J Murphy and UK Power Networks named best UK big employers for Q1 2023

Infrastructure firm J Murphy and Sons, energy provider UK Power Networks and retailer Card Factory have been named as the best big organisations to work for in the UK in Q1 2023.

The list, published by UK workplace engagement and recognition provider Best Companies, recognises employers that offer outstanding employee engagement, leadership and workplace culture.

Organisations undertake a survey which generates a score on a fixed scale of 0 to 1,000, allowing them to be placed in a ranking list. According to Best Companies, being ranked highly can help attract and retain the best talent and give an accurate benchmark against which employers can compare their engagement levels year-on-year, as well as seeing how they fare compared with others.

The survey results revealed that J Murphy and Sons’ employees felt supported, had various opportunities available for personal development, and were confident that the group prioritised promoting from within. They also indicated that staff appreciated that the leadership team genuinely cared about people and were approachable.

Private and not-for-profit organisations with more than 2,000 full-time employees were eligible for the large employer category

The top five big employers (2,000-plus employees) were:

1. J Murphy and Sons
2. UK Power Networks
3. Card Factory
4. NHS Business Services Authority
5. VetPartners

The top five large employers (200-1,999 employees) were:

1. Softwire
2. Hydrock
3. Sumo Group
4. Intuit QuickBooks
5. Kingsley Napley

The top five mid-sized employers (75-199 employees) were:

1. FSP Consulting Services
2. Tommies Childcare
3. Premier Group Recruitment
4. M Lambe Construction
5. ramsac

The top five small employers (25-74 employees) were:

1. Claremont Consulting
2. In Technology Group
3. Enfuse Group
4. TLC Marketing Worldwide
5. AppLearn

Dawn Moore, group people and communications director at J Murphy and Sons, said: “This number one listing on the best big company list is a fantastic accolade for everyone at Murphy, and it demonstrates our progress towards achieving our ambition of being a great place to work where people feel secure and comfortable to be themselves.

“Our strategy remains consistent, supporting our vision to be the leading family-owned construction business in the three geographies in which we operate in. This strategy is founded on our people and continually engaging with them in as many different ways as possible as well as acting on the feedback they give us. This is key to Murphy being safe and sustainable, driving continuous improvement in delivery excellence, and enabling consistently strong financial performance.”Andrew Pace, HR director at UK Power Networks, said: “The emotional connection and dedication which our employees feel towards their job, their colleagues and our customers is driving our frontier performance. We listen to our employees’ opinions and try to address feedback as we strive to make UK Power Networks a great place to work, where talented people from diverse backgrounds can thrive.“Our workforce is closely tied to the communities we serve. Staff are encouraged to come up with better ways of working and challenge the status quo, as this helps deliver the best results for our customers and communities, so that we can all feel part of shaping the future success of our business.”Jonathan Austin, CEO of Best Companies, said: “Earning a place on a league table as one of the UK’s Best Companies to Work For is an accolade like no other. It recognises your commitment to your employees and demonstrates that you see workplace engagement as a vital part of your organisation’s success - well done indeed.”