KPMG celebrates 'Best Big Company to Work For' Award

Professional services firm KPMG is celebrating being named the ‘Best Big Company To Work For’ in the prestigious Sunday Times Best Companies awards. Described as ‘unparalleled’ by the Sunday Times, it is the second time that KPMG has won the award, and the fourth year in a row that it has come in the top three. The Sunday Times Best Companies awards are the biggest survey of workplace opinion in the UK, and this year encompassed 868 organisations in total, capturing the views of over 180,000 employees. KPMG topped the ‘Best Big Company’ category for organisations with more than 5,000 employees.

John Griffith-Jones, chairman of KPMG in the UK, said:

“We are extremely proud to have been named Best Big Company to Work For, especially as it is the first time any company has won the award twice. Our people are our greatest asset, because they are at the heart of all our services to clients. That is why it is so important to us to create an environment where people can flourish and their talents can grow. The firm has been expanding and developing rapidly in recent years and we are delighted that our people have given us this vote of confidence through their feedback in the awards. We recognise that creating a great place to work is a never-completed task, something that needs to continually evolve and develop.”

KPMG was also very proud to win two further awards – ‘Most Improved’ and ‘Best For Giving Something Back’. KPMG puts considerable emphasis on supporting communities and local causes. In 2007:

• £5.7m was donated to causes in cash or in kind
  
• Over a third (35%) of KPMG people gave their time and expertise to projects
  
• They contributed a total of 38,000 hours
  
• Over £500,000 was raised for KPMG’s staff-selected charity, Help the Hospices
  
• KPMG began an innovative programme of free energy audits at hospices around the UK, helping them to reduce their energy costs and lower their carbon footprint

Opportunities and innovation

The last year has been a significant one for KPMG due to the launch of KPMG Europe – a joining of the UK, German and Swiss practices which has created exceptional opportunities for KPMG’s people to work internationally, both internally with their colleagues in Europe and externally in client-facing teams. This innovative step was a first in the accountancy profession.

The firm continued to invest considerably in training and development. Over 200,000 staffing hours were invested in training last year, and 550 people managers were given development training.

Colin Cook, chief executive of KPMG in the UK, said:

"It is our people who make KPMG a great place to work. It is their proactivity and energy that actually drives our profitability. Managing people is crucial to the performance of any business - we need to keep on challenging ourselves to improve, and always to look for further innovations in the future."

An inclusive place to work

KPMG is an inclusive company, and that is one of its strengths. There has been a major focus on retaining talented women – over the past 12 months there has been an increase in the percentage of senior women managers, which stands at over 30%. The firm is shortly to expand and enhance its package of support for prospective and new parents and carers. It actively supports flexible working practices, with 98% of requests accepted last year. Thirty percent of the firm’s graduate intake is from ethnic minority and overseas backgrounds. The firm has a training programme specifically on diversity, Daring To Be Different, which enables partners to take a lead on creating an inclusive workplace. Almost 70% of partners have now completed the programme, and a further 650 people management leaders in the firm have also completed diversity training in the last 18 months.

Rachel Campbell, Head of People at KPMG in the UK, said:

“This is a fantastic result for the firm. It is especially pleasing to win the ‘Most Improved’ award, as continuing to develop is a constant challenge for any company. We know that there is still much to do, especially with the expansion of the firm through the merger in Europe. We are determined to keep our people at the heart of all we do, and to provide them with the opportunity to develop rewarding, varied and satisfying careers – whatever their working pattern and work/life balance needs.”

Key KPMG UK statistics:
Staff numbers: 11,872
Male/female ratio: 53:47
Average age: 33
Staff bonus (2006/07): £100m
UK offices: 22
Graduate recruits: 914 in 2007 (up 18% from 2006). Targeting 1000 in 2008
Volunteers: 35% of staff, giving over 38,000 hours