For many employers, getting onto The Times’ list of the top 100 companies to work for is very important. Companies take pride in winning awards for HR, with some taking the list as a competition in its own right. There are a number of different variables that will contribute to a company getting listed on the top spot, with companies having to get The Times’ team in to interview staff and take a look around. If employees give the company a glowing score on the questionnaire, then there’s every chance that it will do well, but company benefits, pay, and atmosphere are also taken into account amongst other things.
The company that has landed first place for the last four years is WL Gore and Associates. With offices in Livingstone and Dundee, this manufacturer of Gore Tex jackets consistently received scores within the 80-90% mark in its questionnaire. Positive scores included staff believing they can make a difference (89%), feeling fully involved (88%) and finding work stimulating (85%). Other benefits include long holidays, share options, dental insurance and onsite massages. Perhaps most importantly, however, is the company’s insistence on maintaining a non hierarchical structure. There are no job descriptions or manager, just leaders who make up about half the 454 staff.
Looking down the list will uncover some of the innovative ways that companies win brownie points for great HR. Bacardi and Martini (ranked at 23rd) not only gives employees the chance to work on a worldwide recognized brand, but it also supplies employees with laptops and mobile phones. Meanwhile, Microsoft (38th and former title winner in 2003) is diligent about looking after families with young children. The Reading office has an onsite nursery whilst the company also provides outstanding maternity cover.
British Gas (26th) has employed a quite remarkable scheme for team days. Employees are invited to write down questions on a piece of A4 paper, screw it up, and then throw it at the management team as hard as they like. The managers then unscrew the paper and answer the question, and with some 300 people attending the meetings, this can take some time!
Both companies and employees benefit from regular meetings and catch ups, such as those offered quarterly by Kent based leisure company Holiday Extras (43rd). This company also runs summer barbeques, big social events, games of rounders, and a ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ style all day event where different teams compete for a prize – and all this comes in the working week!
Coming in lower down the list still is a sound achievement, and some of the companies towards the 100 mark still provide some truly excellent benefits. Dennis Publishing (88th), for instance, offers a paid sabbatical of six weeks after five years service. Additionally they have a democratic way of rewarding staff. Each year, staff vote for four employees most deserving of an all-expenses paid trip, and the winners each take a friend off to Mustique. The runners-up in each division are consoled with £500 each.
If you’re thinking of changing jobs, then check out Fish4Jobs.co.uk. This website currently has 38,000 jobs live, including from the UK’s top 100 employers, making your job search quick and easy. Reed.co.uk is also a handy website to investigate, and can keep you updated on jobs to suit your CV.
