In further recognition of the strength of British ‘heritage’ brands, Rolls Royce Group was today named the large company UK employees would most like to work for, in the Global Randstad Award 2016.
The Randstad Award is the world’s biggest employer branding survey, polling over 200,000 respondents in 25 countries that cover 75% of the global economy. It asks respondents to rate the attractiveness of their country’s largest employers (for the winners of all 25 countries, see Notes to Editors).
The second strongest UK employer brand was British Airways, with Marks & Spencer in third place (for the top 20 most attractive large UK employers, see table below).
Table: Top 20 Most Attractive Large Employers in UK
But while Rolls Royce Group was considered the most attractive large UK employer by British survey respondents, the best known company was Tesco, with Royal Mail and Barclays Bank in second and third place respectively. In line with the UK company winner, the Automotive Aerospace sector was named by British survey respondents as the most attractive UK sector to work in, followed by Pharma Life Sciences and Electronic Engineering. Globally, by contrast, and as in the previous two years, IT is the most attractive sector.
Large employer/employee disconnect
But large brands in both the UK and globally should take note about a clear employee/employer disconnect: while UK survey respondents, as potential employees, cited salary, job security and a pleasant working atmosphere as their top priorities, these were qualities that far fewer people associated with working for a large UK employer (see table, below).
Table: Large UK Employer/Employee Disconnect
Randstad CEO, Jacques van den Broek, comments: “The purpose of our annual employer branding research is to identify the large companies around the world that have the most attractive brands in the eyes of potential job seekers, along with the sectors people want to work in. In the UK, it’s clear that the winner of the Randstad Award, the Rolls Royce Group, has an almost timeless appeal and a brand that is rooted in the country’s heritage and national identity. Much the same could be said of British Airways and M&S. But the largest companies need to beware the potential disconnect between what prospective employees look for in an employer and what they perceive the biggest employers to offer.”
25 Country Winners: Global Randstad Award 2016
The Randstad Award is the largest independent employer branding survey in the world, identifying the most attractive employers among thousands of companies. The survey captures the views of over 200,000 respondents (general public, aged 18-65) in 25 countries and measures the market perception of employers with the largest workforces in those countries. It is an in-depth research program that has been conducted by Randstad’s international research partner, ICMA Group, since 2000. Respondents for the 2016 survey were polled between September and December 2015. The Randstad Award provides in-depth insights into the perceptions and drivers of choice of potential employees. Why do people prefer one company, or a specific industry sector, over another? What motivates them to stay with an employer or to start looking for new challenges?
