Hydraulics & Pneumatics October 2022

NEWS Multidisciplinary UK engineering and construction firm adi Group has won Best Companies’ accreditation for employee engagement with a 1-star rating for the fifth consecutive year, having also been listed in the Top 10 Best Construction and Engineering Companies to work for in the UK. adi Group expects to grow by 70% in the next three years, becoming a £200 million business, and the company fully understands the importance of a strong, engaged team of workers in achieving this ambitious goal. Best Companies’ accreditation programme is dedicated to celebrating organisations and managers who excel at employee engagement, helping clients understand how their employees feel about their workplace, as well as identifying challenges and opportunities for improvement. Acknowledging the importance of employee engagement Best Companies’ survey is predominantly a tool created to give employees a voice and a platform to suggest the changes and improvements they’d like to see implemented within their organisation. “A 1-star rating indicates adi Group has very good employee engagement and receiving a Best Companies accreditation for the fifth time in five years is an outstanding achievement for our business,” comments Alan Lusty, CEO at adi Group. “We want to ensure our employees feel proud of working at adi, and we believe employee engagement is a crucial part of that. We are on a path of continuous self- improvement and being able to receive feedback directly from our employees in such a helpful format is incredibly beneficial. “This year, we received our highest engagement score to date, which means the changes we have implemented year on year in response to previous feedback have made a difference, and we couldn’t be more pleased,” he continued. The accreditation is an incredible way to help retain and attract top talent, drive meaningful change and ensure employees feel valued. As only 9% UK employees feel engaged in their workplace, resulting in dissatisfaction and higher rates of staff turnover, maintaining and increasing employee engagement is paramount. Living up to employees’ expectations The responses provided by adi’s employees as part of the survey fully reflect the qualities they value in the company. “The vision of the leadership team is shown in the respect given by customers, suppliers and competitors alike. I feel an enormous sense of pride when I tell others I work for adi,” wrote an adi employee in response to one of the survey’s questions. Employees’ pride and excitement to work for an organisation are key to its success, and a mutual understanding and sharing of each other’s values can further fortify the bond between employer and employee. “We strive to understand what our employees’ individual requirements are, no matter their role. However, we also endeavour to show our employees what we stand for as a business and encourage them to get involved in a variety of ways. “Our high-quality apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programmes are one of the main elements that set us apart from other businesses in the field. “Both are powerful tools for shaping the future of young talent, and the many activities we invest in as part of these schemes are fundamental to our employee engagement strategy,” says Lusty. This month, adi organised an Away Day for its apprentices, which consisted of two days out of the office with plenty of activities dedicated to team building, ESG strategy planning and implementation, and practising a variety of technical skills on creative projects. Giving back to the community Having been recognised with a Gold award by the 5% Club, adi commits to ensuring at least 5% of its workforce are apprentices, currently surpassing the threshold, with 7% of their employees being apprentices. “Working ethically, sustainably, providing equal opportunities and nurturing young talent are just some of the values that define adi, and building a business our employees feel proud to work at is exactly what we set out to do from the onset,” says Lusty. And adi achieves exactly that by participating in a variety of fundraising charity events dedicated to giving back to the community, some of the most recent including Harborne Jubilee Carnival, the Dragon Boat Racing Events and the Aberdovey Bike Ride, as well as establishing a long-term partnership with Heart Research UK. 8 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS October 2022 www.hpmag.co.uk adi Group awarded Best Companies to Work for Accreditation for Employee Engagement