NEARLY EIGHT CENTURIES ago, the Magna Carta famously declared: "There shall be one measure of wine throughout our whole realm, and one measure of ale and one measure of corn — namely, the London quart — and one width of dyed and russet and hauberk cloths — namely, two ells below the selvage. And with weights, moreover, it shall be as with measures." Nowadays, the task of deciding how long is a piece of string falls to the National Measurement Office (NMO), which is run from a purpose-built laboratory in Teddington, Middlesex. The NMO's job is to ensure UK measurement is accurate, fair and legal for more than £212 billion of retail goods and £280 billion of business-to-business trade every year. Its staff see their work as making a difference to the nation (71% positive). They find the job stimulating (70%) and are proud to be on board (72%). Indeed, conditions at the office are so good they rarely interfere with employees' home life (73%). Only one other small public sector organisation can boast a better degree of happiness in this respect. The NMO is in the top 20 overall for employee Wellbeing. Staff have not suffered ill health because of their job (75%) or recent work-related stress (71%). They feel valued by managers, who talk openly and honestly (73%) and care about them as individuals (71%). With engineers earning, on average, £55,000 a year, most of the 68-strong workforce have been at the NMO for about 15 years. www.nmo.bis.gov.uk
