This year, 56 companies achieved the ‘Top Employers' standard, which is based on a strict methodology designed by Accenture and Hay Group, and audited by Grant Thornton. The process scores companies on their pay and benefits, training and development, career development, working conditions and company culture.
The awards are now in their 11th year and this year RPS beat fast food restaurant KFC into second place, which was one place higher than IBM. Top Employers also recognised the best IT employers, with RM Group scooping the top spot. The best legal employer was also named, with Berwin Leighton Paisner scooping this prize.
Other Top Employers included JD Wetherspoon, McDonalds, LV=, AXA, Ofcom, Heart of England NHS Trust, TNT, Travis Perkins and The Co-operative.
Research announced at the event found that ‘Top Employer'-rated companies were far more likely than other UK and European countries to be hiring this year, (nearly 80% said they would be hiring this year), and are more focused on retaining and engaging top talent.
"As the UK emerges from the recession, Britain's Top Employers recognise that in order to improve their resilience and performance, their main HR focus should be on engagement and retention of their people," said Steven Veenendaal, CEO of the CRF Institute, which runs Top Employers.
The full list of winners, with company profiles on each can be found at: www.britainstopemployers.co.uk
The UK's Top Employers named
Britain's 'Top Employers', a list of companies demonstrating the best in HR practice, were announced at a gala ceremony in London last night, with environmental consultancy RPS (pictured) and construction consultant, Rider Levett Bucknall taking the top spots for the large and mid-sized company respectively. It was the second year-running Rider Levett Bucknall had taken the best mid-company accolade.
