John Lewis named best retailer to work for in the UK

Department store John Lewis has been named the best retailer to work for in the UK, based on employee feedback and insight given to jobs website Glassdoor.

The annual Employees’ Choice Award, which honours the best places to work across the US and the UK, ranked John Lewis second on the overall list behind Google, but ahead of the only other retailer in the top 25, Harrods, who could only manage 12th spot.

Unlike other workplace awards, the Employees’ Choice Awards are based entirely on the anonymous and voluntary input of employees who provide feedback, via a review survey, about their job, work environment and company.

The survey gathers employee opinion on some of the best reasons to work for their employer and some of the downsides, as well as encouraging employees to provide advice to senior management. Respondents are requested to rate how satisfied they are with their company overall, how they feel their CEO is leading the business, and to judge career opportunities, compensation & benefits, culture & values, senior management and work-life balance.

Glassdoor names Google and John Lewis as best places to work

Robert Hohman, Glassdoor CEO and co-founder, explains: "Millions of employees around the world are turning to Glassdoor each month to share their work experiences and research companies.

"It is this type of authentic feedback that helps others find jobs and companies they love, and allows us to honour employers who stand out for their efforts in providing an enjoyable work environment and culture."

Employee-owned retailer John Lewis scored 4.3 out of 5, with employees claiming that the work was “highly rewarding” as well as being “collaborative” and shared their love for the annual bonus scheme, where a proportion of profits is distributed equally as a percentage of partners’ salary.

Other businesses in the top 10 included Microsoft, Jaguar Land Rover, JP Morgan, and PwC.

Glassdoor also revealed the 50 Best Places to Work in the US. Bain & Co, Twitter, LinkedIn, Eastman Chemical and Facebook were voted the top 5 best employers across the pond.