Ahead of the Times

Trafford Housing Trust is celebrating after being awarded a place on the prestigious Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

The Trust was delighted to receive the honour of a ranking on the list for the first time, in the month that it celebrates its fifth year of operation.

The association, which owns and manages around 9,000 homes in the borough and employs 360 staff, was placed at number 65 in the list. Trafford Housing Trust joined 14 other housing associations on this year’s list.

The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For survey is compiled from results given by employees to 70 questions related to workplace culture, covering their company’s leadership; their personal wellbeing; career development; pay and benefits; their feelings towards colleagues, managers and the company as a whole; and giving something back to the community and environment.

The placing on the list comes just weeks after the Trust received a ‘first class’ rating in the Best Companies Accreditation scheme - for the second year on the run.

Matthew Gardiner, Chief Executive of Trafford Housing Trust, said: “We are delighted with our ranking of 65th in the Times 100 List. This was a tremendous result and a much higher ranking than we would have expected at such an early stage in our history. Thank you to all our employees whose commitment and dedication are critical to our organisation’s success and to making stronger communities in Trafford.”

Jonathan Austin, Chief Executive and founder of Best Companies Ltd, which conducted the research for The Sunday Times, praised the high quality workplaces making this year’s lists. “These awards highlight the achievements of organisations with good leadership and management which result in high levels of workplace engagement. Companies that secured their place on The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For lists are among the very best employers in the country and we congratulate them on their achievement.”

The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For is now in its 10th year of publication and is compiled using a methodology tailored specifically to the British workplace.

This year’s rankings are determined by the views of more than 230,000 employees, up from 200,000 last year, making this by far the most comprehensive survey of workplace engagement and satisfaction in the UK. In all, 964 companies took part in this year’s contest, including 347 mid-sized companies, 46 big and 571 small companies.

The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For is published this Sunday, 7th March.