This success comes only a few weeks after being awarded two stars by Best Companies through their accreditation scheme. Both the Sunday Times Top 100 and the Best Companies accreditation scheme recognise excellence in employee engagement and both are derived from the results of the Best Companies Survey.
347 organisations applied for inclusion within the mid-sized companies list and despite tough competition, Kent Union has risen from position 80 in 2009 to 21 in 2010.
Kent Union use the Best Companies survey results to continually review and evolve their culture which ensures that staff are at the heart of the organisation, and aim to support each individual to perform at their best and take responsibility for the success of the organisation.
Jim Gardner, Chief Executive, said “This is an absolutely enormous achievement, building on last year’s success; once again, we are the only students’ union in the list and one of only a handful of charities. We are also the smallest organisation included in the list, with many having annual turnover in excess of £100million per annum!”
Kent Union scored highly in all areas assessed by the survey, particularly in areas ‘Fair Deal’, ‘Wellbeing’ and ‘My Team’. Headline results included:
- 77% of employees say they love working for Kent Union;
- 71% said they were happy with their pay and benefits;
- 78% felt their position within Kent Union is good for their personal development;
- 76% of employees are happy with their balance between their work and home life.
Helen Wood, Union President, said “Being placed 21st in the list is a fantastic achievement for us and we are very proud that our employees are happy and motivated in the work that they do and from that are able to drive this organisation forward. We employee over 350 students which is fantastic as we are able to give them the development they need to go forward in their careers after University life”
The awards were presented by Kate Silverton at a Ceremony at the Battersea Evolution Centre, London on 26 February.