Darlington Building Society has given all staff two additional days of holiday after again being named an outstanding employer by engagement benchmarking provider Best Companies.
The financial institution, based in the North East, said all 160 employees could take the additional allowance at the time of their individual birthdays on top of their standard annual leave.
Best Companies says a 2-Star accreditation is its second-highest award and represents organisations striving for the very best in employee engagement. Achieving this status takes a Best Companies Index (BCI) score of at least 696.5, which the organisation says is possible only through an “outstanding” commitment to workplace focus.
In addition, Best Companies recognised Darlington Building Society as one of the top 100 UK mid-sized businesses to work for, one of the top 30 best financial services employers to work for in the UK, and one of the top 30 best organisations to work at in the North East.
Andrew Craddock, chief executive of Darlington Building Society, said the accreditation is a “fantastic achievement”. Being recognised as an outstanding place to work for the second year running feels even more meaningful when the results stem from staff feedback, he added.
Craddock explained that the building society “truly values” its staff and strives to provide the most productive working environment for people to thrive in personally and professionally.
“We offer fully flexible working and pay at least the real living wage, including to staff aged under 18,” he said. “Staff pensions receive an 8% employer contribution and we nurture and grow our own talent by investing in training and development.”
The building society also “rebalanced” branch opening hours and shift patterns so that staff can achieve a better work-life balance, Craddock said.
““Often, we do all of this silently. However, with such a fantastic accolade to share, now is the time to highlight some of the reasons our staff think make Darlington Building Society such a special place to be a part of.”