Ranked number one in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2011, local radio station group UKRD has used employee value propositions (EVPs) with great success.
William Rogers, chief executive officer of UKRD, explains: “Clearly, salaries and financial considerations play their part, but at the heart of what we do is a recognition that the way we operate and behave in the workplace, as well as the opportunity to grow as an individual, really make the difference.”
The company, which employs 260 people across 17 sites, filters everything it does through six core values: open, honest, fair, fun, professional and unconventional. The EVP also includes genuine engagement and personal development.
The model has worked well, and in The Sunday Times’ research, 90% of employees said they were proud to work for the firm. “Good people stay longer and have a pride in the business that is, in effect, as much a representation of their own contribution to it as anything else,” says Rogers. “Engaged and positive people have more fun at work, especially in an environment in which it is positively encouraged.”
The organisation continually drives home the EVP as part of its annual training and development programme. “Our managers are trained, as are all our staff, to fully understand what each of these values means in practice,” says Rogers. “They also know how to interact with each other to deliver a great environment in which to work, as well as to meet a challenging set of commercial expectations.”
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