‘Fun’, great management and culture are what make a firm a great place to work

Great Place To Work has announced its annual UK’s Best Workplaces list, based on feedback from around 250,000 people. Taking into account culture audits and employees’ perspectives the organisers say they have identified what makes these employers the best.

An analysis of employee survey responses highlights the key conditions that, according to staff, set the best workplaces apart:

Fun is more than fluff: Employees are warning organisations not to underestimate the power of fun and its impact on their job satisfaction, advocacy, loyalty and retention. Best Workplaces don’t just hire a good culture fit and hope for the best – they actively work to advance social connections and a solid sense of fellowship amongst colleagues across all teams and levels of seniority. At Best Workplaces, 86 percent of employees agree theirs “is a fun place to work” (vs. the UK average of only 65 percent).

Great management is key to employees’ wellbeing and intent to stay: Employees who believe management shows a genuine interest in them as people, and not just employees, are 7X more likely to recommend the organisation to family and friends as ‘a great place to work’ than those whose managers fail to do so. They’re also 7X more likely to feel the organisation is a psychologically and emotionally healthy place to work, which significantly impacts their wellbeing and intent to stay with the company – and, in turn, the business’ overall performance.

Culture is a key predictor of financial success: E.g. DHL Express – ranked third in the Super Large size category on this year’s List; was the No. 2 World’s Best Workplace; and ranked 20 on the Fortune 500 Europe. The logistics giant is proof that great culture can be achieved even in a massive corporation within an industry widely perceived to be high-stress and low-fun for its frontline workers. “Every company says that people are at the centre of everything they do,” says John Pearson, Global CEO of DHL Express. “But only if you live that out authentically, and can point to dozens of proof points that demonstrate it, then they’re not just words.”

Key findings across the four categories:

Small (10-50 employees):

• Sumillion Limited (a sustainable IT reseller) tops the 105 Best Workplaces (Small) – scoring 100 percent for every area of the Trust Index™ employee survey.
• “From our very inception we have always wanted to make the most positive changes to the world and believe that this is only possible by employing the most caring and committed staff. So, making sure that we provide the absolute best environment to flourish has always been our top priority,” says David Manners, CEO of Sumillion Limited
• Top 5 in this category:  Sumillion Limited, Iconic Smiles, Moasure, Hundred Star Games, Live and Learn Consultancy Limited.

Medium (51-200 employees):

• Talos360 (an HR technology company) tops the 105 Best Workplaces (Medium). And 100 percent of Talos360 employees say it is a great place to work, compared to 54 percent of employees at a typical UK based company.
• “We are absolutely delighted that our people feel so passionately about working at Talos360 that their votes have put us at the number 1 spot as a Best Workplace. We truly have the best team who through their passion bring our culture and values to life every day,” says Janette Martin, CEO of Talos360
• Top 5 in this category: Talos360, Hatmill, Morgan King Group, Mercator Digital, SquaredUp.

Large (201-1000 employees):

• ServiceNow (a market leader in cloud-based business management software) tops the 105 Best Workplaces (Large) – ranking eight places higher than the last time they were on the List, in 2022.
• “This win is truly an honour – especially because it’s based on feedback from our own employees! I’m so proud of our incredible culture, fuelled by an unwavering commitment to help all employees live their best lives, do their best work, and fulfil their purpose together at ServiceNow,” says Simon Morris, Area VP, UK & Ireland, ServiceNow.
• Top 5 in this category: ServiceNow, NVIDIA, Braze, World Wide Technology, Slalom.

Super Large (1001+ employees):

• Cisco ranked a UK’s Best Workplace for the 10th consecutive year, and holds onto the No. 1 spot for Super Large for another year.
• “I am incredibly proud that Cisco has been recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for 10 consecutive years. To us, this is more than an award, it’s a continual learning process towards our commitment to foster an inclusive culture, where people matter. We value what our employees do, over where or when they do it, and their feedback is instrumental in shaping our culture – making Cisco more than just a workplace, but a truly great place to work.” ~ David Meads, Chief Executive – Cisco UK & Ireland
• Top 5 in this category: Cisco, Hilton, DHL Express, Home Group Limited, Softcat plc.