This recruitment consultancy for the property industry is one of the highest risers on the list, jumping from 97th last year to 15th position for 2008. Macdonald & Company, with offices in London, Manchester, Dubai, Hong Kong, South Africa and Australia, offers opportunities for staff to go places in job swaps, but people most appreciate an excellent package of pay and benefits, good management and a relaxed atmosphere all round.

Staff numbers have increased slightly from last year with a wealth of new starters – a fifth of the 98 employees have joined in the past six months and more than half have been there for less than two years. There is a real enthusiasm among this youthful team, which has an average age of 29, who say managers express appreciation for a good job done, giving the third-highest positive score of 88%. Managers care how satisfied staff are in their jobs and are supportive (an 87% positive score for each question) and motivating (82%).

More than half the workforce earns more than £45,000 and the best performers enjoy prize trips to European cities or to top restaurants. Benefits include private healthcare, critical illness cover and life assurance for staff at all levels. There is free gym membership for senior consultants, plus massage sessions, as well as bowls of free fruit at the London office.

Employees feel fairly paid compared to people in similar roles at other firms (83%) and for their responsibilities (80%) and don’t feel the company takes advantage of them (81%).

Related Internet Links

• Company website

• Macdonald & Company's entry in 2007

• Macdonald & Company's entry in 2006

Turning up the Heat pays off

Strong training and a sense that work is to be enjoyed add up to Heat powering past its rivals into top spot this year

BACKGROUND

• Hats off to great leadership

• Getting the message across loud and clear

• Fly high with the X Factor

• Why it pays to know what you’re doing

BACKGROUND

• Charity wins top small company award

• Special awards for best practice

• Rules of engagement

• 100 Best SME's to work for 2008

Multimedia

• Highlights from the awards ceremony

There is an emphasis on flexible working with reduced hours, compressed days and sabbaticals. People are encouraged to take a break, too, with leave starting at 24 days, including a day off for birthdays and around Christmas. Up to 31 days are available. Maternity pay is slightly enhanced (with better deals for higher ranked staff and an extra 39 weeks on up to 10% of salary). Fully paid paternity leave is two weeks.

Employees give impressively high scores for feeling relaxed, with the top result of 88% for not feeling under too much pressure to perform. They don’t spend too much time working (75%), business doesn’t intrude on their responsibilities at home (83%) and deadlines are realistic too (86%).

In the past year, the firm voted to raise money for the Elifar Foundation, a small charity supporting the needs of severely disabled children – with £20,000 raised so far by staff on the Three Peaks Challenge. The company also offsets all of its carbon emissions, including those from its annual conference in Spain.

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