Independent chain Cornish Bakery, already one of the UK’s fastest-growing bakery companies, has achieved an OUTSTANDING grading in its first-ever entry to the Best Companies to Work For list. The company gained the highest scorings of any UK bakery company, all based on anonymous feedback from their employees.
While many in the Leisure and Hospitality industry have been battling a recruitment crisis since the pandemic, Cornish Bakery continues to grow in numbers and in staff satisfaction scores. The company’s achievement of OUTSTANDING in the Best Companies™ listing is the second highest possible standard of workplace engagement and represents organisations striving for the top.
The Best Companies to Work For Lists and Best Companies™ Accreditation have been running for over 20 years and are recognised as the standard in workplace engagement. The results recognise those in the small, mid-size, large, and big categories on a national level, with recent expansion seeing Best Companies adding additional categories by region and sector.
Earlier this year, Cornish Bakery announced that their jobs are oversubscribed more than fifteenfold in new locations whilst the company’s staff turnover is currently the lowest ever recorded. They currently commands an “industry-leading” employee net promoter score and NPS of 64%.
In August 2021, founder Steve Grocutt instigated a game-changer rebrand that clearly put Cornish Bakery people, and a unique and motivating culture, first – in everything. With a constant ‘keep it simple’ mantra, a clear new mission is: To redefine what a bakery is, does and can be. The Best Companies™ OUTSTANDING recognition score illustrates that the new culturally-driven brand has infiltrated right throughout the fast-growing company and that new developmental and motivational programmes are attracting new team members, whilst inspiring and retaining ongoing talent within the bakery’s ranks.
Cornish Bakery Founder Steve Grocutt said: “Our people are the jewel in the crown. Happy teams = happy customers = great results. And the results are already off the charts. ‘Aim Higher’ is one of Cornish Bakery’s core values, and we just keep going higher and higher, because we are nourishing our people and driving our values out across the company.” Steve continues: “It comes as no surprise that we’ve gone straight in with an OUTSTANDING grading on our very first entry to the Best Companies to Work For list – the only bakery company to achieve these high levels of employee engagement evidence. This is an incredible accomplishment for our teams and one that I am extremely grateful for. We set out to, and are, winning beautifully and I truly believe the high cultural standards being achieved at Cornish Bakery are, and will be known as, industry-leading.”
Jonathan Austin, CEO of Best Companies™ commented, “Cornish Bakery has particularly excelled in the ‘My Team’ Workplace Factor. Every year, the organisation takes its teams away for a night and two days of five star fun, camaraderie, and competition. Growth and recognition are essential in creating a culture at an organisation that people want to be a part of. We know from our data that if you are in a situation where you’re not growing and developing your people – firstly, the organisation can’t grow and develop, and secondly, you’re not going to keep your people. This clearly is not the case at Cornish Bakery and it’s great to see.”
