Housing associations are among 100 best companies to work for

Bromford Housing Group beat major retailers and law practices to be ranked number five in the annual Sunday Times “Top 100 Companies to Work For”, published last Sunday. London & Quadrant Housing Group was at number 67 and housing management firm Pinnacle Housing reached 63.

West Midlands-based Bromford, which beat last year’s winner Asda, was praised for its family-friendly working practices.

Employees nominated 300 companies for the awards; 250 randomly chosen employees in each company were then questioned on pay and conditions, the leadership of the company, their immediate manager and colleagues, their work-life balance, opportunities for personal growth, and how much the company puts back into society.

Marianne Skelcher, head of human resources at Bromford Housing Group, which has 418 staff in 51 locations, said the accolades were important. She said: “Things like this can make a massive difference to how people feel about housing as a place to work. I would be delighted for more housing associations to take part as it raises the profile of the sector in a way that an advertising campaign can’t do.”

London & Quadrant and Bromford were judged to be better workplaces than household names such as retailer Marks & Spencer, credit card provider American Express and law firm Eversheds.

Alistair McCall, the list’s editor, said of the top companies: “They will have been creating a successful, happy workplace over a long period.”

He added that salary was not a deciding factor: “Great pay, benefits and perks do not equate to a great company to work for. The perks, pay and benefits of lots of companies at the top of the list are nothing to write home about.”