The certification was awarded by a global workplace recognition programme, Great Place to Work UK, that teams up with companies to build an exceptional workplace culture based on trust and value in order to achieve better business performance. The organisation has surveyed over 10,000 employees in over 50 countries and used these insights to define the elements that make a great workplace.
A key aspect of the programme is the research-driven Trust Index survey which captured feedback from Uponor’s employees about what makes their workplace unique and how it creates a great work environment. This was then supported by details about Uponor’s culture, programmes and practices.
The Trust Index employee survey revealed a ‘very good’ rate of employee engagement, scoring 8.6 (86%) in the survey, which is 0.9 above the national benchmark. Only companies that achieve a Trust Index rating of 65% or higher are awarded certification. Furthermore, when asked about their experience working at Uponor, ‘satisfying,’ ‘empowered’ and ‘rewarding’ were words commonly used by employees to describe their role at the company.
John Fahy, managing director at Uponor, commented: “This award is important to us as it is based entirely on what our employees say about their experiences working at Uponor. We recognise that our employees are our company, so we want to provide a workplace where they feel trusted and valued and where they can develop personally and professionally. This, in turn, has a positive impact on productivity and increases customer satisfaction levels.”
Uponor achieved the award due to its belief in investing in its workforce and supporting employee needs. Personal development and training have been implemented across departments including; CIBSE and in-house training courses for its Design & Engineering team; supporting finance employees to further their qualification through college day release initiatives, and; mindfulness training for team managers to help them ensure a positive workplace.
In addition to this, Uponor has also been recognised by the scheme for its commitment to wellbeing which, even during difficult times during the pandemic, is evident in a range of working practices designed to provide a better work life balance for employees. These include a 50/50 hybrid working policy and flexible working hours, as well as social events which help employees to build lasting relationships
Daniel Samuel, Uponor customer support specialist summed up what working for Uponor means to him: “I enjoy the interaction with the customers and building a good rapport with them. I really enjoy working within my customer service team, we all work well together and support each other when needed. Uponor knows how to look after its staff. The company has personally provided me with a lot of support through some challenging times, which I am extremely grateful for.”
Angela Varndell, territory sales manager, added: ''I like working at Uponor because in my role I am both totally responsible for my area and trusted by senior management, which allows me to have a lot of autonomy over my clients and also what I do to achieve my targets. In addition, I am provided with continuous support to ensure that I have in-depth product knowledge - personally, having technical knowledge is vital when speaking directly to customers, so having team members around me who are happy to spend the time coaching me is vitally important. At Uponor, the whole team are willing to invest hours of their time into training, which gives me peace of mind that if I do want assistance, it will always be there.”