Being recognised as offering a good place to work has a clear advantage in attracting and retaining staff. Such organisations report that they can invest fewer resources in recruitment and get more applicants. However, the experts warn that they must ensure that they get the fundamentals right.

“Branding yourself as a good employer and entering things like the Best Workplace awards is a good strategy to attract staff, but you have to get the basics right,” says Angela Baron, resourcing and organisation adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. “You must make sure that you have a good recruitment process that treats people fairly.”