The best companies for senior leadership
Our conversations with clients and candidates give us a unique insight into what is important for attracting and retaining talent, and we regularly share these thoughts on our Content Hub. So, we were delighted to see that research undertaken by Glassdoor on this topic, supporting these views, has been published in their ‘25 Best UK Companies for Senior Leadership'. The research was compiled from 213,000 senior leadership rankings from UK employees, outlying how senior leadership can influence company culture for the better. Here are the key findings:
Three key qualities
In its research, Glassdoor found that the top three drivers of employee satisfaction were: strong senior leadership, cultures and values, and career opportunities. From roles coming through, we know this to be true. Senior leaders are now expected to lead with emotional intelligence, and we have therefore seen a rise in robust psychometric testing and assessments. Employees with strong leadership used words like ‘courageous’, ‘flexible’ and ‘supportive’ in Glassdoor’s findings. The emerging importance of soft skills is therefore particularly important due to the impact on company culture, which will be felt across the whole organisation, impacting overall levels of attrition.
Tech is leading
We were not surprised to read that nine out of the 25 companies on Glassdoor’s list came from the tech sector. By nature, tech is fast-moving, ever-changing, and disruptive, so companies within this sector have fared well in the past few years of extraordinary change. As they seek senior leaders to challenge and disrupt in their sector, employees within those companies find themselves motivated and inspired by the courageous levels of change and the sought-after autonomy that tech is known for. Words like ‘directionless’ and ‘micro(-managing)’ were understandably noted as descriptors of weak leadership in companies that did not fare as well.
Impact from the top
As mentioned above, we know that senior leadership heavily impacts company culture and the research supported this. It has been a challenging few years for senior leaders, managing the impact of the pandemic on their businesses and staff, then emerging to find a cost-of-living crisis and a level of attrition not experienced in decades. Lauren Thomas, Glassdoor EMEA Economist, said, "Inspirational senior leadership is a sign of a united company with an engaged, motivated and satisfied workforce. The companies on our list share a transparent approach to management and offer strong culture and values.”
It is clear that C-suite and senior management teams have a strong role to play in attracting and retaining talent. If you’re looking to hire or if you’re ready to make your next career move, get in touch to see how we can help you or connect with us/send a message on LinkedIn.
With warmest regards,
the Suzie Walker Executive Search team
Suzie Walker Executive Search is a firm of specialist headhunters with an expert team recruiting interim and permanent senior leaders for marketing and digital roles in consumer-facing FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies. Find out how we can support you by connecting with a Consultant below.
