High staff approval ratings have earned Hays chief executive Alistair Cox a place in the rankings of the UK’s best CEOs, according to online company review firm Glassdoor.

Based on feedback by the international staffing firm’s UK employees through Glassdoor, Cox ranked 15th overall out of the 25 top-ranked CEOs, with an 88% approval rating based on responses during the 12 months to April 2015. Others in the list included high-profile business leaders, Google’s Larry Page (first, 99%) and JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon (ninth, 93%), as voted by UK employees.

Rankings are based on responses to the question ‘Do you approve or disapprove of the way the CEO is leading the company’, with 20 being the minimum number of responses before CEOs can be considered for inclusion.  

Cox joined Hays as CEO in 2007. During his tenure, net fee income has increased from £633.6m to £724.9m in 2014. The company employs around 8,750 staff in 33 countries. 

According to the company’s latest half-year report, Hays made profits before tax of £77.3m in the six months ended 31 December 2014, up 24% on the same period in 2013. 

“Gaining the trust and approval of an entire workforce is one of the most difficult tasks for a CEO to undertake,” says Glassdoor CEO and co-founder Robert Hohman. “I celebrate the leaders appearing on this list because they’ve managed to inspire and engage their employees, as proven by the feedback shared on Glassdoor around the clock and around the world.”

Other recruitment industry names to make Glassdoor’s list were recruitment software provider iCIMS’ CEO Colin Day (17th, 92%) and US multi-sector recruiter Integrity Staffing Solutions’ CEO Todd Bavel (21st, 91%).

Both Day and Bavel appeared on Glassdoor’s US small and medium-sized businesses list. 

• How does your CEO fare? Want to comment on this story? The Comment box is at the bottom of the page. Sorry for the glitch but just scroll right down and share your opinions!