Following difficult times for many organisations, the 2011 Best Companies to Work For survey shows that employee engagement has bounced back. More companies than ever have been recognised this year as extraordinary places to work. Above all, it is caring managers that differentiate the best from the rest, and in the best companies, they recognise that managers need to be cared for too, as they can’t give what they’re not getting.
Over 90 per cent of staff in three star companies - the highest accreditation achievement available - say their manager cares about them as an individual and 88 per cent in this group say they are getting the support they need from their manager.
For the second year running, the data has shown that an employee’s relationship with their line manager is the most critical factor in employee engagement. However, the data also revealed that managers and senior managers are struggling more than ever with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Accredited companies seem to be looking out for this in their managers with 78 per cent of managers and 81 per cent of senior managers from three star companies saying they are happy with their work-life balance; these figures among companies that did not achieve accreditation are just 57 per cent and 55 per cent respectively.
The survey of over 291,000 employees reveals that overall engagement among participating organisations has bounced back from a slight dip last year, returning to levels seen in 2009. This year the survey reveals that employees in the private sector are less worried about the impact of the economic climate for their organisation, however, in the public and third sector, employees are much more worried about the impact of the economy on their future.
This year 1,165 organisations from the private and public sectors applied for Best Companies Accreditation, showing how high a priority employee engagement is. Of these, 498 made the grade. A record 84 companies achieved three stars, including Bravissimo, innocent drinks and Boots Opticians. Eighty-three organisations were recognised in the region, with 56 achieving one, two or three star status and 27 being named ones to watch. 10 companies achieved the highest accolade of three stars, including: Beaverbrooks the Jewellers Ltd, Nichols Plc, and three housing associations.
Jonathan Austin, CEO and founder, Best Companies commented, “This year it is encouraging to see that more and more organisations are recognising the value of employee engagement and are willing to benchmark themselves against the best to ensure they are offering their employees the best possible experience. Organisations that have achieved accreditation have continued to focus on their employees and have been rewarded with engaged workforces who tell us that these are great places to work.”
He continues, “We know that the main challenge for many organisations this year will be talent attraction and retention. For accredited organisations that have demonstrated their ability to create an engaged workforce and recognise the importance of caring about their employees, they are in a good position to retain and attract the talent they need. I would like to congratulate SolutionsPT on their outstanding achievement. This year it is encouraging to see that more and more organisations are recognising the value of employee engagement and are willing to benchmark themselves against the best to ensure they are offering their employees the best possible experience. Organisations like SolutionsPT have continued to focus on their employees and have been rewarded with an engaged workforce who tell us that this is a great place to work.”
Best Companies established the accreditation award scheme to acknowledge excellence in the workplace. Based on employee feedback, it looks at employee engagement as an integral part of a company’s success and growth, and sets a benchmark for other employers. The accreditation scheme follows a Michelin star style system with companies awarded one star for first class, two stars for outstanding and three stars for extraordinary performance.
The Best Companies 2011 star status accreditation ceremonies were held at The Art of Engagement, the groundbreaking event re-launched by Best Companies for 2011 with a series of best practice knowledge sharing events where leaders and HR directors from accredited companies came together to share with their peers the excellent work they are doing in the area of employee engagement.
The Art of Engagement uses the latest technology and over 10 years of best practice examples to help leaders, managers and HR staff to create bespoke plans to help drive up employee engagement in their organisations through an interactive and immersive learning experience.
To find out how to become accredited in 2012 visit http://www.bestcompanies.co.uk/
Ends: 789 words
Editor’s notes: Best Companies has been making an impact on workplace engagement since 2000. As the name behind The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For lists, Best Companies conducts the largest employee engagement survey in the world having received over one point five million survey responses from over 3000 different organisations. Visit http://www.bestcompanies.co.uk/
Accreditation: The Accreditation scheme, developed by Best Companies, is based on a star rating system where one star is first class, two stars are outstanding, and three stars are extraordinary. Organisational successes have been defined using data from the 2011 Best Companies to Work For survey which involved surveying 291,860 employees from the 1,165 companies that completed the accreditation process.
The Best Companies survey is designed to measure employee engagement and uses 70 questions to gain a comprehensive view of employee engagement across eight factors.
Every company that goes for Best Companies Accreditation is given a Best Companies Index score (BCI). This score (on a scale of 1 to 1000) is defined from employees’ responses to the fifty four scoring questions within the Best Companies survey that measure the eight factors of workplace engagement. ‘Star Status’ is determined by the ‘BCI’ score and the specific cut-off points for One, Two, and Three Star Accreditation remain constant year on year.
Accreditation in 2011This year, 1,165 organisations entered the Best Companies Accreditation. From these companies Best Companies received survey responses from over 291,000 employees since September.
Overall, 498 organisations achieved Star Status accreditation this year:
84 organisations achieved Three Star Status
158organisations achieved Two Star Status
256 organisations achieved One Star Status
In addition, 320 organisations achieved One To Watch Status
The Best Companies Index scoreThe Best Companies Index score is designed to measure employee engagement by analysing 54 questions across the following eight factors: Leadership, Well Being, My Manager, My Team, My Company, Personal Growth, Giving Something Back, Fair Deal.
• My Manager measures whether people feel supported, trusted and cared for by their immediate manager.
• Leadership measures how people feel about the head of their organisation, the senior management team and the values of the organisation.
• My Company focuses on how much people value their company, how proud they are to work there, and whether they make a difference.
• Personal Growth examines whether people feel challenged by their job, whether their skills are being utilised and their perceived opportunities for advancement.
• My Team includes encouraging team spirit, feeling part of the company, having fun, and belonging.
• Giving Something Back explores how much people think their organisation puts back into society and whether they believe this effort is driven by profit motives.
• Fair Deal includes how well employees feel they are treated and how their pay and benefits compare to similar organisations.
• Well Being measures stress, pressure, the balance between work and home life and the impact of these factors on personal health and performance.
The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For ListsIn addition to the standard accreditation process, organisations may choose to participate in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For Lists, which include rankings for big, small or medium organiations. This year the public and third sector were recognised in their own dedicated list.
For more information, contact a member of the Best Companies team on 01978 856 222
For further information contact:
Margaret Lunn, Marketing Manager, SolutionsPT Ltd,
Unit 1 Oakfield Road, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle, SK8 3GX
Telephone: +44 (0) 161 495 4600
Fax: +44 (0) 161 495 4690
e-mail: margaret.lunn@solutionspt.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/solutionspt
Press enquiries: Oana Baetica
Business Innovation Centre, Staffordshire Technology Park,
Beaconside, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0AR
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: oana@stonejunction.co.uk
www: http://www.stonejunction.co.uk/
Blog: http://www.stone-junction.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/richiestone
About SolutionsPT: SolutionsPT has over 25 years experience in industrial automation and has developed strong partnerships in the manufacturing community during that time. The company operates through three independent but interlocking brands SoftwarePT, HardwarePT and EmsPT. The software division comprises the brands ‘Wonderware United Kingdom’, ‘Wonderware Ireland’ and Versiondog. The hardware division offers a comprehensive range of industrial hardware and connectivity tools whilst EmsPT has over 20 years of proven and recognised experience in the delivery of manufacturing execution systems and continuous improvement programmes.
Ref: SPT011/04/2011
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete