Anglian Water has beat the likes of Google, Ikea and Apple to be named the UK’s best place to work in a list compiled by employer review site Glassdoor.
After coming second to Google in the annual league table last year, the website, which uses online reviews by current and former staff, placed Anglian Water in the top spot for the 2019 list.
Peter Simpson, Anglian Water’s chief executive put the company’s success down to a focus on health and wellbeing in the workplace as he welcomed the accolade on behalf of all staff.
He said: “It’s fantastic that Anglian Water has been awarded the top spot in this year’s Glassdoor awards, after coming second last year – I am extremely proud. It’s especially significant because it’s based on feedback left by our own employees.
“I would like to thank all our employees who make Anglian Water such a great place to work every single day – somewhere I love working too.”
The company’s staff wellbeing strategy covers all aspects of employee health, safety and workplace happiness. An internal campaign runs throughout the year with regular awareness days, events and workshops on mental health, musculo-skeletal fitness, financial security and diversity.
Staff are encouraged to create wellbeing gardens at their own workplaces, take paid leave to volunteer for charity and get access to free advice and support from personal finance experts.
The Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards are based on employee feedback which is anonymous.
When sharing a company review on Glassdoor, employees are asked to rate their satisfaction with the company overall, and key workplace factors such as career opportunities, compensation, benefits, work-life balance, senior management, as well as culture and values.
Employees are also asked to describe the best reasons to work at their companies as well as any downsides.
Simpson added: “We work hard on encouraging employee wellbeing and creating a culture driven by happier, healthier and safer staff.
“Looking after our employees is at the heart of delivering great customer service, alongside the enthusiasm and dedication our staff have for their jobs.
“Over the last year, we’ve undertaken even more work to understand and develop the positive culture across the organisation so we can continue to build on our success and support our staff in the best possible way.”
Reviews for 2019 employees’ choice awards were considered between 23 October 2017 and 21 October 2018.
Glassdoor said results are compiled based on its “robust calculations”, which consider quantity, quality and consistency of reviews.
Other companies in the utilities sector to be featured in the top 50 include: Homeserve UK (18th); Shell (26th); First Utility (40th) and Severn Trent (44th).
Meanwhile Google ranked 13th, Ikea, which was a newcomer to the list ranked 16th and Apple placed 43rd.
The list included 16 newcomers that have never been on the UK list. Glassdoor also revealed that only three companies have ranked among the UK best places to work for all five years – Google, JP Morgan and PwC.
Glassdoor chief economist Dr Andrew Chamberlain, said: “In today’s tight labour market, job seekers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to deciding where to work and they want to know the inner workings of a company before accepting a new job. To help people find the best jobs and the best companies, the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards recognise employers at the top of their game.”