Staff votes lead to honour for firm

12:30pm Thursday 14th February 2008

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HEREFORD staffing specialist Westaff has been honoured by the Best Companies Accreditation for 2008, an annual award for organisations which demonstrate the highest levels of employee engagement' in the UK.

Voted for by the firm's own staff, Best Companies Accreditation follows the elite Michelin star system, working on an index score which determines a rating against a fixed standard.

Businesses are measured on eight key factors and only 126 UK companies have qualified for the accreditation.

According to UK managing director, David Mogford, the rating reflects the emphasis that the company puts on investment in people across individual personal development and motivational programmes, specially created for each of its 115-strong staff.

"It has been a priority for the business to respect, nurture and train our employees," he said, "both to create the right culture of partnership-working' and demonstrate first-hand the value we place on our people.

"Our business strategy is about fast-track growth, through superior service and targeting emerging markets - and the team is absolutely critical to forward success.

"Every person adds value to our business and is appreciated for their individual skills. It is terrific that they have all voted so positively about the company's leadership which supports this accreditation from Best Companies."

Westaff has a training programme which has been recognised across the industry in the UK as being one of the leading bespoke initiatives available to recruiters.

The programme has been developed hand-in-hand with industry body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and encompasses 15 specialist training modules.

With its first-year programme now complete, and graduates emerging with a diploma equivalent to a first degree course at University, it is hailed as a success in preparing individuals from within the company to take up the mantel of branch managership and promotion on a significant scale.

A further initiative, launched in 2007, is the Westaff Honours Club - where top achievers are honoured' in the company's own New Year Lists and invited to participate at the highest level in the business - contributing to group strategy and broad-reaching decisions which affect their workplace and the future of the business.