BE Offices has scooped 36th position in the prestigious Sunday Times ‘100 Best Small Companies to Work For’ Awards, becoming one of less than a dozen companies to remain on the list for more than four years.
The serviced office provider, which has around 1m square foot of workspace and meeting venues throughout the country, has made the list on each of the past six years, appearing in the top 50 four times.
David Saul, managing director of Business Environment, said: “It means a huge amount to make the Sunday Times list – especially so since it’s our teams opinions that are used in the judging process. Our continued presence here is a testament to all my colleagues, and to how much they have done to create a great atmosphere to work in.”
Some of Business Environment’s more distinctive policies include encouraging all employees to take 3 days off a year to volunteer for charity, use of gyms, delivering cakes to clients and colleagues each Friday, and setting up a “green team” which ensures all working areas are being as environmentally-friendly as possible.
David Saul said: “There are ethical reasons for setting up a positive working environment – but there are hard-headed business reasons too. If people feel valued, feel that their work is having a positive impact and feel like they have a good work/life balance it improves staff retention and motivation, and improves your firm’s bottom line. However it’s not enough for senior management to say this – most of the changes have to be come from employees themselves, so it’s thanks to them that the company has won this award.”
The Best Companies organisation also awarded Business Environment a three star rating – the highest rating possible – for demonstrating it was an ‘exceptional place to work’. Only 160 companies in the UK are currently three-star rated.
The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For awards measures excellence across a number of workplace factors including leadership, employee wellbeing, pay and benefits as well as treatment of staff.
