Poor organisational cultures pose a significant business risk, particularly in a global pandemic. But Best Workplaces鈩� demonstrated there is an antidote: put your trust in your people, and your people at the heart of everything you do.
Below we share some of the secrets to success by some of our first-time award recipients.
Creating the Right Environment
The sudden global increase in demand for telecommuting, for example, led to many tech start-ups unexpectedly pressed to adapt their workforce to keep up with existing and new customers鈥� needs.
鈥�Many of our staff鈥痵tarted virtually and over half of our team are yet to meet in person,鈥� says Thierry Ngutegure, Data & Insights Manager at Rise at Seven. 鈥淵et we have a thriving culture where our employees genuinely love to turn on their laptop in the morning 鈥� albeit from their bedrooms.鈥�
Despite all the changes their employees experienced during 2020, Rise at Seven earned an overall score of 91% in their employee survey. Top statements centred around workplace pride, being treated fairly and the business going the extra mile.
Thierry continues:
鈥淭his level of insight has given us focus points from which we鈥檝e invested into individual staff training; employee experience programmes and leaders that ensure people feel supported and part of the team; non-graduate work experience programmes; charity funding (whether donation matching or gifting those close to our customers鈥� hearts); unlimited holidays (and we mean it!); and wellbeing consultations to support staff in developing themselves personally for the long-term.
鈥淏y creating an environment where everyone is excited to be part of the journey that is Rise at Seven, our productivity is through the roof, and every one of our staff is doing outstanding work.鈥�
Read more best practices and how Best Workpalces鈩� stay true to their values, even in a pandemic.
As Vince McCarthy, Chief People and Policy Officer of Verisk explains:
鈥淚n less than a year, we鈥檝e gone from a situation where Covid was a complete unknown, to one where we now have effective vaccines鈥n the history of science, we鈥檝e never experienced this kind of rapid development of a nearly perfected solution.
鈥淲e know that if we give our people a fantastic experience, they鈥檒l do their best work and share their Verisk pride with their teammates, our customers, and other key stakeholders. Our people are our greatest advocates in carrying our brand forward. Achieving recognition from the Best Workplaces鈩� Programme is an affirmation of those shared values and how we interact, invest in each other鈥檚 development, and work together to serve our customers.鈥�
Empowering the Employee Voice
This ensures weaker areas can be worked on and improved swiftly, while high-scoring initiatives can be celebrated and continued to help employees feel continually supported by their workplace.
Both Chugai Pharma Europe and Chugai Pharma UK Ltd sit within the top 20* rankings of our 2021 UK Best Workplaces鈩� list (Small category) for their outstanding workplace cultures.
Encouraging openness and approachability from leaders gave Chugai鈥檚 employees the psychological safety needed to voice their opinions and concerns freely without fear of being shut down, punished or humiliated for speaking up.
鈥淲hilst there are a number of ways within the organisation through which people are able to give their opinions and provide feedback, the 杏吧庐 survey is one in which they have the opportunity to express their thoughts confidentially,鈥� says Gill Tanner, Head of HR at Chugai Pharma Europe.
鈥淎s a small company, our employees are our biggest asset and the Best Workplaces鈩� Programme allows us a platform to gauge honestly the employee experience. As part of our continuous improvement philosophy, we embrace the opportunity to assess how well we are doing in terms of our people practices compared to our competitors and organisations of a similar size.
鈥淭his level of understanding provides context and helps us to prioritise our actions. The 杏吧庐 portal is a mine of great data which can be dissected in so many ways [and] it also strengthens the message about our culture to the external world in terms of our customers, our patients, and our future talent.鈥�
*Chugai Pharma Europe ranked #17, Chugai Pharma UK Ltd ranked #18.
Sharing is Caring
After all, it鈥檚 how employees feel about their employer, combined with the level of motivation and intrinsic interest they have for their work, which will ultimately either drive higher levels of achievement or pull them down.
At LanguageLine, leaders understood the importance of planning ahead when communicating information to employees. 鈥淲e believe that sharing information at the right time and in a respectful, empathetic way is key to maintaining a trust-based relationship,鈥� says Vanessa Eke, Managing Director of LanguageLine.
鈥淲e have learned to always listen and maintain a participatory culture that values two-way communication, trust, and respect. Line Managers have consistently conducted weekly 1-2-1 meetings and team meetings, as well as individual welfare calls to our teams. We have focused on wellbeing by providing a safe platform for employees to raise concerns about all aspects of life.鈥�
鈥淧romoting a culture of forensic listening can be massively beneficial to your business. Combining programmes such as the Best Workplaces鈩� Programme with regular focus groups, informal listening sessions and regular opportunities for crew to feedback provides really rich information that can help develop your people and wider business strategies.鈥�
鈥淥ne of our Values is #StandUp&StandOut, and we promote this at every opportunity, encouraging our crew to share their views and ideas. And we share the results with the whole crew 鈥� the team have taken the time to complete the survey, and will all be instrumental in helping to continue the development of our culture into the future. They have a vested interest in being part of any actions needed to make the business an even better place to work.鈥�
Practicing Fairness for All
It鈥檚 not always easy, but the dividends gained from making the time and effort to be seen as a 鈥榝air manager鈥� by employees are well worth the investment.
Just ask GEP Worldwide, whose focus on fairness became one of the key characteristics that earned their business a 2021 UK鈥檚 Best Workplaces鈩� award.
鈥淚f you treat all people fairly, you create a solid foundation for a positive employee experience,鈥� says Gary Kiyou, Senior Director of Human Resources. 鈥淎t GEP, we want to support and affirm everyone, of all ages, nationalities, faiths, races, genders, gender identities and sexual orientations. It should be fundamental for every company, but unfortunately it is not the norm. I am so proud that the survey results show people at GEP see fair treatment of everyone as a very strong point.
You May Be Doing Better Than You Think
And while it is natural to shy away from asking employees for feedback during difficult times 鈥� whether that be a pandemic or other periods of drastic change such as a merger or restructuring 鈥� it leaves your people strategy at a massive disadvantage because you鈥檒l be working solely off assumptions about people鈥檚 feelings rather than concrete data from the horse鈥檚 mouth.
Cherry Advertising is testament to this. As Cherry鈥檚 HR Director, Danni Buxton, explains:
鈥淭o be honest, listing as a Best Workplace鈩� has been a huge surprise to us. We knew we鈥檇 worked really hard to develop our employee journey (from entry to exit) but were conscious that there were still areas that we could improve. It鈥檚 been really positive to see that our employees recognise the work and development that has occurred whilst accepting that we鈥檙e not there yet!
鈥淲e have an incredible team of individuals who had gone above and beyond in 2020. Every single employee has shown resilience in the face of adversity, and we cannot thank them enough for their commitment to Cherry.鈥�
Prioritising Employee Wellbeing
Napier, for example, is a UK鈥檚 Best Workplace鈩� who employed a Wellbeing Officer and published its own 鈥楴apier鈥檚 6 Steps to Workplace Happiness鈥� as an ongoing commitment to their staff.
Recognising the importance of flexibility also helped managers to allow employees the autonomy needed to feel supported by their employer. 鈥淚n our 鈥榓lways on, always connected鈥� world, we realise it no longer makes sense to expect our employees to work a solid 8-hour shift to do their work successfully,鈥� explains Napier鈥檚 COO Greg Watson.
鈥�We have a global team working across different time zones and employees balancing personal and professional commitments. Therefore, we ensure that we can be agile and flexible in our approach.鈥�
Small initiatives such as ad hoc rewards, regular emails sent from the Group鈥檚 CEO and a 鈥楾hank You Thursdays鈥� campaign all contributed towards keeping Iris鈥� people motivated and view their employer as caring and compassionate during challenging times.
鈥淚t was also fantastic to hear how our employees appreciated HR鈥檚 Covid-19 support initiatives 鈥� such as dedicated help for working parents; extensive mental health provisions and charitable activities like our #ActsofKindness campaign.鈥�
Learn more about this year鈥檚 award recipients in our 2021 Best Workplaces鈩� publication!
To learn more about our employer recognition programme,