Interviews
HR & Management
Employees choose the 20 UK businesses with the best corporate culture
6 min read
20 October 2017
In an all-new ranking, CMI and Glassdoor have collaborated to reveal the rundown of UK firms with the best culture and leadership.
To decide those bestowed with the mantle of the best corporate culture, it was down to employees to have their feelings felt, in what was the first Leadership and Culture report from Glassdoor and the Chartered Management Institute
Analysis of Glassdoor reviews for 700,000 companies was undertaken to determine the businesses with the best corporate culture.
“The CMI/Glassdoor Top 20 highlights the best companies for corporate culture and leadership in the UK,” said Patrick Woodman, Head of Research and Advocacy at CMI
“At a time when trust in business is at an all-time low and there are major worries about the UK’s poor productivity, every organisation can learn from these fantastic examples of well-managed businesses.”
Leading the way with the best corporate culture and leadership was Northern Gas and Power. The energy firm took the top spot due to its efforts to embrace management behaviour and promote staff, in turn increasing morale and productivity – a problem often noted in the UK.
Fourth, a hospitality tech firm, came in second place, commended for its leadership design, which has technical specialists and people specialists. The third place was taken by software consultancy Equal Experts, which encourages employees to act proactively.
“The companies featured in the Top 20 point towards a new way of defining management. Traditionally, getting on at work meant getting into management and climbing the ladder, but this hasn’t always led to a perfect fit between people’s skills and the demands of the role – especially when employers spend too little on training, added Woodman.
“Many of the best employers are now changing how they do things to make sure they put people with the right skills in the management roles that are critical to their company’s success.”
Rentokill and Auto Trader were among well-known names in the top ten of the table for best corporate culture, while Facebook, which is set to possess a flat culture, just missed out in 11th place.
The full ranking of 20 companies with the best corporate culture and leadership is below.
|
Rank |
Company |
What they do |
Management and culture ethos |
|
1 |
Northern Gas and Power |
Energy management consultants |
“Nothing is more important here than managerial behaviour” |
|
2 |
Fourth |
Hospitality software specialists |
“If we all live our values every day, we’ll not only achieve our values, but we’ll be doing it with an ethos that sets us apart.” |
|
3 |
Equal Experts |
Software consultants |
“When people enjoy what they are doing, they create better work, day in, day out.” |
|
4 |
RHP |
Housing provider |
RHP has worked hard to create a culture where all staff feel empowered to make decisions, solve problems and take risks. |
|
5 |
Bain & Company |
Business management consultancy |
“Leaders at Bain are honest – they use direct language, and the ‘one team’ attitude is crucial.” |
|
6 |
HomeServe UK |
Home assistance provider |
“If you put your people first, they will look after your customers and the rest will take care of itself.” |
|
7 |
Lookers |
Car dealership |
“It’s all about making our people feel appreciated.” |
|
8 |
Rentokil Initial |
Pest control business |
“Our core management approach is one of open, accessible, responsible leadership.” |
|
9 |
Auto Trader |
Automotive marketplace |
“An important part of our culture is to address negative behaviour in a timely manner, so all managers take responsibility for this.” |
|
10 |
Epos Now |
Software provider |
“Work hard, play hard.” |
|
11 |
|
Social media platform |
“Nothing at Facebook is somebody else’s problem.” |
|
12 |
First Utility |
Energy supplier |
“Naming and acclaiming has the effect of keeping the values front of mind and enforcing them – after all, who doesn’t want a bit of praise and recognition?” |
|
13 |
VistaBee |
Video and photography platform |
VistaBee CEO Steve Reilly leads by giving employees “as much autonomy as possible.” |
|
14 |
Skyscanner |
Tech travel company |
“There’s freedom in how work is executed, with less bureaucracy, and productivity is high.” |
|
15 |
MediaMath |
Advertising service |
“The structure can sometimes slow down decision-making, but we believe collaboration enables us to create better outcomes for our people and clients.” |
|
16 |
Badoo |
Dating app |
“We allow our employees the autonomy to see projects right through to fruition, without handholding or micromanagement.” |
|
17 |
Baringa Partners |
Business management consultancy |
“Our partners have gained the trust and respect of our employees because they care.” |
|
18 |
Peninsula |
HR and safety specialists |
Peninsula focuses on creating a “welcoming and success-driven environment”. |
|
19 |
Cloudreach |
Computing consultancy |
At Cloudreach, managers “lead rather than manage. The difference for us is that a leader truly inspires and engages those who follow them”. |
|
20 |
Thomas International |
Psychometric test specialist |
The company uses its own Engage software tool annually to assess seven aspects of workplace engagement: voice, togetherness, challenge, freedom, clarity, recognition and growth. |
Joe Wiggins, head of communications, Europe at Glassdoor, said: “Today’s employees and job candidates are more informed than ever before thanks to transparency and more company information available online.
“Organisations that have a strong culture will attract the best people, and in turn this will lead to stronger financial performance. Culture is so important as it is second only to salary in terms of influence on a job candidate’s decision to join an employer.”
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