Charlotte Batters
Head of People & Internal Technology
CTS recently ranked #34 in Newsweek’s ‘Most Loved Workplace’ list. The list is made up of 100 UK companies that are recognised for putting respect, care, and appreciation for their employees at the centre of their business model – so of course, we were delighted to see how well we did! What began as a conversation with Newsweek and Best Practice Institute (BPI) led to scoring us on employee surveys, external public ratings, and direct interviews with company officials. It’s led me to thinking about all the amazing things we do here at CTS to make it such a brilliant company to work for. So, with that I wanted to delve into some of the initiatives that make me most proud to be part of the team at CTS.
It’s one thing to say you support initiatives that drive good, but it’s another to put this into action. Our boards are supported by a board level sponsor and hold the company accountable for goals and actions that drive change. For example, our DEI board were at the heart of amending parental policies to be gender neutral and increasing the length of paternity leave. Similarly, our Women In Tech group helped pave the way for an increase to statutory maternity to the 6 months full pay we have today. The DEI board also run workshops built around having open conversations, bringing people together, and challenging the status quo with kindness.
I couldn’t talk about our boards without a huge shout out to our Environmental board too who are holding us to account when it comes to doing what we can for our planet. They’ve introduced initiatives such as carbon offsetting commutes and influenced supply chain policies to make sure we’re assessing other companies on their social value. Their activities challenge everyone in the business to consider their impact when making decisions.
As well as doing our best for our people and the planet, here at CTS we also want to make a positive impact in our communities. Our charity team does fantastic work at driving initiatives, while the business also allows for unlimited volunteering days, and fundraising opportunities throughout the year. Looking back, we’ve raised just under £30,000 in the past 4 years for a range of charities which is pretty amazing for a business of our size! Currently, in light of the cost of living crisis in the UK, we’re focusing on fundraising for The Trussell Trust, supporting food banks who are under unprecedented pressure and struggling to keep up with demand.
All of this contributes towards gaining official B Corp certification, a long term commitment to equality, support and sustainability throughout the business.
Our nurturing and supportive culture is felt throughout the business and employees really do live our core values of getting involved, appreciating others, trying new things and cracking on! We’re a flexible company, having also recently made the shortlist for the Flexa® Careers Industry Awards – highlighting our status as one of Europe’s most flexible tech companies. What I really love though is that our Senior Leadership Team are huge champions of our flexible culture – Making it clear in their diaries for all to see when they are taking the time to prioritise their personal lives. Whether you like to go to the gym, need to balance childcare needs or take time out in the day to get out in nature for your mental health, you have the freedom to prioritise the time needed to live your life.
The approach we take to hiring amazing people takes into account not only skills and expertise, but empathy and how much people care about each other and will help eachother out. We’re all about driving in the same direction so our set of value based questions are available throughout the business for those conducting interviews to assess how well potential employees fit in with our culture as well as being brilliant in their respective fields. Foundationally, CTS is not a place you will hear anyone say something is ‘not my job’, and that’s how it should be – we’re all in this together and everyone is always willing to pitch in and try new things.
This is underpinned by not being scared to fail and challenging with kindness to get the best out of people and situations. Ultimately, when kindness is your intention, rather than for ego, it makes a big difference.
Technology moves so fast that there’s always something new to learn. This usually means that people end up studying in their own time, in evenings and on weekends, to stay at the top of their game, and companies they work for ultimately reap the benefits. So we asked, is that really fair? And, in response, we added 10 learning days to our employees contractual entitlement. It can be used for training, conferences, exam preparation or shadowing and learning about a new role, it’s really about giving people the time to prioritise their development.
What also sets us apart is that we recognise progression doesn’t just mean upwards. Our career tracks focus on both leadership and specialist so we don’t hinder anyone’s career by only offering management opportunities to progress. For those who want a variety of entrepreneurial skills – We also have our Elevate programme which allows people to present a business case for their ideas – and actually see them through to implementation with investment from the board! There’s so many opportunities for idea sharing and gaining feedback to drive the business forward on an individual level and to be heard at the top by personable leaders.
While I could talk about amazing things CTS does all day, I have to wrap up somewhere. There’s so much we have done over the past few years that it’s hard to pick one focus, so when it comes to rankings like the Most Loved Workplace, it’s great to be recognised for a holistic view of what we do, together, to make it a great place to work for each other. I hope this provides an overview of all the brilliant initiatives we have going on and what we’re doing to be a truly inclusive, responsible, ethical, and innovative company.
If you want to join our amazing team, you can find out more here.