Tommies Childcare, a day nursery and pre-school provider, has been recognised as a well led and well managed organisation demonstrating ‘extraordinary’ levels of employee engagement, despite the current unprecedented circumstances.

The organisation, which provides early years experiences for children up to 5 years old, has been certified by Best Companies and recognised for their commitment to employees, with a 3-star accreditation rating.

This is the third consecutive year that Tommies has achieved the 3-star accolade, which is the highest available.

In order to secure the achievement once again, Tommies Childcare kept employee welfare front and centre of its planning in response to Covid-19. It ensured all workers were kept connected through regular communication with management, with the introduction of wellbeing initiatives and through team building activities for both furloughed and non-furloughed staff.

A ‘core team’ of employees that continued to work on site to provide early years education and care for the children of key workers were rewarded with thanks and a personalised book. The company has provided training to both Head Office and Nursery staff with regular meetings to communicate internal changes. They hosted the training virtually, with specific sessions for different staff members held to ensure information, and how it would impact upon roles, understood.

Danielle Butler, operations director, said: ‘Our employees have worked on the frontline since the pandemic reached the UK, and I am incredibly proud of how they have risen to the challenge. In what has been a turbulent year for us all, our commitment to making Tommies Childcare an extraordinary place to work for our people remains unshaken. To retain our 3-star accreditation for a third consecutive year is a remarkable achievement, and I am delighted to celebrate this success with our employees.’

Jonathan Austin, founder and CEO of Best Companies, said: ‘Tommies Childcare should be very proud of their achievement, demonstrating extraordinary levels of engagement and testament to them being well led and well managed throughout this pandemic. This accreditation is recognition of all they have done to be a best company to work for, having put their people first during these unprecedented times.’