2021 Awards

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.