Results from employee engagement survey among the best in East Anglia.
“It’s one thing to talk about ‘helping people belong’; it’s quite another to have the data to prove that you are doing it pretty well.”
Those were the words of director Sophie Hewitt-Jones as she reflected on the strong results from our 2023 employee engagement survey.
Carried out during 2023 as part of the Best Employers Eastern Region programme, which is organised by independent psychometric testing experts eras ltd and Pure Executive, the survey was the first to be carried out since CPL and Century One combined to create CPL One.
“Considering the amount of change in the past year, it was great to be recognised with a gold accreditation,” said Sophie. “It means that our scores are among the top 30% of all organisations taking part, which wasn’t the case when CPL first took part in the survey in 2018 and 2019. We have made great strides forward since then, earning a gold accreditation in 2021, and it’s lovely to have retained it in 2023.”
More than 100 regional organisations, with a combined total of 9,000 employees, took part in the 2023 survey. CPL One’s employee engagement rate was ahead of the overall average at 77%, while 91% of respondents said they would recommend CPL One as a great place to work.
CPL One’s business purpose is ‘We help people belong’. This applies to the audiences that read, watch and listen to the content we create for clients – and to our employees.
“Taking part in the survey helps us to benchmark how we’re doing in employee engagement compared with other organisations,” said Sophie. “Being recognised as a top employer also helps us attract and retain the best talent.”
The accreditations were announced in October at a special event in Newmarket attended by more than 100 business and HR leaders from across East Anglia.
Our managing director Mike Sewell, who was joined at the event by colleagues Edwina Brewster (pictured above left) and Anna Cruickshank (above second left), was among the keynote speakers, along with CEOs from Jarrolds department store in Norwich, Arthur Rank Hospice near Cambridge, and Fortnum & Mason.
Mike told delegates the story of how the programme had played a significant part in honing and improving our people strategy over the past few years.
He talked about how CPL One’s three-year strategy is based on four elements: “Having the right people; working for the right clients; doing the right thing; and achieving the right profits – in that order.”
He stressed the importance of having the right leaders in the right places, highlighting how CPL One needs to improve if we are to earn the top platinum accreditation in the future.
“It’s all very well talking about your business purpose and writing lots of nice policies and strategy documents,” he said. “But actions speak louder than words.
“So what’s really important is how everyone behaves on a day-to-day basis. That doesn’t just mean your board or senior leadership people; it’s teams and individuals at every level of your business demonstrating through their actions that they are committed to your purpose and values.
“We believe that helps us to grow a sustainable business where people are motivated to do great work for clients. There’s plenty still to do, but this accreditation recognises that we’re on the right track.”
