The 2019 Sunday Times’ Best Companies to Work For list has been revealed, and it’s yet another cause for celebration. We’re the 13thBest Company to Work For in the UK – another top 15 finish to follow on from last year’s. We were also named in the Top 10 for the ‘My Company’, ‘Personal Growth’ and ‘My Team’ categories. And we’re still the highest placed accountancy firm in the top 100. Sweet!
With over a thousand businesses putting their case forward this year, being named in the Top 100 was no mean feat. Last year’s winners dropped to 12th position after 2 years at the top spot, and a significant number of the former Top 20 companies fell much further in the rankings, showing the difficulties many firms have faced over the last 12 months. Our consistently excellent performance is not to be underestimated.
Another trophy to treasure
We’ve always championed our culture – we’ve showcased it at other firms across the globe, and we hosted our own Culture Summit in May. We’ve always embodied our values. And we’ve always done all we can to make sure working here is something our people can be proud of.
This success is testament to that. 80% of our people said they received regular appreciation from their boss and felt cared for, while 90% of our people felt passionately about our purpose and our focus on charitable causes. When you combine this with our hat trick of wins at the European Engagement Awards earlier this year, including the biggest prize of them all: Employee Engagement Company of the Year – we couldn’t be happier.
Our clients are pleased too
We’re still the #1 firm of accountants and advisers in the Midlands for businesses with a turnover between £10-200m. And we’ve got a third more clients than our nearest competition. Last night’s award just goes to show how important it is to put your people first. Keep them happy. Keep them engaged. Keep them learning. Check in with them regularly. And let the amazing work and the irresistible customer experience follow.
Onwards and upwards
We didn’t rest on our laurels after 2018’s result. Instead we set out to make Cooper Parry an even better, even more exciting place to work at.
In an effort to keep making life count we brought more wellbeing initiatives into Heartbeat, our people experience programme. We focused particularly on activities and opportunities incorporating mental health awareness, health and fitness, and nutrition – because your time in the office is just one part of your happiness.
We’ve done a lot to expand our Learning and Development programme, too. Earlier this year we unveiled our brand-new online learning portal, which is full to the brim with videos, articles, podcasts, and courses on a huge array of topics. We’ve also been putting on plenty of workshops, covering some really valuable skills that can be used both inside and outside the workplace, including how to give and receive feedback, and how to hold a potentially difficult conversation.
All this means not a day goes by without our people having the opportunity to develop themselves and keep learning.
These changes are just a snapshot of everything we’ve been doing over the last year to improve our people’s lives and improve our clients’ service. And as 2019 gets into full swing…
Why stop now?
Joining one of the best companies to work for in the UK is a tasty proposition. And over the last 2 years we’ve seen our internship applications increase by around 600% off the back of our Best Companies exploits.
We’re attracting like-minded people that live and breathe our values. They know what makes us tick, they know what drives our passion, they know what’s at our core, and they want to get a slice of the action. That can only spell great things for our future together.
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