The Best Places to Work in IT Awards 2007 were
celebrated at the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square on 2
March. Profiled here are the winners whose effective and innovative
employment practices have put their IT departments at the top of
the list
Atkins
Winner: Best of the Best Award
Sponsored by Computer Weekly
Category winner: Construction, agriculture and
mining
Sponsored by ReThink Recruitment
Engineering firm Atkins boasts a highly skilled in-house IS
training team which designs and delivers courses for customers and
staff. All the members of the IS team are qualified to at least
foundation level in the IT Infrastructure Library project
management framework. There is a strong emphasis on training and
all IS staff are encouraged to gain membership of professional
bodies.
A key push this year is towards unlocking performance. The aim
is to get people involved in collaborative team working and
coaching. This has involved one-to-one interviews with external
staff development specialists to complement existing corporate
training work.
The company has managed to break away from the traditional culture
of IS with family friendly policies. For example, it is acceptable
for fathers to take time off to look after children, or to start
and finish early to allow them to collect children from school. The
department is involved in forums within the business to extend this
concept across the company.
Atkins has also been successful in attracting back to work IT staff
who take time out to bring up children. Childcare e-vouchers enable
staff to take advantage of tax savings on childcare costs.
In addition to established benefits available to IS staff, three
more have been introduced this year: the Bike4work subsidised cycle
scheme, discounted health club membership and cut-price Bupa health
insurance.
An initiative called “Greener Futures” encourages recycling and the
reduction of waste. Under the scheme, each member of the IS
department has been given a water bottle to reduce the amount of
plastic cups used, and duplex printing has been rolled out across
the company.
IS hosts weekly Pilates sessions and there is a resident holistic
therapist available to all IS staff.
Judges comments
The judges particularly liked Atkins’ Greener Futures
initiative. The company’s positive attitude to family commitments
and its “unlocking performance” initiatives also impressed.
The Employee Assistance Programme and the flexible policies that
have attracted staff back into the company were cited as
impressive. Atkins also scored points for its work with charities
and local schools. The judges particularly liked the fact that it
is culturally acceptable for fathers to take time off to look after
children.
Birmingham Midshires
Category winner: Banking (retail, wholesale and
commercial)
Sponsored by Rullion Computer Personnel
Birmingham Midshires prides itself on offering its staff a
workplace that encourages openness and honesty, enjoyment of work,
and pride in the company. The organisation impressed the judges
with its commitment to continuing professional development for its
IT staff.
The organisation decided to make 2006 a year of learning, in
which it actively encouraged IT staff to develop their skills. The
initiative included the appointment of a dedicated learning
consultant to advise and guide people through their training
needs.
The organisation ran “Learn-IT” days to encourage people to visit a
learning resource centre to view training materials. People
borrowing materials on the day were entered into a prize
draw.
IT staff undertook more than 200 technical training days during the
course of the year. Topics covered included IBM iSeries RPG
programming, Microsoft .net, project management skills, and BCS
Iseb software foundation testing. Two IT professionals acquired
degrees during the course of the year, in IT and computing and
computer science.
The 80-plus IT staff, a mixture of full-time and part-time workers,
enjoy a variety of start and finish times, which have been agreed
with team leaders to suit their own requirements.
On an individual level, the IT department has provided one of its
managers with technology to work from home so that he can support
his wife, who is undergoing a course of chemotherapy. Another long
serving member of staff who retired to Cyprus has been provided
with IT so that she can do contract work from her new home.
Judges comments
The judges liked Birmingham Midshires’ well structured and
focused continuing professional development programme. They said
the organisation was clear about what it was trying to do in all
areas and was able to offer the judges concrete examples of good
practice.
The judges were particularly impressed by the two powerful
examples of work/life balance in action. Birmingham Midshires’
decision to make 2006 a year of training was one of the key
strengths of this entry.
Friends Provident
Category winner: Financial services
Sponsored by Rullion Computer Personnel
Friends Provident is one of the few organisations to have a
mission statement aimed at creating a positive working environment
in IT. Its key tenets are that everyone should enjoy their job and
take responsibility for their personal development and career
choices so that they feel challenged and motivated.
Senior management has hosted a workshop for all IT people to
explore how to create a positive and effective working environment.
Monthly workshops continue to add energy, enthusiasm and creativity
to this initiative.
All sites have a learning library offering books, DVDs, and
interactive CD Roms on a wide range of topics. Within Friends
Provident’s IT department, support and training material is
provided for all applications and tools being used in the company,
and workshop training is available on more than 50 individual skill
sets.
The IT department works with all of its employees to find a balance
between enjoyment at work and development of the individual outside
working hours.
The Personal Development Scheme gives all staff a financial
allowance to undertake training in areas outside work, such as golf
lessons, for example.
Time off is given to members of staff who want to take part in
charitable or volunteer work, and several of Friends Provident’s IT
people take part in a volunteer reading scheme in local schools.
There is a generous allocation of parental leave and time off for
life events and to care for dependants and loved ones.
Judges comments
The judges were impressed by Friends Provident’s proactive
approach to the working environment, which they saw as a reflection
of the IT director’s strong leadership skills.
The company offers a lot of staff benefits, and it places
importance on communication with management. Particularly
noteworthy were the company’s use of European secondments, paternal
adoption leave, and six-month sabbaticals, as well as more unusual
activities, such as funding golf lessons.
Berwin Leighton Paisner
Category winner: Business and professional
services
Sponsored by Rullion Computer Personnel
London law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner encourages
cross-disciplinary involvement throughout the business. This is
demonstrated by the twinning programme which matches professional
departments together. Every event starts with a games session such
as “speed dating” to get to know each other quickly.
The IT department runs an open day programme, created to
encourage everyone to understand what technology is available and
how best to use it. Individual stands have been set up in a meeting
room showing remote working, client extranets, litigation support
and other technically specific offerings. More than 80% of the
company’s employees attended the most recent event, and the model
has been copied by other parts of the organisation.
The IT training team belong to the Institute of IT Training. In
addition to technical training, the firm sponsors and supports
individuals in their tertiary education needs, ranging from an MSc
in information management, through a BSc in business studies to an
MBA. The IT team holds monthly meetings when either technical
initiatives or the working of other sections of the firm are
explored in depth.
Berwin Leighton Paisner has a highly developed maternity and
paternity leave and support programme. The firm also provides
personal support through an outsourced counselling group called
Lifeworks. This provides individuals with the opportunity to
discuss in private issues ranging from debt management, through
bereavement counselling, to support for different styles of working
to accommodate lifestyle changes.
The company also provides a concierge-style support service, which
will do everything from locating baby-sitters to getting the dry
cleaning done.
Judges comments
The judges were impressed by Berwin Leighton Paisner’s rounded
approach to professional development, including the development of
soft skills, such as communication and people management.
Particularly noteworthy was the open day, designed to bring IT into
the heart of the organisation. The concierge service is an added
boon for busy IT professionals.
Data Connection
Category winner: IT software and hardware
suppliers
Sponsored by Spring Technology
IT staff benefit from being an integral part of communications
provider Data Connection, which is wholly owned by an employee
benefit trust. There are no external shareholders and each IT staff
member has a stake in the future wealth that the business creates.
The fact that everyone has a direct stake in the company’s success
provides the basis for a highly positive working environment.
Data Connection believes in an open working environment in which
team members are involved in the organisation’s future direction
and strategy. It encourages people to raise any issues and concerns
so that they can be discussed and addressed.
The company encourages staff to obtain technical qualifications by
paying their costs and allowing study time within working
hours.
Working hours are flexible and part-time working is accommodated.
It also supports home working where possible. Social activities
organised for lunchtimes and evenings include a squash league,
theatre trips, a dining club, football/softball in the park, prayer
meetings and subsidised membership of local gyms.
The company also recognises the importance of employees’ families,
providing “meals for two” for staff who work exceptional hours. It
holds an annual children’s Christmas party, and other events to
which partners are invited, including the recent all--expenses-paid
25th anniversary celebrations in Rome for three days in a five-star
hotel.
The company has had only two staff leave its IT team during the
past year, and both of these left due to personal reasons, rather
than moving to a similar role with another employer.
Judges comments
Data Connection scored highly for its continuing professional
development of staff. The company is well organised and does a lot
for its staff, including offering secondments to provide better
career development paths. It also has a high training budget. Many
organisations focus only on technical training, but Data
Connection’s approach is far wider.
The Coal Authority
Category winner: Public Services and Non-Profit
Sector
Sponsored by Capita Resourcing
Communication plays an important role in creating a positive
atmosphere at the Coal Authority. The executive team has an open
door policy for all staff and discussion and feedback is
encouraged. There is a monthly debrief on important issues and
staff can give feedback directly to the chief executive through a
web forum.
Each new staff member undergoes a two-week customised induction
programme. This includes visits to each department to understand
the diverse range of activities that the Coal Authority performs.
The induction features one-to-one sessions with the executive team,
including the chief executive, and offsite visits to mine water
treatment schemes, for example.
The IT department of 12 staff has a generous annual training budget
and encourages both technical and personal development. It has
three qualified Prince 2 practitioners, with further team members
awaiting exam results.
It has supported staff in obtaining ITIL (IT Infrastructure
Library) and MSP (Managing Successful Programmes) qualifications,
and has also supported a member of the IT team through an MSc in
geographic information science.
The organisation has well established policies on family friendly
working, parental leave, equal opportunities and home working.
These include a flexi-working scheme where staff can leave at 4pm
or arrive at 10am. Staff who work more than their allotted hours
can accumulate extra holiday time.
A child care voucher scheme is available to staff which can save
parents up to £1,196 a year. The Coal Authority is active in
monitoring staff stress levels and provides a third-party helpline
to offer staff personal guidance.
The emphasis on high staff morale and training has led to an
extremely low staff turnover rate of 5%. Very few leave the
organisation for similar roles with alternative local
employers.
Judges comments
The judges were impressed by the Coal Authority’s emphasis on
cross transfer of knowledge. The two-week staff induction and
excellent induction process scored highly. Particularly notable was
that staff were offered one-on-one sessions with the executive
team, including the chief executive. The company actively supports
social and charitable events, including fielding a team for the
local marathon. The child care voucher scheme was also
impressive.
Kingston Communications
Category winner: Utilities and
telecommunications
Sponsored by Capita Resourcing
Kingston Communications continuously strives to be among the
best places to work by regularly introducing new initiatives.
All staff are involved in setting the company’s vision and
strategic objectives. Staff have their own work improvement teams.
There are bi-annual staff and manager conferences, monthly team
briefings, an intranet site, and quarterly two-way feedback
forums.
Kingston Communications recognises and rewards staff who go beyond
the call of duty. There is an extensive induction programme and
processes to ensure new starters are welcomed into the team. The
company holds regular social events within IT and across the
business to develop working relationships and raise money for
charities.
Benchmarking shows that staff receive above industry average
remuneration. Benefits include a subsidised restaurant and
discounts for local shops and services.
Kingston’s Graduate Programme develops graduates through the first
two years of their career, moving them through departments to
develop a broad understanding of IT. Salary increases are linked to
quarterly objectives. The company puts significant effort into
building relationships with local universities through careers
fairs and visits.
Kingston Communications supports staff in gaining ITIL, Prince and
Microsoft accreditations. All line managers undertake an in-house
management development programme which teaches key skills.
Technical career paths are available as an alternative to
management roles.
Where practical, the company supports employee requests to change
their working patterns to suit home needs. Staff can also take
extended unpaid leave to suit career breaks or personal
needs.
Staff are offered flexible benefits, allowing them to select the
elements of their package most suitable to them at different stages
of their life, including buying/selling holiday, life insurance,
dental and medical cover. Medical counselling and support services
are available to all staff when needed.
Judges comments
The judges were impressed by the involvement of Kingston
Communications’ staff in its corporate vision. They also liked the
fact that the company ran many social events to raise money for
charities.
The organisation won recognition for supporting accreditation of
its IT staff, running twice-yearly appraisals and empowering its
staff to meet their objectives.
Procter & Gamble
Category winner: Manufacturing and
engineering
Sponsored by Best
Procter & Gamble’s IT department has a strong focus on
flexible working and homeworking. IT staff have access to a suite
of flexible work arrangements, including sabbaticals, reduced work
schedules and family leave. Regular community events ensure that
home and office workers reconnect to strengthen friendships and
working relationships.
Working within business teams has improved relationships with
colleagues from other functions and helped IT professionals build
business knowledge and skills. Work is far more satisfying as
friction is reduced and results improved. This was evidenced in a
company survey where 89% of people agreed they were “proud to work”
in the department.
Each IT professional spends about 15 company days a year on IT and
corporate training, with typical annual training budgets of £6,000
per person. Training programmes include an executive development
scheme, intensive training and a senior mentoring bootcamp for
developing tomorrow’s IT leaders.
The company’s Gable UK network champions equal opportunities among
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. It has ensured
equal benefits for couples regardless of sexual orientation.
Staff can take advantage of emergency nanny cover, company funded
au pair and nanny-finding services, life stage financial planning
workshops, and a 24-hour employee assistance hotline which offers
free legal advice, financial advice and stress counselling.
Social events include a monthly “cake club”, where people take time
out to relax and joke about the merits of people’s baking talents,
as they eat cakes baked by their peers.
Judges comments
The judges particularly liked Procter & Gamble’s initiatives
to link IT staff into the business. The company is one of the
industry’s biggest investors in training and offers staff benefits
to help them balance the demands of work and home.
The company offers strong development pathways, and it is
particularly strong on senior management development.
Web Exploitation Division of Army Information
Services
Category winner: Central government
Sponsored by Capita Resourcing
The Web Exploitation Division of Army Information Services
provides as its primary product ArmyNet, the British Army’s
official internet portal.
It comprises a small, tight-knit group that works together to
make things happen. Everyone contributes, from the bottom to the
top, and knowing that everyone is in it together makes for an
energetic group that rewards and recognises excellence.
The division works in a dynamic, fast-moving environment, and it
strives to offer the best, most up-to-date web services possible
for soldiers. The division is run on a very tight budget, so it
cannot rely on outside expertise when it needs to solve a problem
or explore an alternative.
The Web Exploitation Division believes that training and continued
development make better employees, and that if the division is
committed to its staff, they will be committed in turn to the
division.
It runs a robust assessment and evaluation programme that includes
formal semi-annual reviews with detailed guidance on
self-improvement and the next professional step.
It budgets for at least four one-week training courses a year for
each employee to ensure their skills stay up to date, and it
individually manages each person’s career progression to ensure
they are on the right track for success.
All employees have a generous leave and compensation plan that
includes health care and retirement benefits. It offers flexible
working hours and the ability to work from home where
appropriate.
The group manager and director have open-door policies so that any
employee can approach management with any concerns and feel
confident that they will be acted upon.
Judges comments
The judges were impressed with the high standard of IT training
support at the Web Exploitation Division, which includes extensive
days for training. The organisation clearly values individuals and
continuity among its IT workforce.
ITRM
Category winner: IT services suppliers
(including outsource providers)
Sponsored by Accenture
IT services company ITRM is a firm believer in teamwork. The
directors are very much part of the team and every member of staff
is willing to help one another, whatever their department.
Management at ITRM ensures that employees are well looked after,
with complimentary breakfasts, team training and working lunches,
daily papers and magazines, relaxation zones in all offices, break
areas for discussion, and refreshments.
In addition, the company provides spacious, “energy generating”
offices for staff to work in.
Social events where staff from different departments meet and
mingle are very important to the company. ITRM has a social evening
at least once a month and the IT department has its own football
and go-karting teams. Employees attend team-building lunches to
motivate and mix with technical, back-office and management
staff.
Motivating and retaining staff is seen as fundamental to
success. The company presents an award once a month to the member
of staff who has shown the “most exceptional customer service”.
Other awards reward good performance and hard work and there are
pay bonuses and regular salary reviews.
ITRM believes that highly trained and dedicated personnel will
achieve high standards of service and support. It invests heavily
in training. A designated training area is in constant use. Mentors
are assigned to each IT department employee to support and
encourage staff.
ITRM encourages employees to have a healthy balance between home
and work life. All staff have the option of working from home. The
Employees Assistance programme is designed for employees who need
advice on a variety of issues, or who may have personal problems
and require time off.
Judges comments
ITRM impressed the judges with its exceptional range of
benefits, its Employees Assistance programme, and its strong
emphasis on training, not only in technical skills, but in soft
skills. The judges also liked the individual mentoring for staff
and encouragement of creative thinking.
ASDA Stores
Category winner: Retail, wholesale and
distribution
Sponsored by ReThink Recruitment
Each morning the ASDA IS department starts the day with a
huddle, discussing any issues that have occurred the previous day,
the impact and resolution of those issues, and celebrating any
success.
One wall in the department is dedicated to photographs of major
events, showing how the company lives its values of “respect for
the individual”, “customer service” and “strive for
excellence”.
During last summer’s World Cup the department turned one corner of
the office into a football stadium, with huge TV screen, terraces,
seats and a pitch. It organises community projects where the entire
department works on improving the environments at local schools and
charities.
The daily “ISD TV” channel displays on several plasma TV screens
around the office, giving information on company sales, local news
and upcoming social events.
Training and development is very much part of the culture within
ASDA and the IS department is recognised as one of the best
departments at implementing the various schemes.
Almost a quarter of the company’s IS staff have taken the Project
Management Institute’s PMP (project management professional)
qualification. Each year 12 employees are given the opportunity to
take the additional training and exams to gain a
certificate.
Further in-house project management, business analysis and
behavioural training are also part of the development programme. An
example of this is the Late Lunch ‘n’ Learn programme, where staff
from the IS department and the wider business deliver training
courses aimed at improving business and technical skills. All
employees’ professional fees are funded by ASDA.
The company also operates a three-year graduate scheme offering a
structured development programme, which leads to a project
management role. Graduates are moved around each team within the
department, as well as working in store.
ASDA encourages flexible working hours. Laptops are offered to
staff wanting to work from home. Career breaks are also an option
within the company, ranging from a week’s unpaid leave to watch the
World Cup, through to one-year sabbaticals.
Job sharing is also encouraged as a viable alternative for staff
who need more time at home but want to stay with the
company.
One innovation is the use of the “joker card”, which staff place on
their desk to indicate they have left the -office early.
Judges comments
The judges were impressed with ASDA’s three-year graduate
development programme and central training schemes.
The climate of acceptability for staff who wanted to leave
early, by playing a “joker card” is a refreshing change. The judges
liked ASDA’s annual “We’re Listening” survey, which has produced a
measurable impact on working life.
The dedicated parking spaces for staff that car share with
colleagues, the ability for staff to move around the organisation
and the daily “huddle” also won praise.
Kent County Council
Category winner: Local government
Sponsored by Hy-phen
Creating and maintaining a positive working environment is one
of five key objectives for the IT department at Kent County
Council. It has an elected group, which meets every two weeks and
aims to promote positivity within the working environment.
Charity work is important to the department, which runs an
annual fund-raising event. This year it is supporting BBC Children
In Need. Supporting the community is also a priority, and some
team-building events are combined with voluntary work.
Training plans take a holistic view of the individual’s need for
professional development. There are opportunities for coaching,
secondments and informal learning. A typical training plan will
include one or more of the following:
- Technical training, such as accredited Microsoft and Oracle
courses
- Process training, such as ITIL or Prince2
- Training for interpersonal skills, such as management
development.
This year several members of staff have been seconded to other
teams. In many cases these secondments resulted in opportunities to
move on a permanent basis.
The department and suppliers run internal workshops; the latest was
on security software Mail Sweeper and was provided for all service
desk and area support staff.
Shadowing and exchange visits with the business helps employees
understand business pressures and how the IT systems they support
are used to underpin front line services.
The council makes sure that staff are equipped with the right
technology so that they are able to plan their work in conjunction
with personal commitments. It also provided flexible working and
parking for a member of staff following her partner’s serious
accident. This enabled her to visit him in a London hospital every
day, which had restricted visiting hours, and made her journey home
late at night safer than it would otherwise have been.
Judges comments
Kent County Council won over the judges with its strong
community spirit, its focus on interpersonal skills and management
development, and its objective to “create and maintain a positive
working environment”.
Betfair
Category winner: Hospitality, entertainment and
leisure
Sponsored by ReThink Recruitment
Members of the IT team at online gambling company Betfair work
at the cutting edge of technology. Betfair’s employees, many of
them sports enthusiasts, are passionate about the business. With
this in mind, the company promotes events by setting up TV screens
around the office and holding post-event celebrations.
The chief technical officer runs a regular forum for engineers
to ask questions, discuss ideas and raise concerns.
Betfair’s Innovate and Win programme gives staff an opportunity to
win £10,000 by putting forward the best innovative product or
prototype. Anyone in the business can come up with an idea, develop
it, and quickly validate customer interest.
Betfair offers staff discounts on various goods such as music
vouchers, travel and electronic items.
To ensure IT staff keep abreast of new developments, Betfair
provides bite-sized training sessions through internally run
masterclasses. These cover topics such as communication styles,
marketing and web design.
For relaxation, there is a games room where employees can watch TV,
play on the Playstation or read. There are also yoga sessions for
staff who spend long hours working on pieces of code and new
programmes.
There is an 18-month graduate recruitment scheme across critical
business areas. Ten graduates are expected to join the programme
this year. There are also regular coaching and mentoring sessions
and secondments to develop staff.
Judges comments
The judges were impressed with Betfair’s graduate recruitment
programme; strong cultural passions and its team of dedicated
learning and development specialists.
There is a strong encouragement for new ideas at Betfair. The
company demonstrated a strong cultural passion. It has a work hard,
play hard culture, and staff were prepared to really go the extra
mile, when offered the chance to win £10,000 for an idea. The
judges also liked Betfair’s programme of peer mentoring.
Judging panel
- David Clayden, chairman, Charities Consortium IT Directors
Group
- Roger Ellis, chairman, IT Directors Network
- Robin Laidlaw, president, Computer Weekly 500 Club
- Roger Marshall, IT director, City of London Corporation
- Denise Plumpton, IT director, Highways Authority
- Simon Rogerson, director, Centre of Computing and Social
Responsibility, De Montfort University
- David Tidey, chairman, BCS Elite IT directors group
- Ray Titcombe, chairman, IBM Computer Users Association
- Chris Webb, British Computer Society.
More about the awards