How to Feature on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work

Glassdoor’s ‘Best Places to Work’ list is a yearly celebration of workplace culture, shifting employee needs and employer best practices. 

2024’s list shines a light on the ongoing generational workplace shift and the rise of Gen Z, with their unique expectations of what a workplace should be. Many workplaces are already ahead of the curve, meaning that they’re attracting the brightest young talent and retaining their existing workforce.

So, what exactly are employees saying about their employers, and what are businesses doing in order to be featured in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work? In this article, we’ll run through some of the common themes, as well as 11 top tips on nurturing a great workplace culture to help you on your way to becoming one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work 

What are employees saying about top-rated workplaces?

Bain & Company – “People-centric. Cares about individuals, developing them and giving them what they need through the highs and lows of life.”

Employees want to feel wanted; to know that they are important to both the company and to individual leaders. Organisations that put their people first feature heavily in 2024’s list. 

Sure, money is important, but knowing that your employer cares about you and your development seems more important to modern employees, especially those featured in this list. 

As Richard Branson once said, “Train people well enough so they can leave, but treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

Mastercard – “Good benefits. Lovely people. Huge organisation but you don’t feel like a number.”

An astonishing bit of feedback here for Mastercard, “Huge organisation but you don’t feel like a number.”

Again, we see that individual care, genuine benefits and a happy, thriving workplace are all key to building workplace culture. 

If your employees all reviewed your organisation today, what would they say?

Equal Experts – “They really do care about employee wellbeing, it’s not just a tick box exercise. The flexibility is like nothing I have ever had before, and my work-life balance is excellent.”

Two key things to note here:

• Employee wellbeing
• Flexibility

People are looking for a workplace that puts their mental and physical health first, and flexibility is often key to this. 

Organisations are, now more than ever, incentivised to build workplaces that facilitate hybrid and flexible working. We recommend:

• Empowering employees to select their working location & enabling them to work from home
• Creating collaborative spaces for employees to use when they’re in the office
• Balancing the above with individual focus spaces, so employees don’t wish they were at home, away from distractions
• Build comfortable, hyper-functional workstations (we often find that employees prefer coming into work when workstations are a pleasure to work on!)

Netcompany – “Inclusive and supportive culture. Flexible, family-friendly work patterns.”

Two-thirds of UK workers say that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a key consideration when searching for jobs. 

People want to feel welcomed into an environment. Many top companies on the list prioritise DEI, according to their reviews. 

Housing 21 – “Pay is very good, and the team I work in look out for each other. I really enjoy my job, and I do believe that Housing 21 care about their employees.”

Naturally, fair compensation is another reason employees rate their employers highly; However, it is less prevalent than you may expect!

People want to be paid well, yes, but they also want to enjoy their time at work, surrounded by people who care about them and genuinely want to see them succeed. 

The overall themes we’re seeing from 2024’s Best Places to Work list

Having looked through the list, we noticed a few key themes popping up over and over again, here are a few that we’ve noticed:

People-centric

This phrase, or similar variations of it, comes up a lot in the Best Places to Work list. 

When organisations invest in making sure their people are happy, healthy and rewarded, employees are, unsurprisingly, proud to work there. 

Having looked through previous years’ lists, it’s clear that ‘people-centricity’ has been, and always will be, essential; getting it right is the difference between the organisations on Glassdoor’s list, and the ones that are not. 

However, ‘getting it right’ is different for every organisation and culture. Where individuals are welcomed and properly onboarded, they realise their inherent value to you and are far more likely to stay. Every company needs to identify exactly how they will become people-centric. If they don’t, their top talent may well feel that they would be better appreciated elsewhere. 

Inclusive and supportive

Another very important theme, DEI is becoming an expectation, not a nice-to-have. 

Organisations that are behind on DEI are perceived as relative dinosaurs. If you want to be considered a fantastic place to work, you need to prioritise diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Lovely environment

Many reviews talk about just how nice it is to be at work – great people, great spaces, great experiences. 

It’s no longer acceptable to herd people into bare offices with zero comfort or personality. People expect a dynamic workplace, one that is comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and, most importantly, functional. 

Your office/workplace should never hinder someone’s efficiency.

Flexible (work-life balance)

As mentioned in a few of the above examples, flexible working is incredibly important to modern workers. 

Whether that’s flexible start times or the option of hybrid or remote work, employees seem much more content when they know that you trust them to get their work done, wherever or whenever they work. 

Great benefits

From healthcare to gym memberships, development opportunities to better coffee, the more benefits you can offer to your people, the better. 

Many of the top orgs on Glassdoor’s list are cited as having incredible development opportunities, as well as fantastic environments adapted to perfectly suit every aspect of working life. 

Recognised for our accomplishments

Even fantastic pay and benefits can only get you so far. Recognition from leadership is critical when looking to build a great workplace culture; it’s amazing how far a simple ‘congratulations’ can go!

Many of the reviews featured on this list mention that leadership truly care, and they feel that their work is valued. 

Collaborative team

Last, but by no means least, many of the reviews mention how great their team is, and how good it is to work in an environment that encourages collaboration.

There’s nothing quite like working together towards a collective goal. You need to ensure that your people have the facilities and resources required to collaborate properly and achieve their potential. 

11 Tips to nurture a great workplace culture

There are no shortcuts when looking to nurture a great workplace culture; it’s a leadership thing, but it’s also a spatial thing. Time and time again we’ve seen businesses struggling to build on their existing culture for various reasons. 

We’ve learned that, without both committed leadership and a comfortable, productive and inclusive working environment, culture will never mature and issues will continue to persist. 

Your company culture is part of your organisational DNA:

To help you build on the above, here are our 11 tips to nurturing a great workplace culture:

1. Set clear, achievable goals

Employees can often feel a little lost or unmotivated if their goals are unclear or unrealistic. 

As mentioned, culture often builds around working towards a collective goal. Set goals on an individual, team and company level. 

Individuals might be looking to grow a specific skillset, or to break last year’s targets.

Teams could look to improve efficiencies, working together to find unique solutions. 

Companies should be clear what organisational goals look like, and provide everything needed to achieve them. 

Make sure there is room for feedback to adjust KPIs as the year progresses.

2. Promote DEI

Positive workplace cultures are created with diversity, equity and inclusion at their core. 

Welcome individuals from all backgrounds and celebrate their differences; encourage people to share their thoughts and beliefs and encourage inclusive language. 

DEI should be a part of your recruitment strategy, especially as your organisation grows, as a diverse workforce is key to a strong workplace culture. 

For larger organisations, a DEI committee may be required to help keep things on track.

3. Allow for camaraderie and light-heartedness

Work is stressful, and for many, can become a slog if there is no reprise. 

A little camaraderie goes a very long way in the workplace, and is a cornerstone of any strong workplace culture. After all, what else bonds a team better than working through a difficult situation together?

People perform better when they’re having fun. Sometimes, a short break for a game, or a few minutes spent laughing together can make for a significantly more productive day overall. Occasional procrastination may well not be a bad thing – allow your teams to bond over laughter and light-heartedness, and don’t hesitate to get involved with the fun!

4. Build a workplace that caters to individual needs

Coming into work can be difficult if you’re not comfortable, happy, or able to work while you’re there. 

Some people love working in vibrant environments, others struggle with overly noisy spaces. Your workspace should take this into account, including:

• Quiet spaces for focus
• Community spaces for relaxation
• Collaboration spaces for teamwork
• Accessible thoroughfares
• Catering facilities

Ask your employees what they feel should change in your building – you may be surprised what they say!

5. Allow employees to speak openly

You never know where the next fantastic idea will come from. 

By building a culture that encourages people to speak openly and freely, you empower everyone, at every level of the company. Empowered employees will naturally grow and thrive in your organisation.

6. Recognise employees for fantastic work

Again, a little recognition goes a long way. 

Whether that’s an employee-of-the-month scheme, a congratulatory reward or a handshake and a ‘well done’, recognition can come in many forms. 

It does not need to be extravagant, it’s just important that it happens, and it happens regularly. Telling your people that they’re doing a good job is essential in building a positive, merit-driven culture, one that encourages everyone to up their game. 

7. Take on feedback and demonstrate change

Don’t consider feedback as indicative of something you’ve done wrong, instead, feedback demonstrates that your employees truly care about the success of your business and they’re actively trying to make it better. 

They’re choosing to talk to you about issues they’re having rather than letting them fester and potentially lead to them leaving the company. 

When you make changes based on feedback, make sure it’s overt and clear, so employees can see that you’re willing to change things up when required. 

8. Be transparent and open with employees at every level

Open communication from leadership is very important. Keep everyone across the business in the loop and people will be more invested in your success.

Share critical information with your team, perhaps via an internal newsletter. Solicit feedback and ensure that everyone has a say in steering the business.

9. Plan accessible social activities

We are, for the most part, social animals. Many of us crave interaction, and accessible social activities are a great way to build friendships and internal culture. 

Either keep it simple with an early-finish Friday, a few drinks or a bring-your-dog-to-work day, or plan a more elaborate company trip or night out. 

Team-building exercises can also be a great way to grow a culture. It all depends on your individuals and their personality types. 

We recommend asking your employees what kinds of activities they’d prefer.

Great culture is perpetuated by great people – build a workplace that reflects this

Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list is a unique and valuable insight for employers into the minds of employees across the UK. If you’re worried that your workplace is holding your culture back, don’t worry – you’re in the right place!

Many businesses work hard to create a great culture, but find that the building they work in is out of date, lacks facilities or doesn’t have adequate space to truly build a great culture. 

Rhino are the workplace experts. We build workplaces that people want to work in, engage with and generally enjoy. We build people-centric workplaces. 

Our workplace consultants can identify precisely where your environment is falling short. Speak to our friendly interior office design team today if you have any questions about how Rhino can help you drive your workplace culture forward.