ONE OF THE challenges recently faced by Medtronic has been the inconsistency with which employees were recognised for their efforts. While some felt engaged and appreciated, others felt left out. The Watford-based medical technology firm tackled the problem by introducing an online system that sends staff thank-you emails and points to be exchanged for vouchers and gifts. A quarter of Medtronic's employees in Britain have received some form of recognition through the scheme and they feel they can make a difference in the organisation, scoring 82% positive, in eighth place. In the past year a windowless meeting room has been transformed into a colourful space to promote creative thinking. It has become one of the most-used areas of the office and could be part of the reason why staff say work is stimulating (78%). Annual meetings set out the objectives for the year ahead, while offering another chance to engage employees by showing them the difference Medtronic products make to patients. People at last year's event were addressed by an Iraq war veteran who was injured in combat and a woman who was vomiting 10 times a day before a Medtronic pacemaker was fitted to her stomach. Work is an important part of employees' lives (84%, eighth) and they believe they can contribute to the company's success (also 84%, and 12th). Jackie Fielding took over as UK & Ireland vice-president in November 2010 after 19 years with Medtronic. She holds monthly "have your say" sessions where employees can meet informally over coffee and discuss any concerns that they might not share with their line manager. People view Fielding as somebody who leads based on sound moral principles (85%, a score bettered by just six other firms on our list). Restructuring in the past year led to 50 redundancies, almost half of them compulsory. Fielding kept staff updated during this unsettling period and they have faith in her leadership (81%). The company will get behind a good cause suggested by an employee. One member of the customer service team wanted to run a curry and quiz night to raise money for a defibrillator for a six-year-old girl, so 40 employees turned out for the night and proceeds from the tickets went to her campaign. The company makes a positive difference to the world we live in (88%, in second place) and staff are satisfied that its support for worthy causes is not purely driven by a desire for good publicity (65%). www.medtronic.co.uk
