County Firms in List of '100 best'
Oxford Mail, 8th March 2005

Two Oxfordshire companies have been named among the best 100 to work for in the UK.

Another six are in the top 100 small firms to work for, based on questionnaires returned by employees and listed in The Sunday Times.

Top in Oxfordshire and 53rd in the UK is Advance Housing and Support manager, based in Witney.

Communications manager John Kay said: "It's an excellent reflection of the organisation's commitment to the staff and the staff's belief in the way the organisation handles things."

Advance, which provides housing for adults with learning difficulties or mental health problems, is no stranger to awards, having come 21st in last year's Financial Times list of the best workplaces in Britain. The only other Oxfordshire employer in the main list, is Prodrive, of Banbury.

Audley Travel, of Strafton Audley, is 13th in the list of small firms with benefits including one-month sabbaticals as a reward for good sales.

Brita Water Filter Systems, in Bicester, is 29th with staff giving a high rating to managing director, David Banbfield. When the company moved to Bicester, staff were given time to visit and house hunt, as well as a generous relocation package.

Staff at the JJ Group, based in Little Baldon enjoy space-hopper races and chick-flick outings.

Snowdrop Systems, in Witney in praised for allowing staff to work from home it they feel poorly, while at Porter Novelli public relations company, in Banbury, 80 per cent pf staff said they feel valued.

IT company Nominet based in Littlemore is in the top ten for not putting staff under too much pressure at work, and providing work-life balance.