Times Top 100 SMEs

This month saw the announcement of
the Times Top 100 SMEs to work for

IT sales company, Softcat, knocked winner of the past 2 years, Christians Against Poverty off the top spot and Brand Learning took third position. The Best Companies survey was this year based on the responses of more than 37,500 employees across 571 small companies.

At the start of 2008 there were an estimated 4.81 million private sector enterprises in the UK, with Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounting for 99.9% of them. Employment in SMEs is estimated at 13.7 million and turnover is estimated at approx £1,500 billion. SMEs play a massive part in the economy so it's a delight to see them looking after their workforces during tough times.

While the country struggles to climb out of recession, some 'Best Companies' have managed to buck the trend by reporting a growth in sales and profits. The awards demonstrate the capability of SMEs to provide great working environments without 'economies of scale' on their side. Determined employers step up their game to attract, retain and engage the best talent with competitive benefits packages and positive working cultures.

The eight workplace factors on
which companies are judged are:

1. Leadership - how employees feel about the head of the company and senior managers.
2. My Manager - the feeling of staff towards their immediate boss and their day-to-day managers.
3. My Team - people's impressions of their immediate colleagues.
4. My Company - how the staff feel about the whole company and its ethos, as opposed to the people.
5. Wellbeing - people's experiences of stress, pressure and the balance between their work and home lives.
6. Fair Deal - how happy the workforce is with pay and benefits.
7. Personal Growth - whether or not people feel challenged by their jobs, if they are being stretched, and how their skills and careers are developed.
8. Giving Something Back - how much companies are thought by their staff to put back into society and are helping to protect the environment.

Softcat founder, Peter Kelly says "I just care that people are happy". Kelly's ideals of a totally happy workforce were scoffed at when he set up his IT sales company in 1993, but the last laugh belongs to him with his dedicated team and steady growth in sales.

Managing Director, Martin Hellawell says "It's not just about the pension schemes," "We do quirky bits and pieces. Our average age is 29 and these young lads can dump their shirts at work, we wash and iron them, and that appeals".

"Engagement" heads up the agenda for many HR departments. Engaging working parents and carers can be difficult but the companies that get it right receive massive benefits in loyalty, retention and productivity.

We provide an award winning emergency childcare and eldercare service at an extremely low price for smaller companies, along with many other affordable services.

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