Great Place to Work 2016 rankings reveal that a sense of purpose is key

A deep sense of purpose, a clear mission and strong organisational values are some of the necessary attributes that make the best workplaces in the UK, Great Place to Work found as it announced its 2016 rankings.

In its 2016 report, Great Workplaces, the organisation discovered that employees and employers equally benefit from a workplace culture that is based on trust – a key driver of sustainable engagement.

Many of this year’s best workplaces outperformed their peers because of their high levels of trust in the organisation. Trust levels stood at 85% in the top ranking organisation, compared with just 55% at an average UK company.

Teamwork was also cited as a key driver of engagement for employees, managers and directors, with an organisation’s values and ethics also considered crucial to success.

Awards were given to workplaces that excelled in leadership, learning and development, wellbeing, employee voice and corporate social responsibility.

Top of the leaderboard in the large employer category – organisations with more than 500 employees – was software company Softcat, which also picking up the award for most trusted leadership. RHP Group and Foundation SP ranked first in the medium (50 to 499 employees) and small employer (20 to 40 employees) categories respectively.

Simon Grosse, CEO of Foundation SP, explained how the technology solutions company had embraced trust and engagement, saying: “Engagement for us is about the creation of total trust and authentic behaviour between business and employee – creating the conditions for our staff to become the best they can be.”

The 2016 rankings also saw a large number of organisations being recognised for the first time, including Mars, Adobe Systems, Wellcome Trust and Firstlight public relations.

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Three organisations achieved “master” status by being named as a best workplace for 10 years running: management consultants Baringa Partners, PR firm Ketchum and McDonald’s Restaurants.

The full list of the 100 best workplaces is available from Great Place to Work.