Providing trouble-free motoring for people with disabilities, Motability Operations also puts its employees in the driving seat. The private company manages a fleet of 449,000 cars — the largest in Europe. It buys 6% of all new cars in the UK across 34 manufacturers (about one in 14 of new cars sold in Britain next year will go to a Motability Operations customer). Staff engagement is the key to raising the organisation's profile and giving the 1.8m recipients of the higher rate of disability allowance the chance of opting into the scheme. The company is directed and overseen by Motability, the charity chaired by Lord Sterling of Plaistow, and has the Queen as chief patron, with Tony Blair, David Cameron and Sir Menzies Campbell among its supporters. The surplus from turnover is reinvested to benefit customers, making efficient management crucial. Staff think their organisation makes a positive difference to the world we live in, scoring this question 84% positive — the fifth highest result for this point in our survey. They say it is run on strong principles (82%) and that profit is not the only thing driving it (79% — the sixth best score for this question). Customer solutions team manager Joanna Marshall thinks the company is good for her career and for the wider world. "What I do is rewarding and I get to use my skills. Everybody has at the back of their minds exactly what the schemes mean to people," she says. Marshall joined the company on its leadership graduate training programme. She thinks the Motability Operations culture has plenty of get-up-and-go, as she explains: "I help recruit new leadership graduate trainees and can tell them that you can get responsibilities if you ask for them, but at the same time you get support if you need help. And we all have a sponsor on the board of directors." Staff say their managers talk openly and honestly with them (81% positive), trust their judgment (80%) and express appreciation for a job well done (76%). The results of the survey also reveal employees' strong sense of affinity with Motability Operations; they are excited about where the company is going (76%); are proud to work for it (81%) and would strongly recommend a job here to others (77%).