Great Place to Work Institute, the global research and management consultancy, today crowned dairy company Danone UK as the winner of the Best UK Workplaces Programme 2009.

One of 50 companies to be ranked, Danone UK beat Cadbury, British Gas and Coca Cola UK and Ireland to the top post, while recruitment company, Total Jobs Group came 48th.

Commenting on their accolade, Marnix Eikenboom, general manager of Danone UK, said: "We are all proud to work at Danone and are delighted to be the number one place to work in the UK. Achieving such a prestigious award gives us immense pride and clearly demonstrates our commitment to creating an environment that is welcoming, respectful and allows our employees to be themselves. It reinforces our ability to attract, develop, inspire and retain the best people and is proof that our employees trust us to deliver on our promises. We believe it is vital to maintain the friendly and open culture we have worked so hard to build as the success of the business depends on strong engagement with our people."

Danone UK scooped the award due to its combined score in the Trust Index Survey which employees answer, and the Culture Audit Management questionnaire, which HR professionals within the company complete. As well as a well-respected employee recognition scheme, Danone’s culture of strong social responsibility and trust has also helped its win, while the organisation’s health programme, which includes free private medical insurance, health checks, free fruit, yoghurt and mineral water and a weekly 15-minute head and shoulders massage, was also highly commended by employees.

For the full list of companies click here.