Willmott Dixon came 4th place in Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work for Awards, the only major contractor to be in the 100.
The company also picked up the award for Discovering Potential for its work helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds find work in the construction industry, with judges praising its ‘purpose beyond profit’ approach. This comes after Willmott Dixon was one of only six companies to win a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2018 for Promoting Opportunity through social mobility.
Best Companies, which runs for national awards for all companies in the UK, said Willmott Dixon gained the highest score of all 100 companies in 3 areas.
It said, “Colleagues leapt to their feet to applaud a staff member who has served 50 years with this construction contractor at a long-service celebration last year. Employees have no wish to quit tomorrow (an 87% positive score, first on this measure) and are proud to work here (90%, third).
“Chief executive Rick Willmott is the fifth generation of his family to lead the firm. Of its 1,693 employees at 100 UK sites, 330 have worked for the business for 10 years or more. Loyalty is rewarded with a learning fund of £750 per head so workers can try something new, such as learning a language or taking singing lessons. These initiatives contribute to the firm winning our special award for Discovering Potential. People value the opportunities to learn and grow (75%, first), which may help to explain its industry-leading 6% staff turnover rate.
“Giving Something Back is another of this enterprise’s strengths (85%, first on this factor), reflecting the firm’s “purpose before profit” philosophy since it began trading in 1852. The Willmott Dixon Foundation, set up in 2011, has distributed £286,058 to good causes in the past year and the business aims to leave a positive legacy in the communities it touches. One recent project, completed in December, was the refurbishment of the east wing theatre at Alexandra Palace, north London, a grade II listed venue unused for 80 years”.