This is the third year in a row that Version 1 has been named as a Great Place to Work in the UK.

Version 1 was honoured today to have been named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for the third time, ranking in the top 20 again this year. Going from strength-to-strength, Version 1 is enjoying continued success, having also been selected a winner in three prestigious categories in Ireland earlier this year, including a Best Workplace Laureate and 10 years as a Great Place to Work. 

Being named as a Best UK Workplace in 2021 is the icing on the cake for what has been a most unusual but nonetheless successful year of change for Version 1, where we saw our operations move to digital and online formats to combat the global pandemic. Winning 3 employer awards in a row is humbling, and I’m delighted to say that we have had many proud moments in the UK during this time, for customers and employees alike. As such, I want to give a huge thanks to to our people, our customers, our partners and the greater communities in which we operate for supporting us at Version 1, for making these achievements possible and for everything you have delivered since we opened our first UK office in Belfast in 2012. We look forward to continued growth in the region for the remainder of 2021 and beyond.”
– Tom O’Connor, CEO of Version 1.

The Great Place to Work UK ranking assesses employees’ perspectives on leadership, innovation, inclusion, organisational culture, and trust. It is therefore a particularly proud milestone as Version 1 was surveyed by our own employees, validating our continued commitment to establishing a great place to work for all of our people. Throughout our UK journey, we have grown rapidly to almost 560 employees and 350+ UK customers. There isn’t any one thing that makes us a Great Place to Work but there are a few things that set us apart; strong core values, a culture of trust and empowerment, and a vision for customer success. These elements come together to form Version 1’s culture, but it is every single one of our employees that bring that to life.  

With 95% of our staff believing that people here are treated fairly regardless of their age or gender, today is a day to reflect on the fantastic culture we’ve established, how far Version 1 has come, and to look forward to where we go next. 

So, today we are celebrating remotely across Redditch, Kings Hill, Belfast, Edinburgh, Knutsford, Southampton, London, Sunderland, Manchester, Birmingham, and any of the other locations across the UK where we have offices and customers. A special thank you to all our employees who helped us to achieve this recognition. 

A Great Place to Work Not an Easy Place to Work

In conversation with Great Place to Work, Version 1’s Director of People Success Jarlath Dooley explained why Version 1 is a Great Place to Work Not an Easy Place to Work:

“This is linked to our core values, and three of them that come out in this way are Excellence, Drive, and Personal Commitment. If you think about them, they are not easy to live every day. Excellence is something you strive for, and seldom achieve, but you just have to, whether it’s in sports, or business, or personal life, it’s something you strive to do, but it’s hard to hit every day. Version 1 has grown from just over 100 to 1500 people and that takes a lot of Drive. And what Personal Commitment means you will do what you say you’ll do, to the quality you said you’d do it, in the time you said you do it. And again, you know, you’re held to account on that. So those are our high values to live up to: on top of this financial performance is not enough, because we have that equilateral triangle, so we look for equal performance on the Customer and the People side, as seen in our 10 years as a Best Workplace record. And then on top of this is that growth ambition. When you put all that together, none of these come easy. And they provide a constant challenge and require a huge amount of passion and energy and drive to achieve.”

Jarlath went on to explain why Version 1’s transparency around its Core Values and distinctive way of working has been crucial in attracting candidates who are seeking a workplace like Version 1:

“So for people who want to be challenged, and to be their best, and to develop their potential, Version 1 is a Great Place to Work. But it isn’t going to be easy, you know, but then that type of person doesn’t want it easy. And I felt it was very important we put that into our employer brand, because if you’re going to be hiring 2, 3, 400 people a year, you want to be getting your message to the people that you want to attract. So it’s not about the volume of applications, it’s about attracting the right people in and we know the type of person that’s successful in Version 1. And it’s the people with whom that resonates.”

Does your DNA match ours? If you invest in working with us, we’ll invest in you and accelerate your development, at any stage of your career. If you are someone who wants a great place to work, not an ‘easy’ place to work, we might just be your perfect fit.