The Chesterfield College Group has been awarded ‘Great Place to Work’ status after achieving high levels of staff satisfaction measured by an internationally renowned institute.
In a recent survey and culture audit, carried out as part of the Great Place to Work initiative, staff said they had high levels of pride for what they accomplish to deliver services to support students, apprentices and employers. The college also received high satisfaction scores for line management, corporate social responsibility and fair treatment.
The college first engaged with Great Places to Work in 2019 to assess how its diverse workforce felt about being a Chesterfield College employee and to help formulate a plan for developing the college team for the future.
The initial survey measured a wide range of categories through an in-depth survey, including values and ethics, leadership, wellbeing, career development, corporate social responsibility and culture.
After the initial survey, several initiatives were put in place to actively improve and enhance the college as a working environment, including:
• Appointing a ‘Wellbeing Champion’ in every team/department
• Asking teams to write 5 pledges to undertake together to contribute to the wider community
• A trial of flexible terms and conditions for staff.
• Investment in a wider range of staff benefits.
• Dedicated all staff training days, allowing staff the time to share best practice and develop their skills/knowledge
• A focus on individual career planning and succession planning
• Development of training for managers and staff including Mental Health First Aid and Managing Stress
Julie Richards, Principal and Chief Executive of the Chesterfield College Group said; “I was incredibly proud to hear that we had achieved the Great Places to Work status. It recognises the efforts that everyone has put in over the past 18 months to improve how we work and collaborate as one team.
“Our Wellbeing Champions and team leaders have already made some very positive changes across the college. We will build on this and continue to improve as we know there is still work to be done.
“It is particularly important for us to recognise how the world and our workplace has changed in the past year. With this in mind, we will continue to engage with our staff and let them lead us towards even greater and more positive changes in 2021.”
The Chesterfield College Group supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
