Revealed: The UK's Top Employers 2025 – setting the standard for excellent HR practices
Top Employers Institute is a Business Reporter client
In an ever-evolving world of work, one thing remains constant: exceptional organisations are those that prioritise their people. As the workplace landscape continues to shift, forward-thinking companies are stepping up to meet these changes with innovative and people-centric strategies.
Top Employers Institute is thrilled to unveil the 2025 Top Employers – a celebration of organisations setting new benchmarks for HR excellence and redefining what it means to create outstanding workplaces.
This year, over 2,400 Top Employers have been certified across 125 countries and regions, impacting the lives of more than 13 million employees globally. This prestigious recognition underscores the unwavering commitment of these organisations to fostering exemplary HR strategies, cultivating positive cultures and putting people at the heart of their success.
Top Employers certification process
The Top Employers Institute Certification is a stand-out benchmark for HR excellence. Certification is granted based on how an organisation scores in the Top Employers Institute's HR Best Practices Survey, which covers six HR domains and 20 topics, including People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity and Inclusion, Wellbeing, and more.
This fact-based assessment measures how well an organisation performs in each area and how consistently it implements its people practices. Backed by extensive research, the survey is revised every year to reflect evolving industry trends and best practices.
Certified UK Top Employers 2025
Included in the impressive group of Top Employers 2025 are 111 organisations from the UK. Organisations certified for the first time include Applus + IDIADA UK, Bosch UK, Eli Lilly and Company, GEP Worldwide UK, Savencia UK, Iberdrola UK Scottish Power, Meliá UK, Pure Gym UK, Salutem Care & Education, ST Microelectronics UK and Vodafone UK.
Several businesses already certified as UK Top Employers in previous years have performed with enduring excellence, with the likes of AkzoNobel, Bentley Motors, BAT UK, Chiesi, HCLTech, Molson Coors Beverage Company, PepsiCo, QVC, Travis Perkins, Virtusa, Weightmans LLP and Whitbread, among others, having achieved Top Employer Certification annually for more than a decade.
'Congratulations to all UK Top Employers 2025 on their well-deserved certification', says Androna Benadé, Regional Manager (UK and Ireland) at Top Employers Institute. 'In today's rapidly evolving world, this achievement is a testament to these organisations' commitment to excellence in people practices and strategies. As we continue to navigate the complexities of AI and automation, prioritise employee wellbeing and embrace skills-based hiring, Top Employers Certification reflects the dedication to fostering and building a resilient and supportive workplace. We are proud to celebrate this great achievement with these organisations, and to continue working with all our Top Employers to enrich the world of work.'
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Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Telegraph
The most valuable work perks, and how to squeeze the most out of them
When you start a new job, you'll likely be focused on your new responsibilities and salary, and perhaps even how much holiday you can take. But there's far more value – thousands, in fact – that can be squeezed out of employers these days, if you make the most of the extra perks on offer. In a bid to attract the best staff and keep existing workers happy, companies often put together great benefit packages – which can include boosted pensions, private healthcare and even free meals. However, many of these rely on you actively opting in and using them to maximise their full value, making it easy to miss out. Here, Telegraph Money has rounded up some of the key employee benefits you might be entitled to and how to make the most of what's on offer: Get maximum workplace pension perks Maximise private medical insurance Save on life insurance Travel discounts Look after yourself, while making savings Cash in on corporate discounts Monetise your holiday Free meals Get maximum workplace pension perks Most employees are automatically enrolled into their employer's workplace pension. It is possible to opt out of the scheme so that you have more money in your pay packet, but that means turning down one of life's few instances of free money – as the rules are that if you contribute, so does your employer. The minimum auto enrolment contribution to an employee's pension savings is 8pc of qualifying earnings. Employers must pay at least 3pc and the employee the remaining 5pc. However, some employers might incentivise staff to stay and offer to pay more, when you do. Andrew King, retirement planning specialist at wealth management firm Evelyn Partners, said: 'Many employers in the UK match pension scheme funding over and above the basic minimum legal requirement for workplace pensions. 'Some generous employers will offer staff higher levels of contribution provided they are matched by the individual. In some cases this can be as high as 15pc of an individual's salary.' As an example of the potential benefits of upping your contributions, Evelyn Partners analysis shows that a 28-year-old earning £35,000 a year, who has already saved £12,000 into a pension and is now joining a new employer's workplace pension scheme with the basic minimum contributions, could have £399,923 in their pension by the time they reach the age of 67, assuming growth of 5pc and a level salary. So, using the example above, if an employer offered matched funding of 8pc contributions, the 28-year-old could build up a fund of £719,400 by the age of 67. If the employer was even more generous and offered matching of 12pc of salary, the pension fund value at retirement would rise again to £1,038,850 at age 67. Your employer might also offer a salary sacrifice scheme which is a way of paying less tax and boosting your pension fund. However, be mindful that in using salary sacrifice your official annual earnings are reduced which could affect eligibility for other benefits such as parental leave and impact borrowing capability for mortgages and loans. Don't forget to ensure you have completed a nomination form – also known as an 'expression of wishes' form, which spells out who benefits should be paid to in the event of your death. Maximise private medical insurance Private health insurance is often provided as part of an employee benefits package. Employers pay the premium, the cost of which can be deducted from their taxable income. Depending on your plan it can cover a wide range of treatments. Such as seeing a private GP, physiotherapist or mental health professional. While you won't pay any premium for private medical insurance provided by your employer, you'll pay a tax. This will show up on your payslip as a 'benefit in kind' and will be charged income tax at the employee's usual rate relative to the cost of the insurance premium. So, if the benefit is worth £500 per year and your tax rate is 20pc, you'll pay just £100 additional tax per year to have this benefit. You can make further savings if you extend the healthcare plan to family members as this can often be more cost effective than taking out a separate private policy for your family. There might be some extra perks up for grabs from your health insurer which encourage living a healthy and active life. For example, Vitality benefits include discounted gym membership at several national gym chains, half price running shoes and money off healthy food at Waitrose. Healthcare cash plans can also be worth considering if you're offered one. If you need to pay for treatment at the dentist, optician or chiropractor, for example, you can claim some or all of that money back – up to a certain limit per year. Some plans will even refund you for wellbeing treatments, such as reflexology. Save on life insurance You might be offered life insurance and critical illness cover as part of your employment package – two important safety nets that can keep a family afloat when life takes an unexpected turn. As part of the benefit you would get the insurance premium paid for you, and you'll just pay the tax under the 'benefit in kind' rule. For life insurance – which is sometimes known as 'death in service' cover when it's an employee benefit – if you die within the policy term, your beneficiaries file a claim to receive the payout. This usually offers a payout of three or four times your annual salary. This money can replace your income so your beneficiaries have time to adjust to the changes in their finances and stay in the family home. Those who stand to benefit from this perk are those with dependants – either a spouse or civil partner and children. The amount this perk can save you depends on what a personalised premium might cost with an insurer direct. The average annual amount according to is £238. But for some it might be much more. Rhys Jones from said: 'If your employer offers life insurance as a work benefit, you may wonder how useful this is – and how much money it could potentially save you. 'Life insurance is a valuable safety net in the unfortunate circumstance something happens that affects your health or life, helping make sure loved ones aren't left unprotected. If this is something you can get for free as part of your employment package, it's well worth taking advantage.' Remember, you might need to opt into a life insurance perk, but even if it's automatic, it's important to nominate a beneficiary to make sure the money goes to the right person – and that there's no delay in the payout being made. Travel discounts If your company offers an interest-free season-ticket loan you can benefit from the reduced overall cost of commuting. The scheme allows you to buy an annual ticket – which overall works out much cheaper compared to monthly or weekly tickets – but spread the cost monthly. The loan is repaid to your employer through payroll each month and is usually spread over 10 months. Someone commuting from Salisbury to London five days a week could save over £1,000 a year by buying an annual ticket – costing £7,108 – compared to monthly tickets which would rack up a bill of £8,188.80 in a year. If you don't use the train to commute there are other schemes that might help. Through the 'cycle to work' scheme you can purchase a bike and accessories via salary sacrifice which means you save on income tax as well as National Insurance. Estimates suggest you can save up to 47pc on the cost of your new wheels. Look after yourself, while making savings More employers are recognising the importance of wellbeing to help combat stress, anxiety and depression, and promote good mental health. As such, it's worth checking what your employment package offers. You might get free stress management classes, mental health training and even financial wellbeing coaching – which could cost hundreds if you were to book sessions privately. According to Barnett Waddingham, a professional services consultancy, companies are waking up to how beneficial wellbeing perks can be – and they've even branched out to helping workers manage their money. David Collington, head of benefit consulting at Barnett Waddingham, said: 'The cost of living crisis has taken its toll and so more people need support with their money matters. It's worth figuring out if your firm offers such support through a specific wellbeing package or part of a more general employee assistance offering. 'Such benefits could be worth hundreds, if not thousands to some individuals.' Gym discounts are also popular, which can also prove very valuable – particularly if you sign up to a city gym branch, which tend to be more expensive. Cash in on corporate discounts Whether you're buying a big ticket item, or for everyday spending, you might be able to access discounts on goods and services – such as at local retailers – as a work benefit. For example, workplace benefit provider Reward Gateway, which provides packages to companies to pass on to staff, says it offers access to savings and cashback at more than 900+ top retailers, from groceries and daily essentials, to technology and travel. The catch? Making purchases can be much more complicated than just going directly to a website or shop. In some cases you'll need to buy a voucher for the retailer you want to spend with. Alternatively, there may be certain codes you need to use, or affiliate links to click through to. Make sure you know the terms of the deal beforehand so you don't miss out. Monetise your holiday Some employers offer the option to buy or sell a certain number of holiday days per year. Most commonly, people will want to buy more, but if there's a year where you don't plan on taking many trips – you might decide to swap some days for cash. 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For smaller offices without catering facilities you might find there's just a fruit selection somewhere for staff to help themselves, or a tea and coffee machine. Even this will help bring down what you spend on snacks and takeaway coffees during the week.
BBC News
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- BBC News
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Geeky Gadgets
23-05-2025
- Geeky Gadgets
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