National contractor Nottingham-based Willmott Dixon has shone a light on construction as a great industry to work in by coming first in the Big Company category of the Best Companies Awards that recognises the UK’s top workplaces from all sectors.
The win is based on responses from Willmott Dixon’s staff to an online survey of questions sent out by Best Companies, along with information supplied about company culture, ethos, policies and innovative initiatives that engage staff.
Other factors that led to Willmott Dixon’s win include its ambition to be zero-carbon in all operations without offsetting by 2030, and to increase diversity within the construction industry, including the aspiration to achieve a 50:50 gender split at all levels by 2030 and the introduction of the award-winning Women’s Leadership Programme.
With more than 300 people working across the Midlands in the company’s Birmingham and Nottingham offices, the team has the opportunity to work on projects across the region including the Perry Barr Residential Scheme in Birmingham and the Broadmarsh centre demolition in Nottingham.
Nick Gibb, deputy managing director for the Midlands at Willmott Dixon, said: “It is always fantastic to receive an award, but it means so much more when it is people based – especially as it was our staff and network that took the time to recommend us.
“Here in Nottingham, we’ve worked really hard to create a positive and innovative environment that is great to work for and for clients to work with – so this award win really highlights what a brilliant team and culture we have at Willmott Dixon.”
The event also saw group chief executive Rick Willmott named ‘best leader’ in a special award in recognition of how his style and approach has guided Willmott Dixon’s success. The company was also awarded the prestigious 3-star Best Companies accreditation, reflecting ‘world class’ levels of workplace engagement.
Group chief executive Rick Willmott said: “We work very hard to provide our people with a work environment where they feel challenged and contented, where they can grow, develop and achieve success, so they enjoy what we hope is a ‘career of a lifetime’ with us.
“Being first place in a field full of famous and well-known companies is a tremendous accolade and one that will spur us even more to providing a fantastic workplace for our people.
“It’s also great news for our industry, which continues to face a huge skills challenge. We need to tackle this by encouraging a higher proportion of younger people from all parts of our society to choose construction to make a career in. Therefore, standing out like this is important for construction’s ability to attract and retain the very best talent.”
The prestigious title came on the same day that Willmott Dixon was awarded gold accredited membership in The 5% Club’s 2022-23 Employer Audit Scheme.
This club recognised that more than five per cent of a company’s workforce are involved with apprenticeships, graduate schemes and sponsored students course placements, representing a huge investment in their growth as tomorrow’s next generation of leaders.
The Employer Audit is a unique scheme which validates the employers’ activities, explores their future plans and commitments, as well as examining their approaches to quality, social mobility, diversity and inclusion.
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