These are the best companies to work for in the UK in 2022

If you're thinking of switching jobs, you might want to pay attention.

It's a new year, which means many people are thinking about a new start. Whether that's changing up where you live, how you socialise, or your relationship status, the beginning of a brand new year is always a good time to reassess and work out what makes you happy. But the most common type of change this time of year tends to be looking for a new job.

As the so-called 'Great Resignation' continues, the number of job vacancies available in the UK is staggeringly higher than it's ever been. So if you fancy looking for a career change, or switching companies within the same industry, now is as good a time as any to start looking into it.

The most important thing is to make sure you're going to a company that truly values you, and it's always helpful to gain a bit of guidance with this. That's why company review site Glassdoor is so useful; it gives current, former and potential employees the opportunity to share their experiences on everything from interview process through to culture, progression and benefits.

Glassdoor has gathered up all the data it received on companies operating in the UK last year, and has compiled a list of the 50 best companies to work for in 2022. And there seems to be something of a theme: the companies that have fared best seem to be the ones "listening and responding to employee feedback and reimagining the employee experience to truly put their people first," notes Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor's Chief Executive Officer.

Feast your eyes on this, the list of companies you might just find yourself wanting to apply for this year...

The 50 best companies to work for in the UK in 2022:

50. Shell

Employees say: "Work-life balance, professionalism, international exposure, culture."

49. Greggs

Employees say: "Good family values, excellent benefits and good atmosphere."

48. Walt Disney Company

Employees say: "Large well respected company. At its best, it is the best in the world. Innovative and (calculated) risk-taking market leader."

47. Awin

Employees say: "The company offers an excellent work-life balance and always puts the employee first and ensuring you remain happy while working."

46. GlaxoSmithKline

Employees say: "Great work life balance. Great trust from management so you don't feel like you're being supervised. Great benefits."

45. Jacobs

Employees say: "Focused on delivering sustainable infrastructure. Good wages and benefits package. Excellent focus on employee career development."

44. Cisco Systems

Employees say: "Having a high-trust organisation such as Cisco helps us avoid micro management and employees are getting most of their potential."

43. Wagamama

Employees say: "Competitive salary, friendly environment, fresh food, diverse teams, brilliant career opportunities."

42. Waitrose

Employees say: "Positive work environment, lots of transformational change going on."

41. Arm

Employees say: "Culture, people, flexibility, benefits, training, everything! Is just a great company, unique."

40. Royal London

Employees say: "Very inclusive and treats employees really well overall. Working hours are flexible and management is genuinely open to feedback."

39. BlackRock

Employees say: "Working with the brightest people within the industry. Company supports growth and values employees."

38. Bank of America

Employees say: "Possibility to work with talented and intelligent colleagues from top universities across Europe, high profile of transactions."

37. Morgan Stanley

Employees say: "Good company culture. Nice atmosphere. People work very hard and take pride in their work."

36. BAT

Employees say: "Great pay and perks. Friendly and intelligent people. Very much a people focused organisation. Interesting and well funded science."

35. CarShop UK

Employees say: "Incredible company to work for, great promotional opportunities in all sectors of the business and really look after their staff."

34. Taylor Wimpey

Employees say: "TW puts the welfare of their employees first and foremost, the way they've looked after us throughout the lockdown period was fantastic."

33. Capgemini Invent

Employees say:

"Great work-life balance. Fantastic people. Plenty of training and development opportunities."

32. Deloitte 

Employees say: "Supportive employer with flexible working arrangements, good parental leave policy and good benefits scheme."

31. Mondelēz International 

Employees say: "The work environment is quite calm and less stressful. The company is full of growth opportunities."

30. Anglian Water 

Employees say: "Great place to work! Everyone is very friendly and supportive. There are amazing opportunities and career progression within Anglian Water."

29. Network Rail

Employees say: "Strong teamwork ethic. Great opportunity to develop your career in several roles. Strong pay and pension."

28. Dell Technologies

Employees say: "A company which aims to empower all employees to recognise & showcase the very best of their potential."

27. IFS

Employees say: "Great working culture, friendly people to work with, approachable management, flexible working and amazing office environment."

26. Cromwell Tools

Employees say: "Lots of motivated individuals working as a team in a friendly and positive environment."

25. Goldman Sachs

Employees say: "Great company that supports personal development and equality."

24. AXA UK

Employees say: "They could not have treated staff better during the pandemic. I genuinely feel so lucky to have found a home here."

23. The Body Shop

Employees say: "Great pay, amazing hours, lovely staff, discount on products, generally an amazing brand."

22. Siemens

Employees say: "Good salary, holiday, every Christmas off, free parking, good pension scheme."

21. Shell Energy Retail

Employees say: "Really quick and effective response to COVID, great team environment, very supportive and great development opportunities."

20. Just Eat Takeaway.com

Employees say: "People are nice and friendly. Allocated time for self-development. Competitive salary and bonus system. Flexible working hours."

19. Majestic Wine

Employees say: "I feel that Majestic are very supportive and there are massive opportunities within the company to progress and develop your career."

18. Mace

Employees say: "Mace is very flexible in terms of remote working, allowing staff to work from home or the office."

17. Johnson & Johnson

Employees say: "Strong ethics, people and development focused, good benefits, big company with lots of opportunities, solid leadership and results."

16. Sage

Employees say: "The response in the covid pandemic has shown Sage really cares about its employees. Great leadership."

15. American Express

Employees say: "Great benefits, career development opportunities, and option to work from home part of the week. Good work/life balance."

14. J.P. Morgan

Employees say: "Challenging work, good work-life balance, latest tech stack, good team culture."

13. AstraZeneca

Employees say: "The culture of the company is great, putting employees’ development at the heart of what they do."

12. Nando's UK & IRE

Employees say: "It is a kind, caring, friendly and down-to-earth company who will do all they can to help you further your career."

11. Sky Betting & Gaming

Employees say: "Amazing culture and benefits, fantastic response to COVID-19, progression and development opportunities."

10. Meta

Employees say: "The workforce is as diverse as the communities we serve. The company is providing the best possible care and resources to help all of [its staff]."

9. SAP

Employees say: "Fantastic career and personal development opportunities. Autonomous and flexible work-life balance."

8. Bella Italia

Employees say: "Fantastic work-life balance which is hard to find in Hospitality. Recognition at its best and great opportunity to progress."

7. Apple

Employees say: "Very smart and capable colleagues. Excellent pay. Extensive benefits package: you're very well looked after."

6. GTB

Employees say: "Interesting, varied workload, with good support from management and good perks/flexibility. Handled the lockdown brilliantly."

5. Softcat

Employees say: "Excellent people, great work ethic and fantastic fun. They really care about the employees at all levels."

4. Google

Employees say: "Great managers. Great tools to help you succeed in your role. Very friendly team. Google care massively about their employees."

3. Abcam

Employees say: "Great culture - open, friendly, smart and ambitious, fast-paced, global and diversified"

2. Microsoft

Employees say: “Truly encourages and cares for development of staff. Challenging environment and colleagues you can look up to."

1. Salesforce

Employees say: "Friendly culture that prioritises employees' wellbeing and development, not just revenue generation."