Innovation scale-up placed in top 50 of list for commitment to workplace mental health and for making a positive social impact through its work
Innovation scale-up Wazoku has achieved a top 50 placing on the 2021 UK’s Best Workplaces™ list (in the medium category) published by Great Place to Work UK.
Wazoku is among the 183 UK-based organisations recognised by its employees as an organisation that promotes a healthy workplace culture through trust, pride and camaraderie during the Covid-19 pandemic. Wazoku placed 50th in the list and is one of the few first-year entrants to place on the Best Workplaces™ list, a testament to the company’s focus on creating an empowering and healthy place of work.
“From the very first hire at Waozku, we have tried to make it a place that anyone would want to work at,” said Simon Hill, CEO, Wazoku. “Any business is only as good as the people that work there, so it’s vital for our own growth to ensure that our workplace is healthy and happy. It’s been a massively challenging year, but we have spent a lot of time talking to employees about what they want from the workplace and how we can make it happen. To be recognised for this is an important moment for me.”
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Wazoku has UK offices in London and Bristol and international offices in the US and Denmark, and offers a wide range of employee benefits. These include unlimited holiday, office hackathons, flexible working, food & drinks, pension schemes, summer parties, mental health services, Perkbox, training opportunities and much more.
But what sets the company apart as a place to work is its longstanding focus on living its own values of being passionate, customer-focused, collaborative and accountable. This means making a positive social impact through its work, a commitment to diversity, a pledge to a more regenerative future and a belief in supporting and nurturing its employees.
In 2020 Wazoku was one of the world’s first innovation firms to officially become carbon neutral. When offsetting its carbon footprint, Wazoku consulted employees as to which projects should be included in its carbon offset portfolio and as a company encourages open dialogue about all aspects of its work.
Wazoku scored highly on the Great Place to Work® UK criteria. 100% of employees agreed that people were treated fairly, regardless of their sexual orientation, and that special events at the company were celebrated. 98% of employees said that Wazoku treated people fairly regardless of sex, age and ethnic origin, and 98% also said they were proud to tell others they worked at Wazoku.
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“We give people opportunities to train and nurture their talents into whichever direction they want, and our current Director of Software Engineering was an intern at the company just eight years ago,” continued Simon Hill. “But to rank on the Great Place to Work® list this year is especially rewarding, and we have prioritised mental health across our teams throughout this team.”
“This has meant a fully flexible approach to work. People were free to work from wherever best suited their needs, and we have continued to run virtual team events, bring teams together, and when possible, maintain an open and safe office environment. We also extended the availability of our mental health services. Mental health is more important than ever, and I am genuinely proud that we have been able to support our people on that front.”
Understanding the perspective of employees is key to building a successful workplace environment. To determine an organisation’s ranking, Great Place to Work® administers their comprehensive employee survey which represents 3/4 of an organisation’s final score. The remaining quarter of the score comes from the Culture Audit® – a business-driven questionnaire that uncovers and evaluates the organisation’s HR and leadership practices, policies and culture.
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