For a mobile phone company that has 37m customers across Europe, it’s not surprising that O2 The firm, based in Slough, makes sure the opinions of its 12,129 members of staff are heard. Employees feel the firm really tries to help them (a 72% positive score), believe they can make a difference within the organisation (73%), are fully involved (74%) and say that managers talk openly and honestly with them (79% and the best big companies’ score for this). because you can speak to anyone,” says branch manager Brett St Clair, who“I am happy at O2 has been with the firm for more than seven years. When his branch was threatened with closure he wrote an e-mail to Mark Stansfield, one of the directors, saying it was the only one serving the City of London. Stansfield replied immediately and the branch was kept open. Today it is the flagship City store, with another 10 in the area.

“This isn’t a business that pretends to get things right all the time, but it is always listening to its employees for suggestions, ideas or ways forward,” St Clair says. “A couple of years ago I had a problem with the accessory range, which I didn’t think was comprehensive enough, and they suggested I help choose the range. I’ve been doing that ever since.”

Online project manager Sarah Burroughs, who has been with the firm for a year, says: “The company is really different in its innovation and how employees are involved.” Burroughs is a member of an initiative called Real Directors, a team of employees who tell company bosses what customers truly value. “I go out and speak to various areas of the business that I wouldn’tO2 necessarily have any contact with, and ensure there is a strong emphasis on the customer experience,” Burroughs says.

The sentiments of St Clair and Burroughs are echoed in our survey. Employees say they are excited about where the organisation is heading, giving it a 76% positive score and they feel that managers trust their judgment (79% and another top score). They also believe they can make a valuable contribution to the company’s success, third. the 76% score here ranking O2 The firm believes in creating the best working environment for its people. Chief executive Matthew Key says: “If you’ve got happy employees, you’ve got happy customers.”

Social events include Christmas parties and a VIP experience awards night, as well as charity fundraising events. Sarah McGlynn has been a project manager with the firm for eight years. Last year she entered an in-house competition dream catcher, which involved staff revealing their unfulfilled ambitions. “I work forcalled O2 World Vision, which involves getting children in Third World countries out of poverty,” she says.

“Four years ago I sponsored a little girl, Fatou, in Senegal, sending £18 a month.” They wrote to each other, but McGlynn and Fatou had never met and her dream was to visit the child. “I wrote down my dream and, two months later, was told I had won and was given £2,000 to go.”

Staff feel a strong sense of family in their team with a 72% positive score, say colleagues go out of their way to help each other (77%), the latter another top three score.

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