Recognising the Best in Wales - Insider Media Ltd

Recognising the

Best in Wales

We're unveiling our annual list of the Best Companies to Work for in Wales based on responses from those that matter the most ? the employees.

Leading workplace engagement specialists Best Companies compiles the list every year to discover which companies are doing it right when it comes to their workforce. The companies on the list show they value their employees, enable them to have a say and allow a caring culture to spread beyond the walls of their premises through initiatives like charitable giving and supporting the community.

People are a company's greatest asset and that's why an engaged workforce is the cornerstone of every successful business. Organisations that go the extra mile for their employees are a step closer to a highly motivated workforce, which can subsequently have a positive impact on profits and growth.

Findings show that companies that have engagement levels high enough to achieve a place on the national Best Companies to Work For lists, consistently outperform the FTSE 100. Furthermore, employee engagement has a positive correlation with customer satisfaction suggesting the more highly engaged the workforce the greater the customer service they will deliver*.

Measuring Engagement

Best Companies works with organisations to measure and improve levels of workplace engagement. Through the b-Heard survey, they provide tools and expertise to empower organisations to understand how their employees feel, and give them guidance on how to drive effective change.

Organisations are measured across eight factors of workplace engagement. Employees respond about a range of topics such as leadership, opportunities for personal growth, how they feel about their team and how happy they are with their pay and benefits. Those responding to the survey score statements on a seven-point scale, with all the responses from each region combined to create a Regional Best Companies Index (RBCI) score.

We can see that nationally, scores for the Giving Something Back and Personal Growth factors have improved this year. This suggests businesses are placing a greater emphasis on

their social impact and the development of their employees.

There is no `I' in team?

Teamwork makes the dream work, and engagement in this area was the highest ranking of all the factors measured in Wales (77% positive score). The region scores highly for statements relating to teams being fun to work with (82%) and teams caring for each other (80%). Welsh businesses also scored 4% higher than the UK average for My Team, revealing they value the people they work alongside. This goodwill extends further, with employees believing their organisation encourages charitable activities (84% positive score) and is keen to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Leading from the top

Wales scored 5% higher than the UK average for Leadership, with employees feeling more inspired by the person leading the organisation (6% difference), demonstrating the high esteem in which employees hold those at the top of their organisations. Line managers are also engaging employees effectively; respondents feel their manager talks openly and honestly with them (scoring 81% on average).

Wales has outperformed the UK average for seven out of eight factors this year, really emphasising how engaged the employees within this region are. These findings paint the picture that colleagues and local communities are highly valued. Helping those less fortunate than themselves comes naturally to Welsh businesses, and leaders and colleagues across these organisations care for and inspire one another ? admirable qualities that are bound to put organisations on a strong footing for the future.

*Key Trends in Employee Engagement (Best Companies, 2020)

Measured and compiled by

The 8 Factors of Workplace Engagement

The list of the Best Companies to Work For in Wales is compiled using the 8 Factor methodology.

My Manager Leadership

My Manager How employees feel about and communicate with their direct manager

Leadership How employees feel about the head of the organisation, senior management and the organisation's values and principles

My Company

My Company The level of engagement employees feel with their job and organisation

Personal Growth

Personal Growth How employees feel about training and their future prospects

My Team

Employees' feelings towards their

immediate colleagues and how well they

My Team

work together

Wellbeing

Wellbeing How employees feel about stress, pressure at work and life balance

Fair Deal How happy employees are with pay and benefits

Fair Deal

ing Something B

ack

Giving Something Back The extent to which employees feel their organisation has a positive impact on society

Giv

1

National construction contractor Willmott Dixon Construction delivers building projects in education, leisure and culture, hotels, offices, custodial, health, retail, national frameworks and residential for government and local authorities.

Culture and family values are at the heart of the business, despite its growth over the past 150 years. The group chief executive sets the standard high, as the leader of an organisation with a strong moral compass and family ethos, keeping a keen interest in the lives of employees and offering support during challenging times.

Giving opportunities for personal growth is valued by the business, with its MyLearning scheme giving the opportunity for workers to create and share playlists on learning they have found invaluable, whether it be a book or a TED talk. Employees are encouraged to refer friends or family for roles and, if the candidate is successful, they receive a financial incentive graded to the level of the position hired into.

The business also places importance on going the extra mile, encouraging measures that contribute to looking after the environment. Those employees who choose low emissions company or private cars receive generous green bonuses.

2

3

The Educ8 Group provides training and qualifications to organisations of all sizes across South Wales and all of England.

The business is founded on the core principles of honesty, integrity, respect and positivity, which, if followed, will reach its goal of making "a positive impact on the social and economic future of our communities through developing, empowering and inspiring individuals to achieve their true potential".

Educ8 is passionate about promoting positive wellbeing and supported a member of staff who wanted to create a Rejuven8 Group, which meets monthly and encourages innovation, creativity and wellbeing. All managers are supported professionally in completing qualifications through an apprenticeship work-based learning programme.

There's also an extensive community engagement programme where the company support events and initiatives, whether it be an animal welfare project or sponsoring a football kit for a local team.

Source Insurance Limited provides an innovative software platform to give regulated financial advisers easy access to a range of general insurance products.

Feedback is important to the business. Teams are able to give information via a suggestion box, face-to-face chats with senior managers, huddles, scrums, emails, surveys and via post-it note walls in the office. There are also weekly department meetings with a flexible attendee list to ensure only the right people are in the room and time is not wasted for those who do not need to be there.

Source also holds weekly senior management team meetings where managers hold each other to account, and get valuable insights into other areas of the business.

Wellbeing is important and Source introduced trained mental health first aiders towards the end of 2019 to support employees and spot signs of stress within team members.

4

5

Founded ten years ago iVendi is the market leader in digital motor retailing and finance, providing solutions used by leading manufacturers, retailers and global finance providers.

The business asks all 100 employees to follow its core principles each day, to be resourceful, resilient, reliable and respectful. The organisation loves to reward employees for their hard work, with past treats including spa breaks for those who have gone above and beyond. There are also flexible benefits and free private healthcare, as well as health scheme enrolment after three months' service.

iVendi holds quarterly company updates in which all employees are invited to hear from the leadership team on what has been happening over the past three months, and where they want to be over the next three months and beyond.

Created in 2018 following the acquisition of Plusnet and EE, BT Consumer provides fixed-line, mobile, broadband and digital television to consumers in the UK.

With more than 30 million customers, and more than 620 stores on the high street, it is the largest provider of consumer mobile and fixed broadband communications services in the UK.

The business values the contribution staff have on the rest of their colleagues. Employees with an interest in tech were asked to apply to be EE `5G Makers', trained up to become experts in 5G and given new tech to showcase to others across the business. Managers are also encouraged to broaden their skills through internal development programmes, while an external Connected Leaders course supports the improvement of eight leadership behaviours.

The contribution of everyone in the business is recognised through instant, monthly, quarterly, and annual recognition, whether through a thank you card, e-card or a gift.

Analysing data is a science. Making it meaningful and memorable is an artform.

Our Engagement Workshops give you the knowledge you need to turn your insights into effective, self-sustaining change.

We will help you disseminate information, create ambassadors for engagement and teach you and your team how to create a culture of acceptance and a willingness to improve.

Image: T.M.Lewin Engagement Workshop

Supporting Managerial Development

Using our powerful MC3 methodology, focus on the what, the why and how of great engagement. Explore key engagement insights and discover best practice examples for becoming a better manager.

Delivering Organisational Clarity

Action Planning

Put your Primary Purpose at the heart of your organisation by taking a closer look at your Core Principles, Outrageous Ambition and Ingenious Plan. Helping to establish the employees role throughout the journey.

End-to-end action planning workshops answer the question of what to do next once your survey results come in, helping turn insights into action.

Visit b.co.uk/biew20 or call 01978 856 100 to find out more.

Developed by

An average question score of

82%

Employees feel their team is fun to work with.

An average question score of

84%

Employees feel their organisations encourage charitable activities.

1

Willmott Dixon Construction

2

The Educ8 Group

3

Source Insurance Limited

4

iVendi Ltd

5

BT Consumer

6

Wales & West Housing Group

7

Melin Homes

8

Bourne Leisure

9

gap personnel

10 Admiral Group

11 Hydrock

12 Arcadis UK

13 MPCT

14 ACT Training

15 Howdens

RBCI:

808.2

RBCI:

777.4

RBCI:

776.7

RBCI:

769.5

RBCI:

759.4

RBCI:

749.4

RBCI:

747.0

RBCI:

742.9

RBCI:

740.1

RBCI:

739.9

RBCI:

732.3

RBCI:

731.8

RBCI:

731.2

RBCI:

728.4

RBCI:

726.0

What is RBCI?

The Regional Best Companies Index (RBCI) is the most academically rigorous way of measuring engagement. Using the Best Companies b-Heard Survey, employees are asked to score 70 questions on a 7 point scale from `Strongly Disagree' to `Strongly Agree'.

Organisations require 30 or more survey responses in a region to be eligible. The results are then calculated from the responses to 50 scoring questions aligned to the 8 Factors of Workplace Engagement. The final score is normalised for company size and calculated out of 1000.

70

8

Measured and compiled by

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