Access named one of the UK's top employers in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2011

Colchester, UK - 08 March 2011 - Access, the mid-market consulting, software and solutions provider, has received recognition as one of the top UK employers in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list, which was published yesterday.

The research was carried out by Best Companies, which produces the prestigious list in conjunction with The Sunday Times. Access went straight in at 85th position; this adds to its recent success in achieving the Best Companies One Star Accreditation, which follows the Michelin style rating system and demonstrates high levels of employee engagement. Managing Director, Chris Bayne, received the top 100 award at a celebration dinner held at the Battersea Evolution on Thursday 24th February 2011.

The Best Companies survey of Access employees revealed that 83 per cent of staff felt they made a valuable contribution to business success, which ranked the company 15th in the overall list. A total of 90 per cent felt they went out of their way to provide a great service. Other strengths included 75 per cent of staff stating that they find their work stimulating - a top 30 result, whilst 76 per cent said they were excited about the direction the company was going, ranking Access 44th for this question. 

This is the first time that Access has entered the mid-sized companies category; its previously received recognition in 2007 and 2008 when Access' Harpenden office (formerly Armstrong Consultants) ranked 17th and 19th respectively in the Best Small Companies to Work For list. It was also one of only 48 UK companies to be awarded Three Star Accreditation by Best Companies, for 'extraordinary' workplace engagement.

Chris Bayne, MD for Access and former co-founder of Armstrong Consultants, commented: "My ethos has always been that our people are core to our success. Over the past 18 months we've merged five companies under one brand and changed our whole business model. It's easy as a company grows larger for the communication lines to become more formal and for staff to disengage - we wanted to be sure that we didn't fall into this trap. We needed a barometer of where we stood in terms of staff engagement - as the Best Companies process is so rigorous, we felt this was the correct route to take.

"Gaining the one star status and a position on the top 100 companies list is the icing on the cake. I'm absolutely delighted. Now we're busy analysing the feedback so we can ensure we maintain those areas where we're doing everything right and also formulate plans to address the areas where we need to improve. We'll be looking to work with our staff every step of the way."

The listings are part of the largest, most comprehensive survey of employee opinion. This year 912 businesses participated, with a total of 325 organisations gaining recognition across four lists. The questions address eight workplace engagement factors looking at leadership, my manager, personal growth, wellbeing, my team, giving something back, my company, and fair deal. The results of the survey contributed to 100 per cent of Access' overall ranking.

For more information on Access contact Matt Newman on 0845 345 3300 or visit www.theaccessgroup.com.

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