Nandos

Nando's

Restaurants

A JOB AT Nando's is as hot as the restaurant chain's signature peri-peri chicken dish, with happy employees ranking it the best big company to work for in the UK.

Our figures speak for themselves; the company has not only debuted in first place on our big list, but also attained the best overall positive factor scores for Wellbeing (70%), My Manager (76%) and My Team (79%). Nando's came second for Leadership (75%) and attained third place positions for Fair Deal (61%) as well as My Company (77%). The company also managed 72% for Personal Growth, a score bettered by just three other organisations. With more than 220 restaurants nationwide and more than 6,300 employees, or Nandocas as they are affectionately known, the firm continues to see substantial growth with another 20 restaurants forecast to be opened this year. So, what is the Nando's secret recipe for employee engagement and how is it maintained?

"The principle philosophy is creating a different kind of place to work. We wanted people to enjoy their jobs and it has been that way from the beginning," says human resources director Julia Claydon. "Our managers have the same value sets as our company, we want managers who believe that their restaurant will succeed because they look after their staff."

Employees say they love working for Nando's, giving an 80% positive score, they agree that there is a strong sense of family in their teams (81%) and not only feel that managers care about them as individuals (79%), but say they also talk openly and honestly with them (82%), all top scores.

Nine years ago Paulo Santimano Sequeira arrived from Portugal and on his third day in the UK he started working for Nando's.

"I didn't know anyone in England, I didn't know much English and even though I was a civil servant in Portugal I got a job as a cleaner. "It was a challenge but Nando's was my first job and the place where I found my first friends," he says.

Within two years, thanks to the...