Poland’s Most Desirable Employers – we know the winners of Antal’s ranking

The market standard of an ideal employer is to provide non-wage benefits. As many as 98% of companies offer them. Among the trends of the future, experts point to the growing importance of a coherent employer brand, the importance of inclusion and diversity policies, and further digitalisation.

Antal has published the ninth edition of the Most Desirable Employer ranking. The results help to identify the best workplaces and define the characteristics of an ideal employer on the basis of opinions of candidates, employees and HR experts. In comparison to the previous edition of the report, the candidates for specialist and managerial positions claim that the business stability of companies has become the most important criterion of the top employer. As many as 71% of respondents indicate this aspect as the main condition for being dubbed best employer. The mechanism has been expanded to include individual surveys of companies willing to compete for the title of leader.

The era of the savvy employee

Today, in order to win the recruitment game and acquire the best specialists, companies must respond to the employees’ needs, not forgetting, however, that the final decision whether to take up a job or not is influenced by numerous factors. These include not only the salary, the scope of responsibilities and non-wage benefits, but also the future employer’s reputation – which is easiest to find out by checking rankings. 

Today we are dealing with the era of the savvy employee who keeps up to date with the labour market and its trends, but also pays attention to certificates and titles used by the company when it comes to taking care of its employees - explains Aleksandra Trzcińska, Antal Research Project Coordinator.

The Most Desirable Employer Ranking is one of Poland’s best recognised rankings. It highlights and awards companies with the best reputation among employees and potential candidates, including the opinions of HR experts. 

What is the ideal employer?

Creating a workplace that is most desirable among candidates requires proficiency in many fields and dimensions; this has been proven by the results of companies surveyed by Antal, in terms of HR metrics and opinions of their employees in specialist and managerial positions. An excellent employer will ensure both a friendly office environment, as well as the possibility of convenient hybrid and remote working arrangements; an excellent employer will provide basic, as well as additional non-wage benefits, adequate to employees’ individual needs; an excellent employer will conduct efficient recruitment and onboarding processes, and will take care – in the long run – to create opportunities for employees’ development and their horizontal and vertical promotions. An ideal employees will be consistent, honest and coherent – in all their activities – thanks to which an ideal employer will build the strong employer brand.

The companies that scored the highest number of points in the following three areas (company voluntary analysis in terms of HR metrics, responses from company employees and specialists and managers available on the market) are: Allegro, LG Energy Solution Wrocław, BNY Mellon (Poland), Centrum Rozliczeń Elektronicznych Polskie ePłatności SA, Intrum.

The Most Desirable Employer title was additionally awarded in 10 industry categories: finance, IT, energy, pharmaceuticals, FMCG, real estate, manufacturing, marketing, PR and advertising and e-commerce. 

Employers who signed up for the ranking on their own were also recognised in the following categories of Leaders: Benefit Leader, Top-Class Employer Leader, Employee Development Leader, Recruitment Leader, Employer Branding Leader, Office Attractiveness Leader, Care Leader during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A positive trend in the labour market that has been emerging over the last few years is the increasing care companies take about their employees. To this end, companies track HR metrics and analyse signals coming from employees in relation to the voices coming from the market. This is particularly important in a situation so dynamic in many markets in economic, human and technological terms. It is the employers’ duty to listen to people and identify their problems, emphasises Artur Skiba, President of the Board at Antal.

In general, respondents rate well the availability of flexible working hours and the recruitment process in their organisations (over 80% of positive responses). The possibility of horizontal and vertical promotions is an area that certainly requires work as only about half of respondents rate it positively.

Offering non-wage benefits is now a standard as the employees’ responses show: 9 out of 10 employers finance fully or partially private medical care, fitness card and educational courses for employees. These elements have become a "must have" for organisations: as many as 41% of respondents indicate non-wage benefits as the main reason for awarding the title of the most desirable employer.

There are many ways to motivate employees but providing non-wage benefits to employees is not enough, comments Marta Adamska, Account Manager at Neuron PR Agency. It is equally important to involve the employer in building such an organizational culture in which employees can reach their full potential and be happy. Even the best designed motivational systems will not bring the expected results if there is no internal communication. Conversely, PR alone is worth little if it is not part of a well-constructed machine.

What do today’s specialists and managers available on the market value most?

During the Antal survey addressed only to the specialists and managers available on the market, three most important features of the desired employer were identified by the respondents: the company’s business stability (71% of responses), the possibility of professional development (68% of responses) and a friendly working environment (63% of responses). The level of remuneration offered is important for around 58% of respondents. 

Leaders of the Most Desirable Employer 2021 ranking selected by specialists and managers:

• Google Poland sp. z o.o.
• BNY Mellon (Poland) sp. z o.o.
• Allegro sp. z o.o.
• IKEA RETAIL sp. z o.o. 
• LG Energy Solution Wrocław sp. z o.o.
• Microsoft sp. z o.o.
• ING Bank Śląski SA
• Ciklum sp.z o.o.
• Amazon Poland
• Tesla Polska sp. z o.o. 
• Apple
• HSBC Bank Polska SA
• EGZOTech sp. z o.o.
• Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen SA
• Philip Morris Polska SA
• Ernst & Young SA
• ABB sp. z o.o.
• Metro Services sp. z o.o.

About the survey

The Most Desirable Employer 2021 survey conducted in the second half of 2021 consisted of three modules: a questionnaire among the representatives of HR departments who have signed up for the survey, an employee opinion survey and a survey of specialists and managers active in the labour market but not employed by a company. 

The survey involved 1,864 specialists and 855 managers from across the country, and 69 companies (HR representatives and employees) representing 10 industries.

Download the report: https://en.antal.pl/insights/report/the-most-desirable-employer-ranking-9th-edition

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Antal Market Research is a specialised division responsible for drawing up reports analysing the labour market. The division produces both reports presenting labour market trends, as well as materials prepared in response to clients’ individual needs. Antal Market Research prepares, among others: salary reports, employer brand and communication reports, investment potential reports in the field of human capital, in specific industries or regions.