What becoming a Great Place To Work® means to NRL

Across the NRL Group, we have always placed a premium on creating a work environment that fosters mutual respect, cooperation, and high productivity. As a result, we have continually strived to create an atmosphere in which our colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered. That’s why earlier this month we were delighted to announce that our efforts have been recognised by Great Place To Work® UK.

Why become a Great Place To Work®?

Our mission is to be the most trusted, collaborative and innovative service provider in the technical sector. That mission has long been guided by a set of core values shared across our Group, which guide every decision we make and provide us with a moral compass that ensures we always do the right thing. We firmly believe that our adherence to these strong values is what keeps our clients working with us year after year, inspires our people to take an innovative approach to their duties and responsibilities, and ultimately delivers positive business results.

We chose to pursue Great Place To Work Certification™ because we understood that being a great place to work is not just a badge of honour – it’s a source of pride for our colleagues and our business. A happy workforce leads to greater engagement, a better client and candidate experience and a more successful company.

The Certification™ process involved asking our colleagues to complete an anonymous survey about their experience and satisfaction working at NRL. Given the effort we have put into fostering a friendly and supportive environment for all colleagues we welcome into our Group, the results were incredibly gratifying to see – with 97% of our colleagues saying that NRL is a great place to work, compared to the average of 54% across other UK companies.

It’s a reflection of the collective effort of every member of our team to make this a rewarding environment to work in. These results are not just numbers, they are a testament to our company values, the people we have in our business and our unwavering dedication to creating a workplace where our employees can thrive and feel a sense of belonging.

Building a people-first culture

Whether they’re joining one of our regional branches, contracting businesses or central Group support office, we aim to ensure that all colleagues who join NRL are well supported, allowing them to reach their full potential while also comfortably managing their work/home life balance. We are pleased that the effort we have put into caring for our colleagues has been reflected in our Certification™, demonstrating that we put them at the heart of everything we do.

We’re a proud Living Wage Employer, ensuring that all our colleagues are paid a salary that allows them to live comfortably. Our employee benefits portal allows members of our team to take advantage of things like retail discounts and savings on gym memberships or reclaim everyday medical expenses such as a new pair of glasses or a trip to the dentist, which also extends to dependent children. Last year, we also announced our partnership with Bippit which allows everyone across our Group to benefit from their own personal finance coach and their expert financial advice, helping them to manage their budget and plan for the future.

Providing support inside the workplace is equally important – we take pride in having a dedicated team of trained Mental Health First Aiders who are always available to provide support to colleagues and signpost additional resources to assist them. We’re also proud to reward our team with long service awards which recognise their service milestones and afford them the opportunity to celebrate these achievements with meals and holidays to enjoy with their family and friends.

Learning and development is a very important ongoing focus for us too. We aim to identify opportunities to help colleagues keep acquiring new skills and further expand their knowledge in existing areas, funding access to training courses which best match their progress goals and where they want to take their careers.

We do all this because we recognise that our people are our most valuable asset. By placing our colleagues at the centre of our business, we know that we can better serve our clients, enable further growth throughout our Group, and create an enviable place to work.

Giving back to our communities

Another facet of our culture that we feel adds a lot of meaning and value to our colleagues’ careers with us is our commitment to improving the lives of people in our local communities. Across our teams, we’ve had opportunities to work closely with local schools, colleges and universities to help prepare the next generation for the world of work, or visited prisons to help support those looking for a new career as they leave.

We’ve facilitated the ability for colleagues to give back to causes that are close to their hearts by offering every one of them an annual paid charity day where they are encouraged to help out somewhere locally. And it’s not just our colleagues; as a business, we’re also keen to give back to important causes around us. That’s why at the beginning of this year, we announced our new match funding scheme which will see our Group contribute to the fundraising efforts of our colleagues over the next three years, up to a total of £90,000 which will assuredly provide much needed assistance to vital organisations who are working hard to improve the livelihood of our communities.

We feel everyone deserves the opportunity to make something of their lives, without any additional barriers in their way. That’s why we became involved with initiatives like the Social Mobility Pledge and All Together Cumbria, to reaffirm our commitment to supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through our educational outreach work.

We’ve also had the privilege of working closely with members of our Armed Forces community, recognising the many talents they bring through their service experience and the value they can provide to our clients. As an Armed Forces Friendly business, holding Silver status in the Armed Forces Covenant’s Employer Recognition Scheme, we work to ensure they receive a fair and transparent experience in their employment search. It’s incredibly satisfying to hear positive feedback from the veterans our branches have spoken to at the many Career Transition Partnership events we’ve attended, knowing that the service we provide is as mutually beneficial for them as it is for us and the clients we connect them with.

Looking ahead to the future

Becoming a Great Place To Work® means everything to us at NRL. It validates our commitment to nurturing a work environment that values our colleagues, puts them at the centre of our business and creates a culture that they are proud to be a part of. And we have no plans to stop here – we are committed to continually improving our workplace environment, investing further in our teams, and making NRL a place where we can all be our best selves.