There are plenty of carrots to entice staff to work at Ellis Whittam (and quite a few apples and pears too).

One of the more unusual benefits is a company vegetable patch and fresh fruit ready to be plucked from the trees in the company orchard.

This new entry, based in Aldford, Cheshire, gets its highest scores for Giving Something Back (with a top 20 positive result of 72% overall). The 55 Ellis Whittam employees know all about staff benefits, as they provide employment law, human resources and health and safety advice to clients.

The office has its own rainwater harvesting system, everyone recycles, and there are cash benefits for drivers who give lifts to work. Staff say the company really helps the environment, with a 78% top 20 score.

Fundraising events last year included sponsored beard growing. Employees give the firm its highest relative score of 77% (ranking eighth) for its community support, and they believe its support for good causes is not simply for the publicity (66%).

Ellis Whittam was founded in 2004 by chief executive Mark Ellis, who knows everyone by name, and listens to what they have to say (78%). Staff say he runs the firm on sound moral principles (82%). People haven’t suffered recent work-related stress (81%), say deadlines are realistic (76%), don’t feel the company takes advantage of them (78%) and are excited about where it is going (83%).

Ellis warns in his blog that the UK opt-out of a 48-hour working week is effectively over, and nobody at the company exceeds this limit. Staff aren’t spending too much time working (68%) and are happy with the balance of work and home life (75%).

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