IF YOU KEPT your eyes peeled on the streets of London in the past few months you may have seen jet-washed messages on pavements advertising for new recruits for GCHQ. If you missed them, then life as a spy is likely not for you. The campaign was the brainchild of London-based corporate human resources provider Penna, which in November won the contract to recruit 1,900 people for the British intelligence agency. Two months previously, four UK universities engaged the firm to find employees for them. The agency went on to win a hat-trick of industry awards by the year's end. Penna's staff believe that working closely together is important, with the My Team question scoring 82% positive. People say their colleagues would go out of their way to help them (84%) and reckon that work is fun (83%). Initiatives such as hiring a West End director to teach staff to sing for a company business launch no doubt enhance the feelgood factor. Employees feel inspired from the top down, starting with chief executive Gary Browning (75%), who is seen as an approachable leader who attends every evening session of each company-wide staff introductory event. Penna's managers are both visible and accessible (82%, ranked 25th). www.penna.com
