Lane4: Best for leadership
Sponsored by Britannia Building Society

Olympic gold medallist swimmer Adrian Moorhouse knows about high performance, and as a business leader he also inspires others to achieve. The 63 staff of Lane4 in Buckinghamshire voted the firm best for leadership in 2007, too, and it is still a strong feature. Staff have a great deal of faith in Moorhouse (96% positive, the highest score for this question) and agree that the business is run on strong values (92%). Every month he looks ahead, and asks people to share their views. Senior managers listen rather than tell employees what to do (86%).

Blue Rubicon: Best for training & development
Sponsored by Chartered Management Institute

Brown bags are not just for sandwiches at PR firm Blue Rubicon. They are lunchtime sessions with talks given by staff and experts on subjects from speechwriting at Whitehall or counterterrorism to the recent American election. The firm invests about £20,000 per person in skills and knowledge training, and feedback comes from client reviews, personal development plans and continuous advice and guidance. Directors and partners regularly work alongside different teams too.

Instant Offices: Best for wellbeing
Sponsored by energiseYou

If you are what you eat, staff at serviced office broker Instant Offices are bursting with health and vitality. The company gives its 73 employees free fruit, cereal bars and herbal teas, and has a tea trolley too. Healthy bodies are fed by healthy minds, so everyone is asked to donate a favourite book or DVD to the staff library and share their discoveries. There’s corporate membership for a top London gym and smokers wanting to quit are offered hypnosis, and the company pays if they don’t smoke again in the following six months. So far, the success rate has been 100%.

Lexis Public Relations: Best for work & home balance
Sponsored by Chartered Management Institute

The vocabulary at Lexis is not all about work. This company made sure people could spend more time at home by reducing the working day by 30 minutes, for a 5.30pm finish. On Fridays, the 95 employees avoid the worst of the London traffic when the office closes at 4pm. Weekend work or overnight stays are compensated with time off in lieu. Everyone can work from home too. Meanwhile, after three years of service, staff can get six months of unpaid leave or, after four years, the reward is a month off on full pay for “a well-earned break”.

Elvis: Best for giving something back
Sponsored by the Prince’s Trust

Marketing company Elvis has a green team, offers a cycle-to-work scheme, and recycling areas for everything from aluminium to toners. People are asked to use USB sticks rather than printing out materials they want to keep. There’s a bookshelf so that people can share their reading, and clothes swap nights. The firm helps Kids Company, supporting vulnerable inner-city children in London. Elvis offers them work experience and fun days out so they can learn new skills and broaden their horizons.

HLM Architects: Best for engaging with schools
Sponsored by Edge

Sheffield-based HLM believes in education. The firm is employed on the Building Schools for the Future project to upgrade all secondary schools in England. It works with the Sorrell Foundation to inspire creativity in young people and a scheme in Tower Hamlets is helping pupils redesign their schools. HLM offers about 14 work placements a year and one exercise is to design a small space in which to do homework, which is converted into a 3D model with HLM’s software. The company is also involved with the Young Apprenticeship programme in construction, a two-year study course for 14 to 16-year-olds involving 50 days of real-life work experience. Senior staff teach at several universities too.

SolutionsPT: Most improved
Sponsored by Best Companies Partnership

Like a well-oiled machine, SolutionsPT has raced from an unlisted 272nd place in 2008 to 76th position, the highest jump in a competitive year. The company in Cheadle, Cheshire, offers support, software and hardware for manufacturing plants but it treats its 64 employees like people, not robots. People find their jobs stimulating (an 87% positive score). Training is of great personal benefit (73%), and office hours are enforced so that nobody spends too much time working. Staff feel proud to work here (87%) and say the company makes a positive difference to the world (67%).

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