WL GORE & Associates, the Scottish textiles company famous for its outdoor clothing, has claimed top spot for the fourth year running in a survey of the best companies to work for in the UK.
WL Gore & Associates, the firm that invented Gore-Tex, whose UK headquarters are in Livingston and which has a major operation in Dundee, finished top in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For survey.
Only one other Scottish company made the 2007 list - Aberdeen oil and gas company Marathon, at 54.
Gore's triumph was founded on its employees' overwhelming "sense of belonging". The company uses a non-hierarchical environment to allow creative minds to flourish. There are no job titles and no managers - just associates.
Gore's breathable, waterproof fabric has rapidly become an industry leader and is now used in everything from computer cables to guitar strings, space suits and architectural textiles exposed to long hours in the sun.
Products made by the company, launched by American couple Bill and Vieve Gore in 1958, have been found on the moon, in military clothing and medical equipment.
The firm received top scores for staff believing they could make a difference (with 89 per cent saying the could), feeling fully involved (88 per cent) and finding work stimulating (85 per cent).
