Oakman achieves top ten placing in Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For list

Oakman Inns & Restaurants has entered the ranks of the Sunday Times top ten Best Companies To Work For in the UK. While consistently achieving a top 50 ranking year on year – this year the company significantly won the Best Improver Award in the mid-sized category with its new overall top ten placement. Oakman Inns chief executive Peter Borg-Neal, who founded the business in 2007 with his first pub The Akeman in Tring, said: “I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. To reach the top ten in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list is a credit to every one of our team.” Key commendations that contributed to its high ranking included Oakman employees appreciate their bosses’ openness and honesty (86%, fifth among mid-size companies); the company’s “Oakmanology” training scheme which, staff said is of great personal benefit, scoring 82% positive (fourth); employees finding their jobs good for personal growth (85%, eighth); managers regularly showing appreciation for good work (85%, third); caring about staff job satisfaction (82%); Oakfest, the company’s annual music festival where all Oakman sites close and pub teams organise their own nights out – employees have plenty of fun together (87%) and feel a sense of family (83%); and motivating teams to give their best every day (79%). Jill Scatchard, who has been head of HR at Oakman Inns for five years, said: “Much of this success is down to Oakmanology, our in-house training scheme which is delivered via an online software system specifically designed for and by Oakman. We started work on it almost four years ago and, since we released it just over a year ago, our staff have overwhelmingly claimed it to be of great personal benefit. Oakmanology involves everyone and its skill development modules are taken by everyone from the main board down. We want them to be passionate and proud about what they do, to really care about their attention to detail, and for their acquired knowledge and extraordinary skill sets to positively impact on our customers’ experience.”