Spirit FM - simply the best

SPIRIT FM is celebrating after being declared part of the UK’s best company to work for for the second year in a row. It beat off such big names as BMW, Virgin Money and The Savoy Hotel.

Spirit FM is part of UKRD group, which grabbed the number one spot in the top hundred list, revealed by The Sunday Times this weekend.

Idependent inspectors have spent the last few months scrutinising bosses and staff at its base in West Sussex along with its fifteen sister stations across the UK from Cornwall to Sunderland.

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In addition to examining the range of employee benefits and training programmes, staff at Spirit FM were asked to fill in anonymous questionnaires about their life at work, broken down into seventy different categories.

The company garnered top marks in forty-eight of them. The incredible results saw the company judged outstanding on almost every key indicator used by judges.

In addition to being ranked first overall, the company also topped tables for having the best role models at work, the most stimulating work, personal growth, most appreciative and honest bosses and a sense that they could make a difference amongst others.

Managing director Sally Large said: “This is an immense achievement for Spirit FM and West Sussex. We work really hard to deliver results for our clients and produce memorable and entertaining programming for our listeners. I’m so immensely proud of the team that deliver this day in, day out.

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“I have worked at Spirit FM for 11 years this year and can honestly say the last 3 years under the ownership of UKRD have been the most exciting and rewarding of my life.

“The team at Spirit that I have the honour of working with everyday are nothing short of amazing; the passion they show for Spirit FM, West Sussex and their colleagues shines through in everything they do and this clearly came across to the Best Companies Team when they inspected our surveys.”

Spirit FM and UKRD have a specific “cuddling budget” for each member of staff to pay for thank you’s and get togethers, from days at the races and weekends away to team meals and bottles of champagne.

This year all on-air members of staff have had their working hours reduced, without reducing pay in order to improve work/life balance. Teams are encouraged to offer their ideas and opinions on the way the business is run with the firm rule that ‘no idea is a silly one’.

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Inspectors found the group had improved its scores on last year, making it even more highly valued by staff. They said: “People are proud to work here, returning a 94% positive score in our survey. They love their jobs like no other.”