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The Best Companies Big Reveal 2025 took centre stage on Thursday, 13th November, celebrating the UK’s top workplaces and their commitment to measuring employee engagement.
The Big Reveal also marked Best Companies’ 25th anniversary, during which time it has been the definitive standard for workplace engagement and organisational health, using its unique, rigorous 8-Factor Methodology to measure and celebrate employee experience across the nation. The Big Reveal is the pinnacle of this process, honouring workplace excellence and providing an invaluable source of insight for organisations seeking to improve engagement, culture and performance.
The prestigious event unveiled the highly anticipated Best Companies to Work For lists, recognising excellence across National, Regional, and Sector categories, along with the coveted Special Awards for Best Improver and Best Leader in each size category.
The atmosphere was one of celebration as companies from across the country tuned in with their party hats, party poppers and an assortment of delicious party food (and, in some cases, champagne!) as they were recognised for their dedication to fostering outstanding workplace cultures.
Jonathan Austin, CEO of Best Companies, encapsulated the spirit of the event, stating, "It is incredibly gratifying to see that, after 25 years, so many organisations are still finding success not despite prioritising their employees, but definitively because of it. The winners this year prove that a truly engaged workforce is the most sustainable foundation for growth and achievement".
The Big Reveal was more than just an announcement of the Best Company to Work For lists; it offered actionable insights into the practices driving the UK’s most engaged and successful workplaces straight from the mouths of the leaders who have implemented them into their organisations. The commentary consistently demonstrated that trust, clarity, investment and responsive listening are the cornerstones of high-performing cultures.
Visible, communicative and empowering leadership is essential for building trust and achieving organisational clarity – a vital component to the success of any organisation. Leaders who treat employees as "adults" and tailor their approach to individual needs create an environment where staff feel respected and motivated to excel.
This was a recurring theme among the speakers, with Paul Smith, Managing Director of Consultiv Utilities and winner of Best Mid-Sized Company to Work For and Best Leader, emphasising the trust placed in their staff, noting their policy of “Adults managing adults is a term that we use and make sure that’s at the forefront of what we do as a business”. He also highlighted a nuanced approach to managing individuals, acknowledging, "It's not one-size-fits-all when you're dealing with a lot of employees and making sure that people are not only treated fairly but respected, and that communication is key in how we deal with individual and personal situations".
Treating employees as individuals and getting to know each person’s motivations and potential issues was further expanded upon by Sean Smith, Co-Founder and joint-CEO of Planet IT, who won Best Small Company and Best Leader. He shared, “Myself and Gavin still sit amongst everybody in the office, so we get a feel of how people are. We reach out to random people in the business and just have a catch up on personal life and how they are progressing in their roles and to see if we can support them in any way”.
Similarly, Kim Strachan, People Director at Journey Further, a Best Improver winner in the Large category, also noted the value of direct dialogue: “Round tables have really become our most valuable source of truth really in terms of feedback in the agency. And they've helped us to rebuild trust and really show people that the feedback that they give to us really directly shapes the decisions that we’re making in the agency”.
Another key topic that was raised by leaders was how during challenging times, unwavering commitment to core values and sustained investment in people - including financial wellbeing, training, and shared purpose - is not a luxury, but the most sustainable path to growth and success. Culture must serve as the operating model for the business, and every organisation should be asking themselves: is our culture delivering results?
Anna Blackburn, Managing Director of Beaverbrooks, celebrating 20 years of Best Companies Accreditation and winning Best Company to Work For in the Retail Sector, stressed this need for unwavering values during testing times: "I think when times are tougher, being true to your core and your values is more important than ever. So we have continued to invest in our people". She detailed their ongoing commitment to financial wellbeing and development, stating they "continued to invest in training development... we absolutely believe that as a result of that, we will come out stronger”.
Best Big Company to Work For, Best Improver, Best Company to Work For in London, and Best Company to Work For in the Insurance Sector winner, Hastings Direct, reaffirmed how its people-first philosophy drives the organisation’s success. Tobias van der Meer, CEO, described their '4C's' model: “The 4C’s model says that everything in the organisation should start with us thinking about colleagues... If we do that well, colleagues will do a better job for customers... that'll make the company more successful... and that means we can reinvest more in the local communities”.
Go Ape, Best Improver in the Large category, highlighted a focus on shared experiences and purpose. Managing Director Nick Hall spoke about their in-house adventure culture, saying, “We have adventures that we enable our Co-owners to go on. It could be trekking in Nepal, climbing the highest mountain in Africa, it could be kayaking or rock climbing in the UK”.
The Big Reveal also underscored the crucial role that the Best Companies survey plays in providing the deep, actionable insights that drive these cultural improvements. The act of listening must be authentic and followed by visible action to solidify employee trust. Comprehensive, high-quality survey data is the catalyst for making informed investments in people, premises, and technology.
Ella Warwick, Head of Employee Engagement and Organisational Development at Circle Health Group, Best Company to Work For in Wales winner, was emphatic about the data's influence, stating, “The true beauty of working with you and your team, Jonathan [Best Companies CEO], is that we provide people with an opportunity to talk to us and... we do listen both on a local level and a national level... The survey brings a huge amount of rich, valuable data that we carry with care. We use it to invest in our people, in our buildings, our technology, and therefore we can attract and recruit more of the best”.
Basil Scarsella of UK Power Networks confirmed this, stating, "Our engagement programme is developed every year based on the results we get from the Best Companies survey. We identify the areas where the employees are telling us we need to improve and we develop a programme to work on that during the year".
It is essential that all organisations listen to their employees and act upon their feedback, and this strategy is even more effective for those whose teams work in a hybrid or remote fashion, as surveys act as the communication bridge between leadership and its people.
This celebration of employee-centricity clearly demonstrates that the UK’s most successful companies understand that listening to their people is the first step on the path to becoming a Best Company to Work For and that a truly engaged workforce is the most sustainable foundation for growth and achievement.
Whether you were celebrating your placement or looking for the blueprint for workplace success, Best Companies provides a comprehensive pathway for organisations to understand, measure, and improve their workplace culture.
If you are ready to start transforming your organisation, you can learn more about how to measure your employee engagement, check out the full lists of the UK’s top workplaces, and talk to our team about how you can become a Best Company to Work For.
