As well as being officially named as the UK’s best workplace, Great Place to Work named Softcat as one of its Laureates, which recognises the company’s consistent ranking as a Best Workplace for five consecutive years. During the 16 years that the awards have been running, only 47 companies have achieved this status.
“Softcat was set up with one clear goal in mind – to create an organisation where people enjoyed coming to work and felt engaged,” said Martin Hellawell, Softcat chief executive. “Being named as the Best Large Workplace in the UK, over 20 years after the company was formed, celebrates that original goal. It is an outstanding achievement for our entire team – the very people who contribute to making this a vibrant and successful working community.
“We don’t have any intellectual property, we haven’t invented any products or make any, so the attitude of our employees and quality and enthusiasm of the customer service we offer is how we differentiate ourselves – it is the cornerstone of our success. Our formula is simple: we recruit the right staff in the first place, continuously train and develop them and ensure they are engaged so they offer a fantastic service to customers. Our focus on people is ingrained here, it’s set in stone and that foundation can’t easily be broken up.”
Softcat’s annual revenues have grown from £50m to approximately £600m in the last 10 years with the number of employees soaring to over 900 in the same period. In 2015 the company successfully listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
Tom O’Byrne, Great Place to Work chief executive said: “We are delighted to see Softcat head our Best Workplaces list this year. It is a validation of the strength of their leadership and their commitment to creating the kind of culture where employees enjoy coming to work and want to do their best. The hallmark of a great workplace like Softcat is that their policies and practices are designed around the employee; this employee focus helps attract and retain the talent essential for driving and sustaining competitive performance.”