POKERSTARS NAMED IN UK BEST WORKPLACES SURVEY


Saturday May 26, 2012 : POKERSTARS NAMED IN UK BEST WORKPLACES SURVEY
 
Isle of Man-based online poker operator listed with major UK companies
 
The Isle of Man-based online poker operator Pokerstars has been selected as one of the UK's Best Workplaces by The Great Place to Work Institute, one of the world's largest consultancies specialising in workplace assessment and enhancement, reports the business publication Nachtrichten.
 
The Institute annually surveys employees and performs a cultural audit of some 5,500 organisations around the world representing 10 million employees. Companies are grouped and ranked in their respective countries on workplace values of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.
 
Pokerstars employs approximately 1,200 people worldwide, of which half are based in UK offices in London and the Isle of Man.
 
Among the key attributes that distinguish PokerStars are robust employee benefits and rewards, strong professional development opportunities and a diverse workforce, the Institute found in positioning the company high on a list that includes major corporates like VW, Xoom Works, Microsoft, Ernst and Young, McDonalds, Phillip Morris and Nike.
 
Commenting on the award, Lynn Hunter, director of HR at PokerStars, said: "As a fast-growing company, attracting and retaining talented people is critical to our business, so we are dedicated to ensuring our employees are well supported, nurtured and rewarded.
 
"This is the first time we've participated in the Great Place to Work survey, so it's especially gratifying to know that our efforts are contributing to the success of our business, and that employees consider PokerStars to be a Great Place to Work."
 
Tom O'Byrne, chief executive, Great Place to Work said: "This has been a good year for the Best Workplaces list. The standard of entry has been particularly high so getting a place on the list is a significant achievement. We assess and select the best workplaces by examining how management create trust in the workplace through various policies, practices and initiatives. But the real measure of whether an organisation is a great place to work is whether employees say it is."
 
PokerStars is the world's largest and most popular poker site, with more than 49 million registered members worldwide and over 80 billion hands dealt since the site launched in 2001. The company holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest ever internet poker tournament, breaking its own previous record when over 500,000 players competed for $65,332,179 in prize pools in the 2012 Spring Championship of Online Poker.
 
The full Great Places to Work list can be viewed at: http://www.greatplacetowork.co.uk/storage/documents/UK_2012_lists_all_pdf.pdf