De Vere, a collection of historic mansion house estates, distinctive contemporary hotels and event destinations, has been recognised in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024, being acknowledged as one of the happiest places to work in the UK.
Laurie Nicol, De Vere’s Co-Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Being recognised by The Sunday Times as one of the best places to work in the UK is something we can all be proud of at De Vere. This has been a remarkable year for the business and we are pleased to be acknowledged in this prestigious survey for the first time.
We will use the positive outcomes from the survey to further support our colleagues and continue to make De Vere an even better place to work in the future.
We appreciate that a business is only ever as strong as its people, and we have so many fantastic colleagues who make De Vere such a great place to work.
We would like to express our gratitude to our incredible team, whose dedication, passion and creativity have made this achievement possible.”
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work recognises and celebrates the best employers in the UK based on feedback from employees and an independent assessment of workplace culture, leadership, and employee engagement and wellbeing.
Featuring in the ‘Big Organisation’ category, De Vere recorded an impressive engagement score of 87% on job satisfaction and 88% on colleagues feeling proud to work for De Vere, with all other categories including its diversity and inclusion credentials described as Excellent.
De Vere’s inclusion in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 recognises that the happiness and wellbeing of its team is a significant metric for success. De Vere has introduced a number of key initiatives in order to drive a positive and engaging culture, including the formation of a colleague led forum, designed to enable each hotel team to champion and support employee wellbeing and collaboration; a reward scheme called ‘Memorable Moments’ which encourages guests to recognise colleagues for great service and the creation of an annual ‘You Are De Vere’ Awards ceremony, where colleagues are invited to a gala dinner to celebrate the achievements of the past year.
De Vere has committed to donate over 2,000 hours of volunteering in 2024 to continue to develop valued relationships within the local community. For example, on 29th February to mark the extra leap year day, De Vere gave back 450 volunteering hours to local charities and community projects.
Furthermore, as part of De Vere’s ongoing commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing all of its employees, all colleagues now have access to the Calm app which offers a myriad of benefits aimed at promoting relaxation, mindfulness, and overall mental wellness.
A people and culture team at each De Vere location nurtures and develops employees and cultivates a positive work culture where staff enjoy discounts including half-price hotel stays. Loyalty levels are high, with low turnover. Last year, 169 new colleagues were referred by staff.
For more information about The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 visit: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/static/best-places-to-work-2024-big/
