Mr Muscle loves the jobs you hate, and nearly three-quarters of staff at the company that manufactures, markets and sells it love their jobs too.
The catchy advertising for S C Johnson's product range — which also includes Pledge, Glade and Toilet Duck — ends with the flourish "A family company", which it has been for 119 years. Samuel Curtis Johnson's descendents still own and manage the American-based business whose international presence started with its first overseas subsidiary in Britain in 1915.
Staff are based at two sites in Surrey, and the local community benefits from the charity work that the company undertakes. An annual "community day" sees hundreds of employees help out in a variety of ways, such as creating a lawn for a special needs school or painting the entrance area of an infants school. Donations also benefit local organisations, and 74% of employees believe the business puts enough back into the community, the third-highest score for giving something back in all 100 best companies.
The firm also tries to reduce its detrimental impact on the natural world, which does not go unnoticed by the 84% who say it does enough to protect the environment, the highest score on this measure in our survey. It recycles 60% of waste, filters emissions and monitors its energy usage. The provision of breeding areas for butterflies and frogs and the relocation of slow worms contribute to biodiversity at the company headquarters.
Staff get their share of attention. Last year social gatherings included trips to Whipsnade Zoo, the theatre, and a murder mystery evening, to name but a few. They also enjoy 4-day working weeks, a fact which counts when booking holiday time: a week still only equals 4 days' leave. After five years, employees can take a four-week paid sabbatical. A proportion of profits are shared among staff and bonuses reward hard work.
Tea and cakes are served when new starters are introduced by their director and the managing director to the rest of the company on their first day, thus beginning the inclusive family feel that the business is so proud to propagate. Feelings of belonging are high: four out of five employees say they would miss S C Johnson if they left, and the same proportion are proud to work there.