What being an Employer of Choice Really Means in Today's World - Robin Rogers, Oxfordshire County Council

March 19, 2026

What being an Employer of Choice Really Means in Today’s World – Robin Rogers, Oxfordshire County Council

How do you become an employer of choice in a busy, ever-shifting work climate, where people are under pressure and their capacity for work already feels stretched?

That’s the question I explored with Robin Rogers, Director of Economy and Place at Oxfordshire County Council.

What I found compelling speaking with Robin is how local authorities are wrestling with exactly the same workplace questions as charities and private organisations. Employing talented people is not about a slick strapline or offering the highest salaries, especially when you’re up against rising living costs and competing employers in a vibrant local economy.

It’s so easy to reach for the usual ideas around flexibility or development, yet what matters most is the experience people have, day in and day out – the sense that their work genuinely has an impact and is part of something bigger.

Robin offers a window into how you can create space for purpose, openness and compassion, whilst support never slips into indulgence. It’s about leaders who show up, who are present, and who care enough to hold themselves and others to account, not out of habit or control but out of genuine commitment to performance and wellbeing.

We talk challenging tradition, rethinking career paths, and how proactively supporting your teams makes a real difference to retention, reputation and, crucially, the everyday energy of your organisation.

It also means telling honest stories – warts and all, sometimes scrappy, but always anchored in place, people, and pride. That’s how you become an employer people actively choose, not fall into.

The practical insights and generosity in Robin’s leadership are a reminder that good work culture starts with leaders who are willing to model what they want to see, listen before acting, and keep people at the heart of decisions. Some valuable provocations for any leader or manager who wants to create a place where people can, and do, thrive.

More about Robin

Robin Rogers is the Director of Economy and Place at Oxfordshire County Council. His portfolio includes strategic and statutory planning, place shaping and regeneration, climate action, energy, economic development and innovation. Previous Oxfordshire roles have included Head of Strategy and as the Programme Director for the county’s COVID Response. His 20-year career in local government has focussed on place-based strategy and transformation, with prior posts in Southampton and the London Borough of Southwark. Robin is a school governor and trustee of a local homelessness charity and in 2010 was a Churchill Fellow.

Get in touch with Robin: robin.rogers@oxfordshire.gov.uk