Staff at Boehringer Ingelheim repeatedly make the point that they are “a name, not just a number”. The 876 employees at the pharmaceutical manufacturer display a high level of contentment and job satisfaction.

As one employee said: “The people within this company are fantastic. There is open and honest communication, and a real sense of a close community. This I believe stems from the Boehringer family themselves. Although there is a strong business sense, their passion for people shines through.”

The firm provides an attractive package, with an average salary of £33,400 for a sales rep, flexible working, performance-related pay and free private healthcare. There is a sense of security and contentment, which helps promote an excellent retention record.

In particular, employees are among the highest scorers in the Best Companies’ survey to questions on values. About 89% of staff are clear about the firm’s values and principles, 84% believe it is run on strong values (both among the 10 highest scores) and just 15% do not believe in them.

Democracy is a watchword at Boehringer, with a company morale-boosting “back-to- the-floor” programme for senior managers, piloted last year. Uwe Weiler, the managing director, is also an accessible figure who eats in the company restaurant daily and goes out on the road with his sales reps. Employees also comment on the approachability and supportiveness of their direct managers.

The company, based in Bracknell, Berkshire, is a world leader in cardiovascular, stroke, palliative care and HIV medications, as well as manufacturing respiratory and pain relief products. It is a subsidiary of a German firm and notched up sales of £144m last year. Pre-tax profits were £1.1m.

But to workers at Boehringer, their efforts are not just about the bottom line. There is a palpable sense of conviction that they make a difference to people’s lives through their products — 81% believe the company makes a “positive difference” to the world (another top 10 score among our 100 best companies).

There is time, too, to think of the wider community. Staff get time out to undertake charitable work such as decorating community halls and collecting food for Age Concern, and their Loud Tie day raised funds to fight bowel cancer. Boehringer donates vouchers in aid of charity and passes on old furniture and IT equipment to local charities.

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