Britain’s Dream Job: The Top 10 Brands the UK Wants to Work For

Gettysburg College has estimated that the average person will spend 90,000 hours of their life at work. That’s the equivalent of watching every single Friends episode 1040 times. In other words, an enormous amount of time.

Unsurprisingly, then, there’s a huge incentive to find a job that you enjoy. And job satisfaction has a lot to do with the company you work for. From the type of people you’ll get to brainstorm alongside, to the sense of purpose you’ll gain from working towards a company-mission you believe in, if you can work for a brand you love, chances are you’ll be happy with your day-to-day.

Being seen as a desirable place to work is important to brands too. Whether it’s their prestige, innovation, or work-life balance they’re famous for, if they’re seen as an awesome place to work, it’ll be much easier to attract talent.

So which brands are smashing it when it comes to employer image? We asked 1000 people where they’d be spending those 90,000 hours if they could click their fingers and choose any company to work for. The results are in…

Notable mentions go to Disney (who came 11th), the NHS (14th) and the BBC (17th). It seems that there’s also those amongst us who dream of spending their working day dressing up as their favorite film character, saving lives, or reading the 10 o’clock news.

And while these most-named companies are getting a lot of right when it comes to the image they project, there’s also a strong cohort of Britons who don’t want to go with the crowd. Overall, an astonishing 289 companies were named. And, when our top 10 are shown as a pie chart, it’s clear to see that many people want to go their own way and work for slightly less widely-envied employers.

The British workforce is diverse in its interests, and different brand images appeal to different people. That said, technology brands do seem to have the most universal appeal, with 5 of our top 10 brands being big tech companies.

When we asked people why they had chosen this company as their ideal employer however, similar reasons arose no matter the brand.

People cited their chosen company’s…

• Work ethic and business ethos
• Staff discounts and good employee benefits
• Potential earnings and job opportunities
• Good working hours

People observed that…

• They have a good reputation, are well-known and have good ethics
• They’re friendly
• I love their products
• They always create something new and caring for customers
• They’re modern, innovative and forward-thinking
• They’re environmentally friendly

And liked the fact that…

• They treat their staff very well
• Their offices look amazing
• They seem cool 

Whether you’re a technology giant, a high-street retailer, or a small startup, brand is clearly very important when it comes to attracting employees. Having a product that people care about and an image that sticks in people’s minds is key. It’s also advantageous to have a staff policy that go and beyond above the norm, and get the word out about these benefits.

If you can fill your offices with employees who love what you do, and love what you let them do, it won’t be long before their brand ambassadors for your product and your company culture. If you’d like us to help you talk to consumers—or potential employees—about your brand’s image, get in touch today.