Employees at Sytner Group, the UK’s leading retailer of luxury and specialist cars, are confident that the firm is steering them in the right direction.

Staff feel they can make a difference in the organisation, giving it a 77% positive score, believe managers talk openly and honestly with them (81%) and agree that they are not suffering from stress (also 81%), all three top scores in our employee engagement survey.

Established more than 30 years ago, Sytner Group operates from 114 sites in the UK and specialises in some of the most prestigious and recognisable brands in the world including BMW, Bentley, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce and Porsche. Ranked 95th last year in our mid-sized companies’ list, the addition of 141 staff means it now qualifies as a big company.

The firm encourages working from home wherever possible, providing technology such as BlackBerrys. Other flexible options include term-time contracts, compressed hours and job sharing. A number of its dealerships also provide free membership to health clubs. Employees agree they are not under so much pressure at work they can’t perform (72%, again the top score). They also say work does not interfere with responsibilities at home (70%) and their health is not suffering because of the job (79%).

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A fun and friendly environment in the workplace is encouraged and the company regularly holds events for staff and their families to help reinforce team spirit. Employees say colleagues go out of their way to help each other (78%). They also agree that teams are fun to work with (84%, another top score).

New employees meet the senior management team during their induction and directors regularly get back to the floor, working alongside teams in the dealerships. Laurence Vaughan, the chairman, gives every member of staff his personal mobile phone number.

Sytner staff say their managers regularly express appreciation for a job well done (76%) and that they are confident in the leadership skills of the senior management team (76%).

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