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Filming and Interview Opportunity: RL Directors Amy Park and Graham Purvis are available for interview.
Robson Laidler Accountants has been named as one of the Best Places to Work in the UK for 2024 by The Sunday Times.
With a team of 94 staff across its two offices in Jesmond and Chester le Street, the accountancy and business advisory firm made the list and is thrilled that its efforts to improve workplace happiness have been recognised.
Amy Park, director of people and culture at Robson Laidler said: “We are completely overwhelmed to have been named in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work Awards and to be nationally recognised as an employer with the highest employee engagement and wellbeing levels alongside big names such as Octopus Energy and Easyjet Holidays.
“What makes this accolade even more special is the fact it comes directly from our people. There’s no judging panel or swish submission to decide who makes the Best Places to Work list; it is based on honest feedback from our staff. I’m incredibly proud to work with amazing people across our business, who always show such passion and commitment to their work and clients and to supporting each other.
“We believe that a company's strength lies in its people, and that happy and engaged staff are the cornerstone of a successful business. We take pride in our diverse team and inclusive environment. Based on the insights gained from this year’s feedback, we are committed to enhancing Robson Laidler, ensuring it continues to be an even more exceptional place to work in the years to come.”
Independent accountancy firm, Robson Laidler became the first organisation in the North East to become B Corp certified in 2021 and a Real Living Wage employer in 2022. Its numerous inclusive workplace culture initiatives include; a calendar of health and wellness campaigns including managing mental health in the workplace and neurodiversity, enhanced life journey policies, work-life balance, flexible and agile working, cycle to work scheme, volunteer days and birthdays off.
Managing Director Graham Purvis said: “We run the business on the triple bottom line principles of People; Planet: Profit. We set, measure and review goals to ensure we continue our business as a “force for good”, living our purpose of “making a positive difference to people’s lives. I couldn’t be prouder of this achievement as it embodies everything we are striving for – to be an employer of choice.”
The Sunday Times, powered by WorkL, Best Places to Work is a nationwide workplace survey that honours and celebrates Britain's top employers - which number over 500 organisations across different industries and sizes - and acknowledges the best workplaces for women, LGBTQIA+ community, disabled employees, ethnic minorities, younger and older workers, and wellbeing.
David Lloyd Clubs, CGI IT UK and Octopus Energy were among the Top Ten best employers in the Very Big organisation category, while Easyjet Holidays and Dishoom were ranked as some of the Top Ten best employers in the Big organisation category. YuLife insurance provider and Iconic Smiles dental group were celebrated in the Medium and Small organisation categories, respectively.
How the survey works
The Sunday Times partnered with employee-experience platform WorkL to deliver fresh insights into what makes a Best Place to Work. The Sunday Times Best Places to Work awards survey uses 26 questions from WorkL’s employee engagement survey, developed by behavioural scientists, data analysts, psychologists, business leaders, academics and other independent parties to most accurately monitor employee engagement, wellbeing and discretionary effort in the workplace. To achieve a high overall engagement score, an organisation must score well across WorkL’s six-step framework:
- Reward and Recognition
- Instilling Pride
- Information Sharing
- Empowerment
- Wellbeing
- Job Satisfaction
Workplace trends
The survey reveals the proliferation of pets in workplaces. At creative agency Household there are 14 office dogs while Evolito, the Bicester firm which develops electric motors for the aviation industry, has an office tortoise - Donna Shello - who staff jointly look after. A fully paid four-day working week has been rolled out by organisations including Happy - a London consultancy. There are innovative health and wellbeing supports such as ADHD and autism diagnosis and treatment offered by Vitality, the health and life insurer. Menopause policies have been adopted by a growing number of companies, among them property portal Rightmove.
Age Groups
Exclusive research conducted by WorkL also revealed that the Sunday Times Best Places to Work have found the secret to engaging Gen Z workers: happiness. WorkL’s analysis of its broader database of 70,000 organisations found Gen Z staff to be the least happy of all age groups, with almost three in ten (29 per cent) looking for the exit door, due to feeling disconnected from their colleagues and employers. At these organisations the average employee engagement score among those under 34 was just 69.4 per cent. But at the organisations successfully accredited as Best Places to Work the average engagement score for those under 34 was more than ten per cent higher, at 81.1 percent.
Comments
Chris Longcroft, EVP Publisher, The Times and The Sunday Times, said: “All organisations are only as good as the people they employ and retain. The Sunday Times Best Places to Work awards recognise companies that are innovating to create an engaged and fulfilling working environment for all and in so doing they are creating the best possible platform for business success. To be named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list is a true recognition of excellence and I congratulate those organisations who made the grade this year.”
Lordice, Founder of WorkL, said: “I’m absolutely delighted for this year's winners of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work, powered by WorkL. Many Congratulations to you all. We’ve been absolutely blown away by just how many brilliant companies entered the awards in the hopes of being recognised, so it’s a real achievement to have made the list. WorkL are proud to power these awards and support organisations in retaining and recruiting th Mark Pre very best employees.”
Zoe Thomas, editor of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, said: “It is my pleasure to introduce the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. These include a huge range of businesses and not-for-profits, from innovative start-ups with a handful of employees to big multinational corporations staffed by thousands. The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 span all industry sectors and are located throughout the UK. Uniting them is the commitment to make their organisation a better place to work for everyone, and there is no limit to the creative lengths they go to to engage employees. Why have a job just anywhere when you could be carving out a career at a Sunday Times Best Place to Work?”
Entries for the 2025 Best Places to Work awards are now open at stbestplacestowork.co.uk
