From the people that matter – why Cox Automotive is a Best Companies winner

Those of you that follow our social media profiles and news channels may have noticed we recently achieved a top accolade for being an exemplary employer. Cox Automotive was named the fourth-best company to work for in the automotive industry and the 18th best big company to work for in the whole of the UK.

Why is this important?

The lists were compiled by employee engagement specialist Best Companies, which accredits businesses that value their people and that understand the importance of a truly engaged workforce. Performance is measured through employee surveys which in turn seeks to improve employee engagement. This allows Best Companies to analyse data from UK businesses more effectively than any other organisation, helping employers excel and change to create an engaged workforce.

Over 80% of our employees took part in the survey to share their feedback – a level of engagement we think tells a story in itself. Here are just some of the things they said:

1. We have effective leadership and management

We place significant emphasis on our people and have a culture focused on making Cox Automotive a great place to be through inspirational leadership, a nurturing workplace and an inclusive culture. 

We recognise that how we lead has a direct impact on our ability to get the best out of every individual and create high-performing, happy and satisfied teams.

These are some of the things our colleagues said about our leadership and management:

• 72% think the organisation is run on strong values/principles
• 68% said gave positive scores when asked whether they have confidence in their manager’s leadership skills
• 67% think their manager is an excellent role model
  
  

2. We provide excellent growth opportunities

Cox Automotive consists of software engineers, marketers, sales leaders and trailblazers who work together to transform the way the world buys, sells, owns and uses vehicles. Our 2,500 team members join us to build a better future – for themselves, for our business, and for our industry. This is a recipe for career and growth opportunities.

• 61% of employees gave positive scores when asked if their job is good for their own personal growth
• 68% said their work is continually stimulating
• 87% believe they can make a valuable contribution to the success of this organisation
  
  

3. We give back to our communities

At Cox Automotive, we live by our values of being good citizens to the communities we serve, and are committed to shaping a better world. We invest in numerous initiatives and projects every year and empower our team members to get involved – and they do!

• 67% think Cox Automotive has a strong social conscience
• 85% agree that Cox Automotive encourages charitable activities
• Just 16% think Cox Automotive does not do enough to protect the environment
  
  

4. We’re team players

Cox Automotive is a product and reflection of its people and with teams across Europe working on different brands at different stages of the vehicle lifecycle, it’s critical that we work together for the good of our customers and ourselves. We understand that by building high performing, effective teams, we help our employees become more engaged, effective, satisfied and productive. The good news is – our people think so too!

• 74% think their manager treats everyone fairly
• 76% say they feel a strong sense of family in their team
• 80% report that their team colleagues go out of their way to help them
  
  

5. We care for each other

One of our guiding principles is to ‘do the right thing, always’ and there’s nowhere this applies more than with the health and wellbeing of our team members. We’ve fostered a culture of care. We’ve empowered over 50 colleagues across the business to train as Mental Health First Aiders and sure it’s ‘OK to not be OK’.

• 84% say help is available to support their mental wellbeing
• 79% agree their manager cares about them as an individual
• 85% say they can tell their manager when work is going badly
  
  

6. We really are a great place to work!

Best Companies accreditation is an amazing accomplishment for all of us to share. We’re representing the automotive industry alongside some of the most respected and recognised brands in the world. Our aspiration for next year is to be number one in automotive. We’ll be working hard to protect the great work we’ve done so far, and of course, to continuously evolve and improve.

Here are some of the other things our team members volunteered about our organisation.

• 77% say they feel proud to work for Cox Automotive (one in four strongly agree!)
• 74% said they ‘love’ working for us and 79% say they’d recommend it as a great place to work
• 63% say they are excited about where our organisation is going

Read enough? We’re always welcoming people to join us and help achieve our vision and mission. Take a look at our open career opportunities at this link and you could be helping to answer next year’s Best Companies survey: