Plymouth firm named in top 50 best places to work

Plymouth business Sponge UK has been named among the best places to work in the country in a leading workplace study published by the Sunday Times.

The elearning company was placed at 49 in the Sunday Times list of 100 Best Small Companies to Work, 2016.

It’s the only company in Devon and Cornwall to make the 100 list for the small business category.

The ranking is based on rigorous feedback surveys where staff are asked to rate their employer across a wide range of areas including pay, conditions, teamwork, leadership and wellbeing.

The Best Companies lists are the UK’s leading assessment of workplace engagement and have been conducted annually since 2001.
   
Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director at Sponge UK, said: “This is the first time we have taken part in the Best Companies scheme so to go straight into the top 50 is something we are all very proud of. Helping our people to learn and grow is a central part of our mission statement at Sponge. It’s something we take very seriously as a learning organisation and we’re delighted our approach to personal development has been recognised as part of this award.”

Sponge UK was benchmarked against more than 700 small businesses seeking accreditation and achieved the highest three star rating after being assessed as “exceptional.”

Opportunities for personal growth were identified as being particularly strong at Sponge with the company getting a 90% positive score in the research. The business also scored 91% as a fun and friendly place to work.

More than 65 people work at Sponge UK’s headquarters at Plymouth Science Park.

The company makes online training for large organisations including Toyota, the NHS, Tesco, Royal Mail and the United Nations.

The Best Companies judges highlighted the particularly rich cultural and social activities hosted by the company including film, book and craft clubs along with lunchtime language learning classes.

The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2016 is published in the Sunday Times on February 28, 2016.