PwC, Ireland’s leading professional services firm, is the overall winner of the ‘50 Best Companies to Work for in Ireland’ 2008 competition, according to a detailed assessment by the Great Place to Work ® Institute Ireland. This prestigious honour was announced by Mr Micheál Martin, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, prior to an awards ceremony in the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Dublin, attended by over 600 guests.

Speaking at the announcement, Ronan Murphy, Senior Partner, PwC said:

“I am delighted and very proud that we have been selected as the 2008 Best Company to Work For, in Ireland. We recognise that our people are at the heart of our success and as Ireland’s largest professional services firm and now the best company to work for, we will continue to ensure that PwC is a great place for our people to work and for our clients to do business.”

Minister Martin congratulated PricewaterhouseCoopers on their achievement:

“I wish to congratulate you on your superb achievement in the 2008 ‘Best Companies to Work for in Ireland’ competition. Your organisation is the Best Company to Work for in Ireland and has demonstrated exceptional commitment to attitudes and policies that make your organisation a great place to work. By setting a high standard for best practice in the workplace, you are raising the bar and other organisations should strive to emulate your success, thus creating a better and more productive workplace for all.

Ireland faces increasing challenges to maintain competitiveness and I welcome the efforts made by Ireland’s ‘Best Companies to Work for’ in enhancing the quality of Irish Workplaces and in doing so helping us to achieve both our economic and social goals. Your success in this competition highlights your organisation as an employer of choice, and others should seek to use your experience and knowledge to improve their own workplaces, and I would encourage you to share your wealth of knowledge with them.’’

The Best Companies study sets out to identify and recognise the finest employers, and therefore the most satisfied workforces in Ireland and throughout the European Union. The Irish study is the largest annual labour force survey undertaken in this country. This year over 100 Irish companies were surveyed with a total workforce of more than 90,000.

It’s the views of the employees that count when deciding if a company will make the Irish ‘50 Best Companies to Work for’ list. A random selection of employees in each participating organisation complete a confidential questionnaire, rating their employers on almost 60 elements covering communication, training & development, pride, work life balance, diversity and teamwork in the workplace. The questionnaire aims to find out what the employees’ views are on the policies and practices that are in place in their organisation. Surveys are returned directly to the Great Place to Work ® Institute by each individual employee, therefore ensuring confidentiality – and honesty!

Best Companies to Work for in Ireland 2008

• The 2008 list is the 6 th Annual ‘Best Companies to Work for in Ireland’ survey
• More than 4,000 Irish organisations are eligible to participate, including private firms, the state sector and non-profit organisations.
• Survey is compiled by the Great Place to Work ® Institute Ireland www.greatplacetowork.ie
• The Institute’s work is based on the major findings of more than 20 years of research - that trust between managers and employees is the primary defining characteristic of the best workplaces.

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