Essex and Suffolk Water is officially one of the best places to work in the UK.
It’s the fourth time in four years that Great Place to Work® UK has included the water company in the super large category of the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list.
Essex and Suffolk Water is one of 50 organisations recognised and the only water company to make the list.
The achievement, which was awarded following a survey of colleagues, looked at a variety of factors including values and ethics, customer focus and careers and development.
It also took into consideration the different initiatives undertaken by the company to improve not only the workplace, but what it delivers for its customers, communities and the environment too.
This includes the award winning ‘Living Well’ programme, where colleagues have access to a one -stop-shop for health and wellbeing resources and services.
And the ‘Just an Hour’ colleague volunteering programme, which allows colleagues to give back to the local community, by dedicating their time to causes close to their hearts. Last year more than 200 organisations benefitted, with 35% of colleagues taking part.
Elouise Leonard-Cross, Head of People Strategy & Experience at Northumbrian/Essex & Suffolk Water said: “It is absolutely fantastic being recognised nationally for the fourth time as a top employer alongside other big names such as Admiral and Hilton.
“We have continued to have a particular focus on wellbeing at work over the last year and have had a positive response from our colleagues who are benefiting from creating a healthier workplace. Our people are incredibly passionate and work hard all year round to keep the water flowing, so it is extremely important to make sure that every single one of them are supported however they need.
“We are really proud to be one of the ‘UK’s Best Workplaces™ and this recognition demonstrates the one team approach we see every day across our business, and we are committed to understanding how we can continue to support the needs of our diverse colleagues.”
And building on Great Place to Work, Northumbrian Water/Essex and Suffolk Water were also named one of the world’s most ethical companies for the 13th year in a row, earlier in March by Ethisphere.
As a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practice, Ethisphere named only 136 companies, in 20 countries for the honour. To get the award you must provide evidence of strong policies and practices relating to environment, sustainability, governance and social responsibility.
Essex and Suffolk Water have also recently produced their Business Plan for 2025-30. Every five years, the company produce a Business Plan that sets out all the things they want to deliver to their customers, communities and environment, such as reductions in flooding, and improvements in customer service.
The latest plan includes their proposed levels of investment to maintain and enhance their services. The plan for 2025-30 is based on feedback that they received from our customers and stakeholders as well as what regulators want us to do.