Organisations putting their employees at the heart of everything they do were celebrated during an exciting live reveal of the ‘Best Companies to Work For’ in Q2 2023.  Broadcast live from Salford’s MediaCityUK, and hosted by TV presenter Dan Walker, the Best Companies Live Q2 2023 revealed the league tables for Best Companies to Work For in the UK by region and sector – culminating in the coveted national listings.

The top 5 ranked companies in the Leisure and Hospitality sector, based on their employee engagement scores, are:

1.    Parogon Group

2.    Verdant Leisure

3.    Roadchef Ltd

4.    Carrier

5.    The Oakman Group

As well as being a chance for companies to celebrate their own and each other’s achievements, Best Companies Live gave employee-first workplaces the opportunity to share valuable insight on what employee engagement practices have proved successful and also how they’re navigating some of today’s biggest people management challenges.

Free-to-view panel discussions on the infamous red chairs covered topics such as How to Energise and Inspire Teams, Creating a Culture of Growth and Recognition, The Importance of Conversation, and Demonstrating Care While Maintaining Candour.

Paragon Group topped the Q2 2023 ‘Leisure and Hospitality’s Best Companies to Work For in the UK’ league table. MD Richard Colclough, said “We value our teams so highly and strive to make their experience with Parogon a thoroughly positive one. This achievement is reflective of our commitment to being a world class leader in all areas, and one that we’re very proud of”.

Verdant Leisure were announced in second place, and CEO Graham Hodgson said, “The company could not achieve its goals without the commitment of its team and Verdant Leisure remains focused on being a great place to work and creating a culture that supports every team member to flourish and grow.”.

Third placed Roadchef Ltd were also celebrating being named as the ‘North East’s Best Company to Work For’ and Claire Hindley, HR Manager, was delighted with their results, saying, “65% of our managers are promoted internally. We’re always looking for internal talents. It’s important to us that employees know that they can progress. We’ve tried to create a culture where people love coming to work.”

Luxury tour operator, Carrier, were named in fourth, with MD Mark Duguid stating, “Company culture is really important to us, it is at the heart of our brand, which is why employee engagement and wellbeing remains a key strategic objective for us. We listen to our employees, find out what drives and motivates them, what challenges and frustrates them so we can create new initiatives that make our workplace even better. Earning a place on the list as one of the UK’s Best Companies to Work For has been a real achievement”.

In fifth place, The Oakman Group’s CEO Dermot King said, “In a highly skilled environment like hospitality, it is critical we create an environment that allows our team to develop their world-class skill levels for their role and career aspirations. As a Company we place considerable importance on our teams’ happiness to meet our goals as a business.”

Best Companies’ quarterly league tables concept is now in its second year – a move away from its previous annual list. This provides workplaces with the opportunity to choose a time that best suits them to survey their employees. They can survey their business once, or up to four times, per year, allowing more opportunities for them to showcase what makes them a great place to work.

Using Best Companies’ unique 8-Factor methodology to produce a BCI (Best Companies Index) score, companies receive ranking positions based upon their employees’ responses to the B-heard survey.

Following the second successful Best Companies Live event of 2023, Best Companies founder and CEO, Jonathan Austin, said, “There are companies that truly shine in challenging times. They continue to innovate and put their people at the forefront of everything they do – these are the companies we’re celebrating today. Through Best Companies Live, we’re giving them a platform to inspire others and help make the world a better workplace.”