Member Article

The Sunday Times names Cream in Best Places to Work list 2023

Independent full-service advertising agency, Cream, has been named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list 2023.

The company was selected for the small business category thanks to its raft of exemplary employee benefits. These include healthcare packages, reduced working hours, life and career coaching, volunteering opportunities - their CEO is Chair of Governors at a local school in Tower Hamlets - and long term training investment - their Director of Insight & Analytics has recently undergone a two-year data science masters that was funded by Cream.

This nationwide workplace survey honours and celebrates Britain’s top employers and acknowledges the best workplaces for women, LGBTQIA+ community, disabled employees, ethnic minorities, younger and older workers, and wellbeing. The Sunday Times partnered with employee-experience platform WorkL to deliver fresh insights into what makes a Best Place to Work. Using 35 questions from WorkL’s employee engagement survey, the awards most accurately monitored employee engagement and wellbeing in the workplace.

This is the first time the agency has entered the award scheme and upon submitting its entry, staff at Cream were asked for responses on their experiences around personal & professional growth, wellbeing, reward & recognition and leadership. Cream ranked consistently above the industry average, with 98% of staff happier with their work life balance post-covid due to changes put in place by Cream. Over 90% agreed they work in a well-organised business and are aware of company plans.

Cream places a high importance on the training and development of employees - both professionally and personally. This ethos and a firm belief that supporting passions outside the business has a direct impact on performance, and capability is reflected in the current team with a fashion label owner, a semi-professional rugby player, a cook, a seamstress, and an artist (AI and traditional).

The company holds regular inspiration socials and internal innovation and creative sessions, designed to keep the team challenging the norms of advertising. Its partnership with the Royal Court theatre saw the team undergo training and team building in a less conventional environment. It recently launched Cream Catalyst - a social purpose pro-bono initiative to give the team exposure to non-commercial organisations with an incredibly broad scope of requirements including business forecasting and mentoring - and is also on its way to B-Corp status.

**Charlotte Parks-Taylor, Co-Owner & CSO of Cream **said: “We are proud to be included in the renowned Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, after entering for the first time. Employees that feel a sense of balance & pride, and are empowered within their roles, help businesses not only be successful but drive real change.

“We understand that culture and workplace happiness is critical to the commercial success of a business. It is as simple as that. Our team is delighted with this award as it reflects how they feel about the business.

“Advertising can be an important force for positive social change but it won’t be achieved overnight. Evolving our working practices, developing our team and building a longer term vision is fundamentally a collective endeavour, and hugely motivating and fulfilling for everyone in the business across all levels.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Business News .