Three West Country firms have been named among the best places to work in the United Kingdom, according to the annual rankings compiled by the Sunday Times in partnership with employee experience platform WorkL. The list, now in its fourth year, recognises employers that create exceptional workplace cultures, with 22 companies headquartered in the South West earning a place for 6.
The rankings are determined entirely by an independent survey of employees, covering six core aspects of engagement: wellbeing, empowerment, job satisfaction, reward and recognition, instilling pride, and information sharing. Companies are categorised by size — small, medium, big and very big — to ensure fair comparison, with employee feedback serving as the sole determinant of inclusion. WorkL’s platform provides organisations with a dynamic dashboard of their survey results, including industry benchmarks, flight risk analysis, and Net Promoter Scores, drawing on a database of more than 100,000 organisations across 26 sectors globally. The platform also offers “Instant Action Plans” and career development tools to help businesses translate feedback into meaningful change.
How the list is compiled
The Sunday Times and WorkL assess workplace culture through a confidential employee survey that measures how staff feel about their roles, their managers, and the organisation as a whole. The six engagement pillars are designed to capture the full employee experience: wellbeing examines physical and mental health support; empowerment looks at whether staff feel trusted and given autonomy; job satisfaction gauges overall contentment; reward and recognition covers pay, benefits and appreciation; instilling pride measures how much employees believe in their company’s mission; and information sharing assesses transparency and communication. Only companies whose staff vote positively across these dimensions qualify for inclusion, making the list a direct reflection of the workforce’s own views.
South West companies recognised
Among the West Country firms honoured, Butcombe Group — the Wrington-based pub operator and brewer formerly known as Liberation — was recognised for the second consecutive year. The company, which runs training schemes, apprenticeship and leadership development programmes, is an ambassador for the Burnt Chef Project and offers a 24/7 Employee Assistance programme. It has also developed a chef academy with HIT Training for Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship accreditation. Jonathan Lawson, chief executive of Butcombe Group, said the recognition reflected “the environment we have worked hard to create”. He added: “At the heart of our success is the dedication and collaboration shown by our people every day, whether they are welcoming guests, creating memorable moments, or supporting one another behind the scenes. In what continues to be a challenging environment for the hospitality sector, their commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for our customers continues to make a real difference.”
Wiltshire-based law firm Goughs Solicitors, which employs around 130 staff across seven offices, appeared on the list for the third year in a row. The firm offers a wide range of employer-funded social events, a length of service recognition scheme, a Healthcare Cash Plan, 24-hour counselling, and an online GP service. It has chosen Wiltshire & Bath Air Ambulance as its Charity of the Year for 2026-27, extending long-standing support. Matthew Drew, managing partner, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive this recognition from The Sunday Times. To be acknowledged consistently in this way is a real reflection of the firm’s culture and the values that guide us. As our people are at the centre of everything we do, we strive to creating a workplace where colleagues feel valued, supported, and empowered to achieve their full potential, both professionally and personally.”
Commercial, a Cheltenham-based business transformation firm with nearly 300 employees and an annual turnover of around £98m, also made the list. Recent employee-focused developments include the refurbishment of its headquarters, with workspaces tailored to support neurodiverse staff, a multi-faith room, and dedicated spaces for employees with children or dogs. Simone Hindmarch, co-founder and managing director, said the recognition was “especially meaningful” because it reflected the culture the business had built over more than three decades. “This means a huge amount to us because it’s based on what our people think and feel about working at Commercial. Right from the start, we wanted to create a company where people genuinely wanted to come to work, felt connected to the business and each other, and knew their voice mattered. To have that recognised in this way is incredibly special,” she said.
Other South West companies on the list include Cornwall-based free range egg producer St Ewe Free Range Eggs, Swindon marketing agency Mole Digital, and Exeter construction group Coreus. Coreus, which offers unlimited leave, enhanced maternity and paternity pay, peer-to-peer recognition awards, flexible working patterns, and opportunities for employee ownership through shareholder arrangements, also provides free personal training sessions and nutritional advisors. The firm supports personal and professional development through regular line-manager meetings, development days, and funding for Master’s degrees, and is committed to donating 2% of profit to the Coreus Foundation by 2030.
The full list of 22 South West companies in alphabetical order includes: Awdry Law (Legal Services, Devizes); Butcombe Group (Hospitality, Bristol); Commercial (Business and Management Services, Cheltenham); Compass CHC (Legal Services, Barnstaple); Coreus Group (Construction and Building Materials, Exeter); Family Adventures Group (Education and Research, Weston-super-Mare); Goughs Solicitors (Legal Services, Melksham); Hall & Woodhouse (Hospitality, Blandford St Mary); InterWorks (Technology, Christchurch); iplicit (Technology, Bournemouth); Joint Operations (Health and Social Care, Royal Wootton Bassett); Mole Digital (Marketing and Advertising, Swindon); Oculus Legal Group (Business and Management Services, Bristol); Paragon Skills (Education and Research, Bournemouth); Parmenion (Financial Services, Bristol); Rappor (Construction and Building Materials, Cheltenham); Shaping Lives (Education and Research, Bournemouth); St Ewe Free Range Eggs (Manufacturing of Consumer Goods, Truro); Taxi Studio (Architecture & Design, Bristol); The Cinnamon Trust (Non-Profit Organisations and Charities, Hayle); Xpedite (Defence, Bath); and Zestec Renewable Energy (Energy and Utilities, Bournemouth).
Zoe Thomas, editor of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, said: “In an evolving world of work Britain’s leading employers are helping staff forge careers that count today – and in the future. In turn, the Best Places to Work have the resilience to weather the current economic storms baked in, thanks to engaged workers who go above and beyond with a smile. Our winning employers span sizes and sectors – from tiny charities and specialist law firms, to multinational fast-food chains and utility giants, and everywhere in between. The thread joining them is the belief that a happy workforce is a stepping stone to better performance, faster growth, and bigger profits.”
