Christians Against Poverty

Best for leadership

Sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial Not content with being our best company to work for, Christians Against Poverty (CAP) also scoops our leadership award in its debut year. Matt Barlow, who became chief executive of the national debt counselling charity in 2006, is clear about his role: “I care passionately about what we do. I’ve got to pass this passion on, to inspire people.” Staff think he is doing just that, giving him a 98% positive score. Barlow runs the charity on sound moral principles, with a nearly unbeatable score of 99.5%. Employees have a great deal of faith in him (97%) and are excited about the future of CAP (96%). Barlow and other senior managers mingle with staff and he gets to know new employees over a meal at his house.

Nicoll Curtin

Best for training & development

Sponsored by Best Companies Ltd Nicoll Curtin knows that investing in its 52 employees pays dividends, and wins our special award this year for training and development. The recruitment consultancy, which specialises in filling vacancies in investment banking, has a training budget of £15,000 a year. A top score of 94% shows employees think the experience they gain from their job is valuable and that there are opportunities to learn and grow, another top score of 89%. People are appointed a mentor from day one and say the job is good for their own growth (91%) and the training is of great benefit to them (85%). They find work stimulating (84%) and are rarely bored (87%) by the job.

P3

Best for wellbeing

Sponsored by The Energy Project P3 the social inclusion charity, our Best Small Company to Work For in 2007, is this year named the best company for wellbeing. People don’t feel they are spending too much time at work (79%) after weekly hours for its 157 staff were reduced from 37.5 to 36. Martin Kinsella, the chief executive, knows his Derbyshire-based staff deal with difficult situations and so they have access to a senior manager 24 hours a day. People don’t feel taken advantage of (84%) and are not under too much pressure to perform well (85%). P3, which also has a wellness programme, pays into a healthcare scheme for all employees, who don’t need to contribute.

Cobalt Recruitment

Best for work & home balance

Sponsored by Wellness International You will never find joint managing directors Timothy Rowe and Adam Walker in the Cobalt Recruitment offices on a weekend – they strongly discourage long hours. Cobalt’s people rank it top nationally for work not interfering with their responsibilities at home (90%) and third overall for the happy balance of their work and home lives (85%). London-based Cobalt also allows time off for doctor’s appointments, moving house and the like so such commitments do not eat into holiday entitlement. Staff aren’t spending too much time working (78%, ranking the firm fourth) and give it another top 10 score for not being exhausted by their work (66%, seventh).

Innocent

Best for giving something back

Sponsored by The Prince’s Trust For the second consecutive year, Innocent wins our award for giving something back. In September 2007 it became the first company in the world to put its drinks into 100% recycled bottles, and its 91% score for doing its bit for the environment is bettered by just one other organisation. Planes aren’t used to transport its fruit and, wherever possible, alternatives to fossil fuels are employed. A generous 10% of profits is given to charity and an overall factor score of 83%, ranking the firm second, shows staff appreciate the commitment to giving something back. Employees say that the company makes a positive difference to the world (90%).

Business Environment

Most improved

Sponsored by Best Companies Partnership More than 70% of staff at Business Environment have been rewarded in the past year for going the extra mile. It is now their turn to recognise the company’s efforts, as it rises into the middle reaches of our table, having been unranked in 2007. Four of the eight factor scores place the firm in the top half of our list. A 20% increase in the positive score from 45% to 65% for the Fair Deal factor shows the 83 employees are happy with their pay and perks. More than a third take home at least £35,000 a year. Management and leadership also score well (81% and 80% respectively). The fun teams have gives the company its highest positive score of 87% (74% in 2007), and people love working here (81%).

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