Skyscanner, VistaBee named top Edinburgh employers

Happy employees at Skyscanner. Picture: contributed

No, it’s not a summer holiday offer – that’s what’s on offer at the offices of one of the companies voted Edinburgh’s best employers.

Travel search company Skyscanner came joint top with video company VistaBee in a league table compiled annually by online review site Glassdoor.

The rankings are based on comments from the staff of firms headquartered in the Capital, contributed anonymously to the website. Skyscanner and VistaBee both scored 4.1 out of five.

Skyscanner said as well as the sports, weekly masseuse, in-house library, free refreshments and a place to nap, other perks included health insurance, flexible working and the opportunity to spend three weeks working at one of their ten offices around the world – including Barcelona, Budapest, Sofia, Shenzhen, Beijing, Singapore and Miami.

One Skyscanner software engineer posted on the Glassdoor website: “Fantastic culture where you’re trusted to get the work done without micro-managing. Lots of opportunities of career growth/advancement.”

Colin Rae, the company’s senior people officer, said Skyscanner was “delighted and honoured” to be named top employer in the Capital.

He said: “Our mission is to deliver world-class travel tech solutions, and to do that we require a world-class workforce. Creating and sustaining Skyscanner’s culture and overall working environment is something we place great emphasis upon.”

The company was also recently listed as the fifth-best place to work in the UK, and won a special award for Innovation in Engagement, too.

Mr Rae added: “We also run Skyscanner University, which is for both personal and professional development, and runs hundreds of classes, many taught by staff here. These range from salsa to sushi lessons to things like teaching our marketing professionals how to code to project management or leadership courses.”

VistaBee, founded in 2010 and now Europe’s largest provider of real estate video, said they had frequent team nights out on the house, where employees were encouraged to let their hair down and relax.

Founder and chief executive Steve Reilly said: “We’ve had regular paintball and Nando’s nights out.

“The past year has seen employees travel to the Bahamas and Miami for our Sky TV show, Million Dollar Dream Homes. We also have regular celebrity chef leftovers from our TV work.

“We have a very balanced working week, we believe weekends are for family and have a no-weekend work policy.”

One customer services employee at VistaBee posted the comment: “Ideas are welcomed and you feel that your ideas are listened to and implemented.”

The other three companies named by Glassdoor as being in the top five places to work in the city were direct marketing firm Penmex, which scored four out of five; finance giant Standard Life, which scored 3.9; and financial services firm Baillie Gifford, on 3.7.

An administrator at Penmex posted: “Penmex provide a unique opportunity for those who wish to progress, develop and succeed. This is achievable by people from all different backgrounds.”

A business analyst at Standard Life left the comment: “Healthy forward-thinking corporate culture. Lots of variety of work. Flexible working.”

And a developer at Baillie Gifford gave the verdict: “Excellent pay & benefits. Always plenty to do without too much stress. Work/life balance encouraged.”

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