Top 20 Companies to Work For
Page 1 of 1
by Sarah Barnard
When it came to choosing the right degree course, it wasn’t as simple as pulling a name out of a hat (well, for most of us anyway!) so the same has to be said when it comes to picking the right company to plant your career seeds in.
Each year, The Sunday Times publishes a list that acknowledges organisations applauded by their own employees for plus points such as being appreciated in the workplace and encouraging a supportive environment. The list began in 2001 and is overseen by personnel from Best Companies Limited, specialist consultants in workplace culture who survey the opinion of more than 130,000 employees throughout the UK to find out which companies top the polls as being the ideal place to work.
The list is split into two main sections: The Best Big Companies to work for and The Best SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) Companies to work for, ranking the top 100 for both. There are of course benefits to working for either a larger blue-chip company or a smaller, more independent workplace. Here are the Top 20 results for the Large Companies because hey, I reckon you need to think BIG to start with.
The Best of the Biggies:
Only firms with more than 5000 employees are allowed to take part in the Best of The Big Companies list.
1. KPMG
The firm provides audit, tax and advisory services through 22 offices across the UK. At KPMG focus is on strong working and social relationships alongside career development, and the flexibility to enjoy a rewarding home/work life balance.
2. Barchester Healthcare
Barchester Healthcare was founded in 1994 and has 170 residential care homes throughout Britain. Working in a care home is of course a 24-hour schedule so the firm have set up computer links for employees to work from home, provide BlackBerries for staff and time off is taken in lieu of long hours.
3. Nationwide Building Society
Working with demographic thinking, the company is owned by its customers rather than shareholders. Nearly a third of employees have been with Nationwide for more than 15 years service and the firm take pride in providing a vast range practices to ensure they stay for a further 15!
4. RBS Retail Banking
Benefits at RBS include flexible working hours, a final salary pension, share options and profit-related pay. Unsurprisingly, RBS records the highest positive score among the big companies for both happiness with work/life balance scoring (70%) and job security (79%).
5. Morgan Stanley
The global financial services firm takes huge leaps in helping staff maintain their work hard/ play hard mentality. A fun example includes employees being offered the chance to swap the trading floor for the stage to put on a play when Morgan Stanley recently sponsored the Old Vic theatre.
6. The Carphone Warehouse
The communications firm offer a range of incentives to help boost pay and self-esteem, including earning up to £2,000 for recommending a friend for a job to an annual awards ceremony hosted by celebrities.
7. Deloitte
The tax and auditing firm, which recorded pre-tax profits of £418.5m last year, has more than 9,700 staff in the UK. All say they love working for the business, giving it a 64% positive score.
8. American Express Services Europe
Amex staff are proud to be part of this company, with over three quarters believing in its principles and flexible schemes.
9. Mothercare UK
Staff at Mothercare are the least stressed of any in the Top 20 big companies, giving an 81% positive score, that’s one pointer that surely attracts huge brownie points in today’s day and age.
10. Cadbury Schweppes
Staff at Cadbury’s work in teams, helping to maintain a sense of family and ensuring that individuals have a voice. Employees feel their contributions can truly make a difference and they feel there are honest opportunities for career progression.
11. Atkins
The largest engineering consultancy in Britain, Atkins provides financial assistance to projects worldwide including technical aid following the Asian tsunami. Atkins gained a 65% score for making a positive difference to the world -the sixth-highest result in the Top 20.
12. Ernst & Young
The consultancy has offices in 140 countries and provides integrated financial-based solutions to businesses. Staff are offered industry training, coached in people skills and everyone is allocated a counsellor to mentor them.
13. Vodafone UK
The company started out with a scattering of employers in 1985 which has now grown to more than 10,000 working in eight main locations across more than 300 stores. Training is key at Vodafone and each year 100 hard workers are rewarded with a 5-day all-expenses trip to Dubai, including your partners.
14. Pricewaterhouse Coopers
PWC trains more than 20% of the chartered accountants in the UK and its business diploma — a four-year development programme for managers — is run in association with the London Business School. The organisation gains a 73% positive rating for provision of useful training
15. Thomas Cook UK & Ireland
The company’s chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa is a clear example of career progression — he started with Thomas Cook at the age of 18 in the print department. Scores of 64% for finding him inspiring and 66% for doing a good job are both in the top 10 nationally.
16. Deutsche Bank
Founded in 1870, the bank has become one of the most successful global financial institutions in the world. Its 6,672 staff specialise in corporate banking and securities, transaction banking, asset management and private wealth management.
17. Gala Bingo
It’s not just the OAPs who have all the fun when it comes to bingo, Gala makes the top 20 for the first time, thanks to staff naming their fair workload and realistic deadlines as huge plus pointers.
18. Leonard Cheshire
Care provider Leonard Cheshire has been helping more than 21,000 disabled people in the UK and yet more in 55 other countries around the world for nearly 60 years. It secures the highest score (70%) among our top 20 big companies for making a positive difference to the world we live in.
19. City of Bradford Council
Council workers may have gained themselves a thoroughly un-sexy image thanks to the likes of Coronation Street and the like, but Bradford has happily stamped-out that message by ranking 19th in the poll. Bradford is the first local authority to appear in our best companies list with 71% of staff saying their colleagues go out of their way to help each other, and 63% proclaiming a true sense of being part of a family within the company.
20. Barclays Bank
A third of Barclays bank has been at the company for more than 15 years and you can see what they’re doing right. They provide sign-readers at meetings for staff with hearing disabilities and they even have a policy to enable people to work until they are 70 (if you’re that keen!). The London headquarters also has a dedicated multifaith room.
