Financial Times Announces Best Workplaces 2006

Bain & Company named number one UK workplace for first time
Caring ethos particularly evident in Best Workplaces Report listed companies

Clear link between being a Best Workplace company and financial success

This Thursday 18th May the Financial Times will announce the top 50 UK workplaces in the annual Best Workplaces report. Bain & Company, the business consulting firm, topped the list for the first time.

Employees at Best Workplace companies appreciate ethical practice, staff autonomy and responsibility in their jobs. Among the staff ranked in the top 50 companies 90% are proud to tell others that they work for their organisation and 80% that their company makes a positive contribution to the community. A caring ethos and greater concern for employeesí families and a work life balance was also particularly evident in staff responses.

The rankings also reveal that being a Best Workplace company enjoys financial success. The Best Workplace publicly quoted companies outperform both the FTSE All Share Cumulative and FTSE 100 Cumulative indices. An investment of 100 in the publicly quoted 2006 Best Workplace companies in April 2001 would now be worth 165.78. If the same amount had been invested in the FTSE All Share Cumulative or the FTSE 100 Cumulative indices the result would be 131.71 and 124.52 respectively.

Published in association with the Great Place to Work Institute each company entering the survey distributed the Trust Index employee survey to staff. Questions assessed trust between management and employees, employees and other employees and employees and the organisations they work for. The competence of management, recognition of personal and professional worth, equitable sharing of opportunities and rewards, as well as pride in the job and camaraderie were also evaluated.

Comments from Bain employees include:

ìThe rewards for working for Bain is being part of its fantastic people culture, taking advantage of itís range of development opportunities and enjoying the diverse social aspect ñ certainly unites us as a company and a community.î

ìI am amazed at the level of support and trust placed in me by senior management.î

ìBain remains an extremely dynamic, professional company, but one where you feel absolutely part of the team, and that you work among people that really do care about you.î

Along with the 50 Best Workplaces in the UK the report will also publish the 100 Best Workplaces Europe. The FT report will also be available online at www.ft.com/reports.

The UKís top 5 best workplaces in the FT report are:
1. Bain & Company
2. W L Gore & Associates UK Ltd
3. British Gas Business
4. Impact Development Training Group
5. Microsoft Ltd.

Special Awards have also been awarded to the following companies:

1. Stopgap win the Special Award for Gender supported by the Equal Opportunities Commission

2. Lehman Brothers win the Special Award for Disability Excellence supported by the Employersí Forum on Disability

3. Marks & Spencers win the Special Award for Corporate Responsibility supported by AccountAbility

4. SC Johnson win the Special Award for Most Whistleblowing Friendly Culture supported by Public Concern at Work

5. W L Gore win the Special Award for Health and Wellbeing supported by Business in the Community

Some innovative work practices from the report include active promotion of green transport policies within the company, senior staff holding quarterly online chat room discussions with employees where staff are encouraged to ask anything they like, and at a company away day having a session with a top class flirting coach.

Simon Targett, Editor FT Supplements and Special Reports, commented: ìThe Best Workplaces report offers employers around the UK an example of how important work culture is to staff. The report is unique in that it does not take into account company financial results but the response of employees to their happiness and wellbeing in the workplace.î

Samantha Huddle, General Manager, Great Place to Work Institute UK, added: ìOnce again the standard of entrants has increased since last year. We are seeing a new trend that companies are seeing employees as individuals in their own right and therefore are actively encouraging staff to balance their work and personal lives. Best Workplace employees have a clearer understanding of where their company is going and where they stand within the company. They feel engaged and motivated and can input the decisions that affect their job.î