Stephen McGee – CEO of Scottish Friendly

The Glasgow-based mutual was included in the 115-strong list for having consistently high levels of employee experience and wellbeing.

The Sunday Times’ prestigious list, run in conjunction with employee experience platform WorkL, honours and celebrates the UK’s top employers and acknowledges the best workplaces for women, LGBTQIA+ community, disabled employees, ethnic minorities, and younger and older workers.

The survey uses questions from WorkL’s employee engagement survey, developed by behavioural scientists, data analysts, psychologists, business leaders, academics and other independent parties to accurately monitor employee engagement and wellbeing in the workplace.

To achieve a high overall engagement score, an organisation must score well for rewards and recognition, instilling pride, information sharing, empowerment, wellbeing and job satisfaction.

The Sunday Times singled out Scottish Friendly for providing a “supportive” and “friendly” workplace for its 352 colleagues, with “initiatives including a wellbeing week, a calendar of events and training provided by the learning team”.

It also pointed to the fact that none of the mutual’s customer service team work evenings or weekends, as well as its flexible hybrid working options.

The newspaper also flagged some of the generous perks Scottish Friendly gives its colleagues, including a company pension, private healthcare, generous annual leave and an upcoming electric car scheme.

Scottish Friendly chief executive officer Stephen McGee said: “This achievement reflects the dedication, passion, and teamwork that make our company such a fantastic place to be. It’s based on our engagement scores for 2025 - scores that are a direct result of the commitment and positivity that each and every one of you brings to work every day.

“Creating a workplace where people feel valued, empowered, and inspired is at the heart of everything we do. This recognition is not just an award—it’s a testament to the culture we’ve built together.”