Shortlist for Personnel Today Awards: Workplace Culture

The Workplace Culture Award recognizes the efforts of companies to improve morale, productivity and make their workplaces a happier place.

The judges in this highly competitive category were looking for entries that could highlight the most innovative, successful initiatives. This year, the category is sponsored NatWest.

Bright Horizons

Bright Horizons UK, which has 291 locations and over 8,500 employees, provides early childhood care and education since more than 30 years. It promotes colleague wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEIB). Through initiatives such as suggestion boxes and community group, the company actively involves its employees in decision making. Be Heard Employee Forum brought improvements like a new summer outfit and improved wellbeing benefits such as the Thrive App and discounted gym memberships.

Bright Horizons supports over 500 apprentices each year, investing heavily in their professional development. The company is also focused on financial well-being, investing PS20 million over the last two years in salary reviews and providing financial support tools such as debt consolidation loans and wage sacrifice schemes. The company has a strong focus on wellbeing, offering mental health support programs, flexible working arrangements, and various benefits.

Green Flag Eco-Schools is a testament to the company’s commitment to sustainability and engagement with communities. The Foundation for Children, its charity raises money. Bright Horizons’ holistic employee care approach contributes to an thriving workplace. This is shown by the high (87%) responses in its employee survey for 2023 and lowest staff turnover recorded. More than 80% of Bright Horizons colleagues consider it a “great” work place. In addition, 94% of employees feel that they have received the training needed to perform their job and 94% report meaningful career development conversations with managers.

Busy Bees Nurseries

Busy Bees was one of the UK’s largest childcare providers. The post-Brexit, post-pandemic and post-Brexit environment posed challenges in terms of recruitment and retention. High employee turnover in 2022 and higher temporary staffing costs prompted a cultural change. The leadership team at the company, which has over 350 nurseries with almost 10,000 employees, recognized the importance of improving the workplace culture in order to retain and attract talent. Charlotte Hutchings was appointed chief people officer and a new strategy focusing on people was implemented.

A thorough induction program for centre directors was a key change that led to a reduction of 27% in turnover in this role. Busy Bees introduced an annual conference for centre directors to build connections. The company also launched the Be Heard survey which saw an increase of 22% in participation. Listening groups were formed to encourage feedback and all employees.

Busy Bees has improved its employee recognition programs with the Living Our Values Each Day initiative. This resulted in more than 1,500 acknowledgements. The company also redesigned its annual awards to allow all employees to nominate themselves, which resulted in a substantial increase in participation. These improvements included enhanced employee benefits and wellness initiatives. These changes have had a positive impact on employee engagement. There has been a 14% reduction in attrition, and a 75% rise in job applications. Busy Bees has continued to surpass its financial and operation targets.

Citipost Mail

Citipost Mail is one of the UK’s largest privately-owned distribution companies. Due to a declining market, the company has undergone significant changes. In order to ensure a long-term future, the company is focused on maintaining a strong family culture, while also expanding and diversifying. The company has introduced several key initiatives, including a revised induction process for all new employees, flexible and hybrid work options, and quarterly job chats that monitor employee wellbeing and encourage innovative thinking. The company also introduced community days to encourage charity work, career advancement support, employee of the months award and various internal events that strengthen team bonding.

Citipost has implemented a new recruitment procedure to ensure that its employees feel like part of the team from the first stage of hiring. They also receive the highest quality onboarding, with great attention to details. Senior managers and junior members of the team should be aware of this.

Employees frequently mention the positive culture of Citipost Mail, as shown in surveys such as Great Place to Work and Investors In People. In 2024 the company scored a score of 98% as a great workplace. Investors in people Gold was awarded to the company in December 2022 for exceeding all international standards. Citipost Mail’s workplace culture has been strengthened by enhancing communication via newsletters, suggestion box, meetings and flexible working. The company has improved employee satisfaction through these efforts, and continues to strive for higher rankings at upcoming awards.

Dishoom

Dishoom’s commitment to its team is based on the Seva value, which means service without self-interest. Innovation, teamwork and charity are among its core values. With over 2,000 employees of diverse backgrounds including many South Asian chefs, the company is focused on creating a welcoming environment for everyone. Dishoom introduced several initiatives that aim to improve teamwork. There is a MasterChef competition every year, a cricket tourney, trips to India for employees who have served five years, and a celebration of 10 years with special rewards.

The company offers wellness programmes such as bike check-ups and tree planting events. It also has a Kitchen Academy for Chef Development. The company offers leadership training to managers, as well as regular celebrations like the Summer Dishoom Mela and Christmas Party. Dishoom uses Chai Chats, newsletters, apps, and surveys to promote communication between employees and managers. Mental health support, financial advice, and physical activity are all part of the wellbeing initiatives.

The company holds competitions to launch new products and to promote innovative initiatives. It also wants to highlight the talents and passions that our employees possess, whether it is jewellery making or photography. This constant recognition creates a dynamic, supportive environment while keeping everyone engaged.

The efforts made have improved employee satisfaction. 89% of employees feel more cared about since the pandemic. Dishoom’s inclusive culture promotes freedom of speech and has helped it achieve high rankings on the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in 2024 and Glassdoor’s Top 50. The company’s focus on culture and community has led to a decrease in staff turnover, and an increase in engagement.

FreeAgent

FreeAgent is a software that helps manage finances for 170,000 small business. The company has grown from a team of 290 in 2007 to around 300 today. The company’s culture is based on the value of “own it, enjoy and be proud of” with a goal to create a diverse and supportive workplace. The CEO Roan Lavery leads weekly town halls to celebrate and encourage open communication. Employees can try out new ideas with no fear. Private medical insurance and flexible working are among the many benefits that promote employee wellbeing.

FreeAgent is committed to diversity. 45% of the workforce are women, and the engineering team has a higher percentage than the UK average. Other initiatives include leadership coaching for females and staff networks that focus on menopause, neurodiversity and other issues. Surveys and Q&A sessions are used to gather feedback from employees. Recent changes include flexible policies and menopause-training.

The focus on employee wellbeing has resulted in a low turnover of 8.17 %, which is well below the UK’s average. FreeAgent employees appreciate the genuine inclusiveness and opportunities for professional development. Many have highlighted the positive work environment and support for mental wellness, as well as a strong community, which makes FreeAgent a pleasant place to work.

Health Shield Friendly Society

Health Shield’s innovative solutions and health cash plans are designed to support the health and well-being of its members and employees. The company’s core values are employee happiness, open communications, and a positive workplace culture. Currently, the company is tackling the challenges of adapting the rapidly changing digital healthcare landscape. The transformation programme is designed to improve customer service, streamline processes, and encourage collaboration and innovation within the staff. This shift in culture is intended to empower employees through this time of change.

Health Shield engages its employees through feedback, workshops, and surveys. Employees are encouraged by Health Shield to share their ideas and be involved in the decision-making process. The company introduced initiatives such as ‘change agents’ and lean agents to ensure smooth communication and drive engagement throughout the transformation process. The company’s internal communication working group informs employees, while the “All Ideas Matter” forum allows staff to voice their opinions.

Health Shield’s wellbeing strategy has been strengthened by offering financial, mental and physical support to its staff. Health checks, on-site therapy, and financial advice are all part of this. The company has created a supportive and valued environment for its employees. The company has created an environment where employees feel valued and supported. Health Shield is confident that its team can shape a better future for employees and members.

Newton

Newton’s success is based on the talent of its employees. Its workplace culture emphasizes fostering exceptional careers and creating positive, meaningful change for its clients. The company places a high value on professionalism, exceptional performance and respect for their people. It has grown from 3 employees to 600 since its foundation, and this growth is attributed to the company’s strong culture. Newton places a high priority on personal development, and offers limitless opportunities for growth through its client base and development managers. Employees are able to gain equity within the company in four years. This promotes a feeling of ownership.

Through employee forums and surveys such as N-Gauge, the company is listening to its employees and allowing them to voice their ideas and concerns. The company also promotes wellbeing through initiatives like employee assistance, regular evaluations, and wellbeing sessions dedicated to project teams. Inclusion networks are used to support and influence business strategies.

Newton’s culture is built around engagement, which includes regular events to build relationships and improve teamwork. The company encourages its employees to volunteer and do charity work. Newton’s inclusiveness has improved its survey scores and fewer employees are considering leaving the business than in previous years. The company is committed to changing its culture in order to better support its employees and navigate difficult market conditions.

Zopa Bank

Zopa’s 845 employees (known as Zopians) are driving the success of the bank. The company is focused on creating a culture that encourages employees to thrive and be motivated. Zopa’s business scorecard ties employee engagement and diversity goals to the company’s overall performance. This ensures accountability. The company offers clear career paths through its job-levelling framework, and personal development opportunities through initiatives such as the Career Leapfrog Programme and mentoring partnerships. Zopa uses the Zopometer survey as a tool to gauge employee engagement and create improvement plans.

Employees are encouraged to innovate by participating in hackathons and testing new products. In order to foster a supportive work environment, the company offers training in neurodiversity and unconscious bias. A ‘culture audit,’ conducted as part of recent efforts to merge with another firm, was used to ensure that new employees were integrated smoothly.

Zopa provides a variety of benefits including cost-of living bonuses for employees who are lower paid and employee assistance programs that extend beyond the standard. The company’s focus on its employees has led to a successful business, with 1.2 millions customers, significant revenue increases, and profitability by 2023. Zopa is a company with high employee retention rates, low turnover and high engagement scores. Over 90% of its employees recommend the company. Diversity and inclusion is improving with an increase in women and ethnic minority representation.