Tech companies dominate Glassdoor employer rankings

Six of the top 10 employers in the UK are technology companies, according to employer review site Glassdoor.

Announcing the winners of its 2020 Employees’ Choice Awards, Glassdoor revealed its UK top 50 based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback, by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer over the past year.

Google tops the list with a rating of 4.5 out of five, closely followed by software companies Equal Experts (4.5) and Salesforce (4.5). Google has topped the list before – in 2015 and 2018 – but last year it was ranked 13th.

Other tech firms ranked highly by their employees included Salesforce (3rd), Microsoft (7th), SAP (8th). Apple and Facebook were 32nd and 37th respectively.

Engineering firms also performed well. Arup came 10th, Arcadis 15th, Siemens 28th and Roll-Royce 30th.

EasyJet, the only airline to make the top 50, climbed 26 places to 16th with an average employee rating of 4.3. Only two retail companies made the grade: Topps Tiles (9th) and footwear store Schuh (49th).

In hospitality, Las Iguanas came 11th, Nando’s 23rd, Wagamama 31st, while Café Rouge and Bella Italia ranked 42nd and 45th.

Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor president and incoming CEO, said: “This year marks the shift to a culture-first decade in the workplace. [The] winners are prioritising their culture and mission and putting employees at the heart of everything they do. In turn, their employees have recognised them as truly the best places to work in 2020.

“This year’s winners stand out for providing exceptional career growth opportunities and encouraging work which is driven by impact and purpose. Congratulations go to all of the companies this year who stand out in the eyes of their employees.”

The awards feature 10 categories, featuring the best places to work in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany – and for the first time this year – Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Singapore.

In the UK, Glassdoor revealed the 50 best employers, with 1,000 or more staff. Winners are ranked based on their overall rating achieved during the past year. Actual scores are calculated to numerous decimal places.

Among more than one million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average company rating is 3.5.

“Workers are increasingly prioritising culture over cash and research consistently shows that culture is the leading driver of long-term employee satisfaction,” said Dr Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor chief economist. “That said, business leaders have quantifiable proof that culture is one of the smartest investments they could make for the success and longevity of their companies. However, being a culture-first organisation isn’t about expensive perks, but about articulating a clearly-stated mission that resonates with employees’ own aspirations and fuels their best performance.”

Verbatim reviews from Google’s employees included: “Lots of intelligent and experienced colleagues, great package, exposure to innovative solutions, drives great proactive behaviours in all.”

Insurance firm Hiscox, fourth with a rating of 4.4, received this review: “Fantastic environment and relaxed atmosphere without much stress and pressure. The work-life balance is good and considered by the management.”

The full list is available here.

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