2021 Accreditations

An outstanding employer who fully understands and is fully committed to engagement at all levels which is demonstrated by exceptionally high employee engagement score and survey participation score. The judges scored Becketts highly in every category and employee well-being, individual development and comprehensive reward and recognition strategies stood out.

Another outstanding employer where the judges recognised the company is doing lots of the right things in every area to ensure great employee engagement. The Company has a clearly articulated mission and facilitates communications and feedback from the bottom up as well as cascading information down. It has a sophisticated training and development offering and a clear career framework and proactively tracks the effectiveness of employee development plans. It does lots on reward and recognition and on employee wellbeing and is to be highly commended on welcoming neurodiversity and working to be fully inclusive.

IPRS is a company that really values its 200 strong workforce. Everyone is driven by the company purpose to Help People. Whether it’s through its reward and recognition, great communication, CSR or wellbeing initiatives one feels that employee engagement really matters. All systems and processes are aligned to ensure a great employee experience. Of particular note is the importance the company places on L&D and they have also made very good strides on Inclusion and Diversity where there are some really concrete tools in place to become a truly inclusive company where everyone feels they belong.

I loved the fact that they went and asked their people about their thoughts when they were pulling together their submission. The only award entry to reference doing this, it was great!

There was a strong sense in this submission of investment into the development of their employees as well as attention to the wellbeing of their colleagues, not just through an outsourced service provision but by listening to others in the team.

Really nice entrant into the awards, the values that were front and centre of the award entry rang true throughout the submission. Authentic and genuinely appeared to care for their people in an environment where this may not always be the easiest to encourage engagement (and the dog on the front of the monthly magazine is adorable).

Some of the L&D activities in this submission were particularly interesting. A rest or learning day per week for everyone is a bold move and it is good to see a business committed to trying new approaches.

There is clear intent from the Board and the management to harvest feedback from their employees, demonstrating an openness of mind to listen, support and pro-actively seek to improve the working experience of everyone. Given that the ARH is a charity, operating in a very challenging sector during a pandemic, they have striven to be the best that they can be, given their budget limitations. Alongside good policies for personal advancement for each employee, it is perhaps the “little things” – the afternoon tea invites from the senior managers to the employees, the gifts on return from furlough and the provision of “Arthur’s shed” to provide space for overwrought individuals to chill, that have so impressed us. It spells an atmosphere of genuine kindness and says, “We care”.

The Big C scored well in terms of overall engagement and survey participation and the judges gave them solid scores in all categories. Unsurprisingly the Big C operates a clear set of values and has used motivational maps to understand the engagement drivers of its employees. Its standout is its commitment to inclusion and diversity, particularly in encouraging the recruitment for those with disabilities and focus on learning and individual progression.

Concertus received significant external accreditation from their staff. A strong people focus and a sense of community come across in the application. There are clear development pathways for all and an emphasis on wellbeing.

Strong leadership from the MD provides a clear personal connection to him and the wider exec team. A really strong emphasis on the wellbeing agenda.

This is an all-round very good employer, focused on developing, recognising, and rewarding their staff regardless of level or status. Lovell Blake really seek to listen to their staff and take concrete actions to address any issues raised by them, whether it is from the employee survey or from general feedback. They have put in place a number of things that really stand out. They invest heavily in L&D from CPD to apprenticeships where 1 in 3 employees are on a programme. Managers really take the time to say “Thank you” for a job well done and they have a number of bonuses in place for great client work and “refer a friend”. D&I is a big driver for the firm and they have already put in place some actions and have further plans. There is a real sense that this is a company that really wants to improve and be truly an employer of choice.

Strong external accreditation from staff. A focus on values is clearly recognised across the organisation. An internal talent development programme which ensures both commitment and retention.

Active encouragement for people who are driven and want to grow their careers, the inclusion of the story about an administrator who was encouraged to develop themselves and become a qualified independent financial advisor was nice to see.

It was good to see examples of attention in the areas of diversity and inclusion in this award submission and it was good to see the team and charity photos alongside their entry.

Grandparent reviews were a nice inclusion in this award entry, something a little bit different to the standard approach of manager and employee only reviews.

Scrutton Bland are working on all fronts to ensure they are a good employer and reap the benefits from being so. Their L&D programme is comprehensive and well designed for every individual. Of particular note is the new leadership framework. In the R & R area, their work on the “levelling review” to spot any pay anomalies is testament to their desire to achieve fairness. Returning to work after lockdown has been especially thoughtfully handled, comprising surveys and the accommodation of individual attitudes and emotions. Their trainee and apprenticeship schemes are well established. Recent analysis of diversity in SB is another demonstration of good intent. The last two years have seen SB putting a range of excellent practices into place to make what is good even better.

It is nice to see a simple set of core values in this one which are easy to understand and remember and the use of tools like Scoro to help measure and celebrate the success of individuals.

The leadership at CBS take a noticeably proactive, approach to looking after their people. Their coaching culture, the design of in-house, accredited learning programs and the unique “Clever Nelly” system to check on learning retention, all indicate a very active L & D policy. Checking gender balance and having an open “People Dashboard” to measure diversity in the business, demonstrates a positive approach to achieving equality. The funding of external WeCare support 24/7 to employees during the pandemic sends a caring signal internally and the Alternative Dormant Assets Scheme to support the vulnerable in society externally is another part of the holistic approach that CBS has towards people in general. By any standards, the CBS is a great employer.

The Holkham Estate let the voices of their own employees tell the story about what it is like to work there. It is an impressive story of mutual passion to make Holkham Estate a best employer, a story of pride in their work and their brand and a story of deep-seated care for others. From the imaginative “lockdown learning” programme, the GO SEE and GO HELP initiatives, right through to the simply amazing fundraising efforts and the delivery of 600 meals a week to NHS Staff during the pandemic, Holkham’s record in the last two years shows what can be done to create a workplace in which the individual is considered. It isn’t all about written policy and values here – more about sheer, DNA level commitment.

Treat have an inclusive culture and are committed to ensuring all staff believe they belong. They actively encourage employee involvement and participation in all aspects of the business from input into decision making, enabling staff to participate in share schemes and giving peer to peer awards. The company has invested in Wellbeing and again they have focused on educating and encouraging staff to “Think Well Live Well and Be Well. They have developed some wellbeing pillars which ensure a good foundation with champions, action plans and use of pulse surveys to ensure they are on track. Their CSR is outstanding supporting several charities and local schools. On the whole this is a great company to work for.

AGI foster a management style of openness and communicate with all colleagues on a regular basis including weekly CEO meetings. They take training and personal development of staff seriously and run a comprehensive all staff awards scheme. They clearly care about staff wellbeing and support agile working and are commended for supporting StopHateUk to demonstrate their commitment to oppose racism. Some good initiatives to build upon.

AMARA work hard in a number of ways to ensure regular communications at a companywide and individual level and hold regular staff social and fun events to generate camaraderie and a sense of belonging. They recognise success, care about staff wellbeing and are commended for supporting charities including Women for Women International and donating a proportion of profits. Some good initiatives to build upon.

Authentically honest and refreshing in their submission, they were honest and candid in their award entry. Loved to see the smiling zoom group shot! Weekly catch-ups and reflections on the previous week felt like a good way to keep positive momentum.

A very structured and effective appraisal system in place, with plenty of regular catch-ups throughout the year. The team have many opportunities to discuss their own personal development with time to discuss the effectiveness of any training undertaken.

The progression for school leavers and new team members is impressive, alongside a strong sense that they are committed to promoting from within, which isn’t always the easiest path to take so it was nice to read about their approach.

The focus on personal development was inspiring. It was also great to see diversity champions and the importance given to the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda more widely.

We enjoyed the simple ‘Newton’s Law’ especially since it was short and sweet and included a reference to having a sense of humour!

Helping people to understand both their conscious and unconscious perspectives was a nice initiative to read about in this submission. It is good to see more attention being paid to the quality of 1-1 development time in helping people understand themselves and how they perform and interact with others rather than just static catch-ups with a manager.

It is good to see the encouragement of individuals development and career progression. The check-in with each employee I am sure helps to keep the team engaged.

Strong leadership with a focus on communication and personal development. This combined with succession planning clearly contributes to the longevity of the organisation.