Company launches new white paper on how to be an employer of choice

London, 29th May 2008 - The Structure Group, the leading specialist consultancy operating in the energy, utilities and financial services sectors, is celebrating a phenomenally successful evening at the Great Places to Work annual award ceremony.  The company is officially both the second best place to work in the UK, beaten to the top only by Google, and the tenth best SME to work for across Europe. 

Jim Hayward, Senior Director at The Structure Group with responsibility for people, says: “This is a fantastic result for us.  Being voted the second best place to work in the whole of the UK and tenth across Europe is a testament to the people who work here and the business we are creating together.  To be beaten only by Google is a huge achievement, especially for a consultancy firm like ours.  We have an intangible product, limited brand recognition outside our specialist fields, and we spend a relatively small amount on marketing - but what we do have is our people, our prize asset, and that’s what makes this business a genuinely great place to work.

“If you rely on staff who have a strong sense of loyalty and commitment to the work they do for you, there is no limit to what they will do to help your company develop.  So although creating a great place to work is often dismissed as ‘soft’, it is actually an essential part of business success.  Our clients recognise that consultancy is a business that thrives on the excellence of its people; being a great place to work has helped us to attract and retain the best possible people and enabled us to provide clients with the highest quality of work.”

The Structure Group came top in four of the sub categories that make up the overall scores, including: Best for Absence of Organisational Politics; Best for Training and Development; Most Trusted Management; and Best Collaborative Culture Company.  It was also runner up in the Most Fun & Friendly Companies, the Most Welcoming Companies sub categories and the Well-being in the Work Place special award.  The awards are given by the Great Places to Work Institute and are based on a combination of employee surveys and a cultural audit of policies and practices.

Hayward concludes: “We have seen tremendous growth over the last few years so the hard work that has gone into establishing the right policies and culture is now paying off.  It’s particularly gratifying that the people who have joined us in the last few years feel as much ownership of the company as the early joiners, and have communicated that to the judging panel.  Each time I look round the company I’m always struck by the fact that there’s a new intake but with the same buzz and sense of belonging.”

The Structure Group is publishing its latest white paper, entitled Creating a Great Place to Work, based on its own award-winning model of employee engagement.  The firm’s philosophy, which forms the core of the white paper is about putting people at the centre of your operating model, building up trust among staff, encouraging ownership of ideas, and making people feel part of the company.  The paper includes sections on inclusivity, integrity and showing appreciation, as well as encouraging a sense of fun and personalising rewards and benefits.

The Structure Group is currently leading major programmes of business change across a number of blue-chip European companies, including Barclays, Centrica, EDF Energy, EON, Lloyds TSB, Nuon and Thames Water.  Structure achieved a compound growth rate of more than 300 per cent between 2005 and 2007.  Headcount has doubled over the same period and 58 per cent of these recruits have come through referrals from existing staff. 

The white paper is available from: http://www.thestructuregroup.co.uk/whitepaper/