More than half the staff at Marathon Oil have been with the company for at least 10 years and almost 200 have put in more than 15 years of service — statistics that speak volumes about the organisation’s attitude towards its workforce. From offering good pay (four-fifths of staff earn at least £35,000) and a final salary pension scheme to allowing fitness and health activities to take place in core working hours, the oil and gas operator goes the extra mile for its employees.

One member of staff says: “My husband, family and friends are always commenting on the great things we get to do at Marathon. They say things such as ‘We’d never get to do that’ or ‘What a super place to work. You’re always up to something’, and this is usually followed up with ‘Any jobs going?’ ” Another says: “I was invited to attend a long service [25 years] award meal and my wife was invited to accompany me. She feels she has also been given some recognition for supporting me in this industry for over 25 years.”

The seam of happiness runs deep at Aberdeen-based Marathon Oil, which operates three platforms in the North Sea. No wonder it has jumped more than 30 places up the list. The majority of workers would not leave tomorrow even if they were offered another job and would strongly recommend it to others as a place to work, both earning the firm an 83% positive score. People go out of their way to help each other (80%) and managers regularly show their appreciation when staff do a good job (75%).

Flexible working policies such as part-time or staggered hours and home working help staff meet responsibilities outside the office and workers are happy with the balance between their work and home life (73%, a top 20 result).

Related Internet Links

• Company website

• Marathon Oil's entry in 2007

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Background

• Hats off to great leadership

• Getting the message across loud and clear

• Fly high with the X Factor

• Why it pays to know what you’re doing

Background

• Charity wins top small company award

• Special awards for best practice

• Rules of engagement

• 100 Best SME's to work for 2008

Multimedia

• Best Small Companies to Work For 2008

• Highlights from the awards ceremony

To improve communication within teams and departments, guest speakers are invited to share information and staff are encouraged to take part in sporting events. In fact, the annual sports and social club budget was increased significantly last year in response to demand for activities.

Staff are kept in the loop with company business through so-called town hall meetings, presentations and e-mails, and awayday events and sports and social occasions help further strengthen team spirit. Quarterly meetings involving all senior managers are held to review each employee’s progress, including career development. The company has introduced a new supervisor development course for those taking up the role and for employees identified as having management potential. One-to-one coaching is available for managers on request.

Marathon provides assistance with further education study and the chosen course doesn’t even have to be directly relevant to the job.

Staff think this is a slick operation. They say the business puts a high priority on health and safety (93%), the second highest score for that point, are happy with the pay and benefits (79%), a top 10 score, and think Marathon Oil is run on sound moral principles (80%). You can see why a company like this has little or no staff turnover. The rate is an incredibly low 2%.

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