Welcome to the fifth Sunday Times list of the Best Small Companies to Work For. This year’s competition was our biggest yet, with no fewer than 513 companies battling it out for a place in the elite top 100, the definitive guide to workplace excellence among small businesses.

The extra 165 organisations taking part have driven standards to new heights. The opinions of 32,075 employees make the survey’s findings hard to dispute; their offer to staff hard to resist. In every one of the 66 statements of our questionnaire, small companies (of fewer than 250 employees) score better than their larger counterparts. Results for bigger companies will be contained in the 100 Best Companies to Work For magazine, to be published with The Sunday Times next week, March 9, 2008.

This week’s supplement celebrates all that is good about small businesses. Their contribution to the economy is immense; their achievements all the more noteworthy for the fact that they flow from enlightened workplaces.

If you believe your company has what it takes to make it one of the 100 Best Small Companies to Work For, then come and join us in 2009.

Turning up the Heat pays off

Strong training and a sense that work is to be enjoyed add up to Heat powering past its rivals into top spot this year

Background

• Hats off to great leadership

• Getting the message across loud and clear

• Fly high with the X Factor

• Why it pays to know what you’re doing

Background

• Charity wins top small company award

• Special awards for best practice

• Rules of engagement

• 100 Best SME's to work for 2008

Multimedia

• Best Small Companies to Work For 2008

• Highlights from the awards ceremony

Explore Best 100 Companies

• Best 100 Tables