Software giant Apple is the most popular private company to work for in Britain, according to new data released by job site Indeed.
The American multinational firm topped a ranking compiled from responses of tens of thousands of staff at various firms. Apple rated particularly highly for work culture, salary and benefits.
The top ranking companies were identified using a variety of factors, such as average rating, number of reviews and the history of job openings.
Bill Richards, UK managing director at Indeed, noted that employees who took part often gave the highest scores to companies offering career progression, flexible working and perks rather than just a high salary.
He said: “The difference between a good job and a great job can vary from person to person, but our ranking shows some common themes shine through.
“Companies that make their employees feel valued and offer a positive working environment score consistently highly among the reviews posted on Indeed.
“As we continue to see for many staff, work-life balance, career prospects and a great workplace culture can all mean more than a good salary alone.”
Highly ranked companies include both high street and business-to-business brands, with British firms accounting for two-thirds of the top 25.
The Yorkshire-based Wren Kitchens ranked second due to its perceived positive treatment of employees.
Mark Pullan, managing director at Wren Kitchens, said:“Wren is a family business, passionate about giving our customers their dream kitchen.
“We truly believe in developing our staff to their full potential. We have a fast-paced, hard-working culture, and those who put the effort in are rewarded with great earning potential and a fun, fulfilling career.”
The third most popular company to work for on the list was global pharmaceuticals business GlaxoSmithKline, whose employees praised it for offering a good work and life balance as well as attractive career prospects.
Colleen Schuller, head of employee engagement at GSK, said: “We’re a science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose to help people do more, feel better and live longer – and we believe that starts with our people. So it’s great to see that past and present employee feedback reinforces that GSK is a great place to work.”
The only sporting entry near the top of the table was 17th-placed Liverpool Football Club. Employees praised it for being a “productive and fun” workplace, with 87 per cent of employees approving of their chief executive’s performance.
However, there was unsurprisingly a big discrepancy in pay between porters and stewards earning salaries around the minimum wage mark and the club’s top footballer Mohamed Salah, who earns a staggering £200,000 a week.
Other firms on the list include high street retailer Marks & Spencer, and department store John Lewis, which invites employees to become partners in the company and receive shares in profits.
Supermarket heavyweight Tesco currently lists the most available jobs on Indeed with nearly 6,000. In total, ten of the top 25 most popular firms were in the retail sector.
UK’S BEST FIRMS
1: Apple
2: Wren Kitchens
3: GlaxoSmithKline
4: Homeserve (insurance)
5: Rolls-Royce
6: Nando’s
7: Lush Cosmetics
8: John Lewis
9: Unilever
10: Marks & Spencer
11: Harrods
12: BBC
13: Barclays
14: Clarks
15: Pandora
16: Cargiant
17: Liverpool FC
18: Adidas
19: Thomson Reuters (media)
20: Estee Lauder
21: Lloyds Banking Group
22: The Perfume Shop
23: Microsoft
24: Tesco
25: InterContinental Hotels
