Best Employers Eastern Region 2012 revealed

It was confirmed that ‘the East of England has a workforce to be proud of’ as the key findings and the winning business in the Best Employers Eastern Region 2012 campaign were revealed at a seminar held at The Hauser Forum, Cambridge yesterday [Tuesday 2 October].

The Best Employers initiative, run by recruitment specialists Pure Resourcing Solutions and psychometric testing experts eras Ltd is in its first year. It was created to find the region’s best employers and to share best practice among businesses; putting the East of England on the map as a great place to work.

Almost 100 businesses in the region backed the campaign which launched in April. As a result over 5,000 employees completed the campaign survey to provide feedback on their company’s culture and values.

The feedback has been analysed by a team of chartered psychologists at eras Ltd and the results used to pick the region’s Best Employers for 2012. The survey data has also been used to collate a wealth of information to share with businesses about the current motivation and satisfaction levels of employees across the region.

Lynn Walters, Director at Pure Resourcing Solutions, said:

“We have been delighted with the amazing up-take we have had for this initiative in its inaugural year. It has demonstrated the diverse range of successful businesses we have in this region. The survey provided a wealth of valuable feedback which revealed that over two thirds of employees would definitely recommend their workplace.”

The organisations taking part in the campaign were categorised by size to allow a fair and balanced set of criteria on which to base the awards– large (50 plus employees) and small (under 50 employees) and then with 4 sub categories (Innovation, Vision & Motivation, Customer Focus and Employee Values).

The Best Employers Eastern Region 2012

Large employers

• Best Overall Large Employer - Benefit Cosmetics in Chelmsford, Essex
• Award for Customer Focus - Jackson Civil Engineering in Ipswich, Suffolk
• Award for Innovation – Benefit Cosmetics in Chelmsford, Essex 
• Award for Vision and Motivation - Tristel plc in Snailwell, Cambridge
• Award for Employee Values - Luminus Group in Cambridge

Small employers

• Best Overall Small Employer - Pound Gates in Ipswich, Suffolk
• Award for Customer Focus - Travel Stop in Ipswich, Suffolk
• Award for Innovation - Spring in Southwold, Suffolk
• Award for Vision and Motivation – Arthur Rank Hospice Charity in Cambridge
• Award for Employee Values - Pound Gates in Ipswich, Suffolk

As well as revealing the region’s best employers, the campaign findings also revealed that pensions, a Christmas party and parking spaces were the three most popular benefits for employees in the Eastern region.

Alex Pearce, Managing Director at eras Ltd, said: 

“Our research found that employees in the East of England are on the whole motivated, keen to develop their skills, feel involved in the business they work in, value their customers and will strive to go the extra mile. The Eastern region definitely has a workforce to be proud of and it demonstrates a strong focus on customer service, which is arguably a good way to stay afloat in troubled economic times.”

Only 20 per cent of the survey respondents disagreed that their workplace had excellent facilities and a great working environment. Alex added:

“While employers in our region have much to be proud of, there is still room for employees to feel more engaged. The survey showed less prominent ratings for autonomy in working life and for self development. And while 90 percent agreed that they can communicate with senior management or directors, the research suggests that if managers spend a little more time communicating the organisation’s strategy and any changes it is introducing, it would make a huge improvement on how employees perceive the company.”

Every company which took part in the campaign received a confidential tailored report including an action plan for guidance on further development.

Lynn Walters stressed that the presentation of the awards did not signal the end of the initiative. 

“One of the key reasons we developed the Best Employers survey, awards and seminars was to be able to share best practice to help businesses in our region to attract and retain talented employees. We will be running further events in the future to discuss more of the survey findings and facilitate further discussions about employee engagement.”

Pure Resourcing Solutions and eras Ltd aim to run the Best Employers Eastern Region campaign bi-annually providing the opportunity for even more businesses to get involved in 2014.

For more information about the Best Employers initiative and to register for details of future events visit www.prs.uk.com or email: nadia@prs.uk.com