Employer Recognition | Insights from UK's Best Workplaces™

Unlike many other accreditors out there, at Great Place to Work® all of our Best Workplaces™ lists are directly based on employee feedback.

The 183 organisations who’ve earned their place on the 2021 UK’s Best Workplaces™ list have proven themselves to be exceptional employers, and the strength of their organisational culture drives their positive employee experience.

In our annual publication we looked at a few key insights from the employee experience of Best Workplaces™ during the pandemic:

• Innovation: During the crisis, 81% of Best Workplaces™ were encouraged to try new things, regardless of outcome compared to 67% of non-ranked organisations.

• Collaboration: On average, 85% of home-based employees at Best Workplaces™ feel they can rely on colleagues to co-operate. This is 19 points higher than at non-Best Workplaces™.

• Values: With a large importance placed on leadership transparency brought on by the uncertainty of the pandemic, 81% of Best Workplaces™ felt that their managers actions matched their words, compared to 63% of non-ranked organisations.

Read on for a few secrets to success shared by the top-ranked organisations in each size category:

No. 1 Small Size Category: Ryan

Part of what makes Ryan stand out above the competition is their understanding of ‘culture’. By paying attention to the stories around them, leaders at Ryan were able to make sure their strategy was aligned to the needs and concerns of their workforce.

Examples of how this worked in practice:

• Management’s actions matched their words.

• A commitment to leading with compassion and empathy.

• Giving people certainty, as well as clarity, throughout the crisis.

Constant introspection and a drive to keep improving their employee experience are further traits that the global tax services and software provider displayed throughout the pandemic.

Tulchan Communications LLP – No. 1 Medium Size Category:

The multinational communications advisor has been on our UK’s Best Workplaces™ lists since 2019, practicing empathy, trust and flexibility long before the Covid-19 crisis. In leading with empathy, managers at Tulchan considered the challenges and constraints under which their people were suddenly, operating early on.

This included:

• Caring responsibilities employees may have;

• Home-schooling children while working from home;

• Understanding the physical situation people are in (such as whether they have sufficient space and office equipment to work comfortably).

As with all the best places to work in the UK, Tulchan sustains their award-winning culture through trust. Managers trust that people will deliver great work, doing it in their own time.

The Sovini Group – No. 1 Large Size Category:

Although many businesses claim to put employees first, only some can prove it. At The Sovini Group, value in people is role-modelled from the top, filtering down into an effective people strategy employees love.

Key themes in their people strategy include:

• Employee engagement

• Wellbeing (how people feel good)

• Recruitment

• Retention

• Reward and recognition

How The Sovini Group brings each one to life, and consistently reviews their strategy to keep improving it year on year through the practices, programmes and policies – is ultimately what makes them stand out above competitors.

Hilton – No. 1 Super Large Size Category:

Arguably one of the world’s most renowned hotel brand, Hilton has displayed heroism and bravely in their response to the brutal challenges thrust upon the hospitality industry. They did this by playing to their strengths and putting people and culture at the heart of their recovery strategy.

With this collaborative approach, Hilton was able to manage the crisis in a way that supported a diverse, dispersed global workforce of employees all experiencing the pandemic in many different ways.

“What was important was trying to understand the needs of every individual and provide the best possible solutions,” says Ben Bengougam, Senior VP of HR (EMEA). “Hilton has always had a strong culture, but the pandemic has brought teams together and amplified the Hilton culture in ways we didn’t know were possible.

Visit our website to view the full rankings and download the 2021 Best Workplaces™ publication.

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