their culture and value-based systems during the recruitment process.”
For instance, applicants at Sensat (No. 29), a software firm, have to go through a “values” interview. Financial services firm Wills & Trusts Wealth Management Group (No. 42) requires new hires to
participate in a four-day culture workshop.
Will these good feelings last when we survey those companies again next year?
Not at all clear. Some three years after COVID-19 hit, the workplace is an unpredictable place. Britain is dealing with economic and political woes and who knows what the winter will bring with continued high inflation and fuel shortages looming? A worldwide economic downturn might change the rules of engagement with employers.
We’d argue, though, that it is more important than ever that companies are willing to change with the times and actively work to meet the evolving needs of the people who work for them. The best employers recognize that and act accordingly, no matter what economic times they’re in.
We can’t predict the future. But we do know that there are lessons to be derived from our Top 100. If you’re an employee looking to find a firm more aligned with your values, this list can help. If you’re an executive trying to make your firm a better place for your employees to thrive, taking note of the practices of the Top 100 is a good place to start.
That’s true no matter who is running the U.K.
▸ Most Loved Workplaces® is a registered trademark of the Best Practice Institute, Inc., of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
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