A NORTH-EAST building society has been named as one of the UK’s top 100 mid-sized companies to work for.

In addition to this prestigious accolade Darlington Building Society has also been informed that it is in the top 30 Best Financial Services companies to work for nationally, as well as being one of the top 30 Best North-East companies to work for.

The impressive national ratings have been confirmed by Best Companies, a highly-respected organisation that specialises in measuring workforce engagement.

The Society was informed at the start of the year that it had been awarded an “outstanding” 2-star accreditation by Best Companies, which supplies information for The Times ‘100 Best Companies To Work For’ list.

And DBS has now been informed that it features on the national lists ahead of the Best Companies Live virtual event, hosted by BBC television presenter Dan Walker today (May 21).

Niki Barker, the Society’s Director People and Culture, said: “We were thrilled to be given the 2-star rating, based entirely on the positive feedback of our own staff. Now, to be told we feature in the top 100 in the overall national list, as well the top 30 for both financial services companies and North-East employers, is just fantastic.”

The Society will find out its exact position in each category during today’s virtual ceremony, and all staff are being encouraged to mark the event during the day.

The 2-star rating – only given to employers that make an outstanding commitment to creating a happy working atmosphere – was based on the results of a staff survey carried out last November.

“We already knew that Darlington Building Society was a great place to work, but there is a feeling of immense pride to have it officially recognised on the national stage in this way,” said Niki.

“The award means a lot, but it is a by-product of what we have achieved by looking after staff, helping them to develop, and leading them through an extremely challenging year. It underlines the Society’s core values and showcases it as one of the best employers not just in the North-East but the whole country.”

The Society’s Chief Executive, Andrew Craddock, added: “There’s no doubt that 2020 was a hugely difficult year for lots of businesses and organisations. For us to come out of it with this national recognition is testament to the exemplary way the staff came together during the pandemic in supporting their colleagues, our members, and the wider community.”

Today is known as ‘Best Companies Day’ and Darlington Building Society staff are being encouraged to spend some time celebrating the achievement with their teams. The live event goes on until 4pm at www.bestcompanies.live