REVEALED: Where is Jersey’s best workplace?

What does a great workplace really look like in Jersey today? From culture and leadership to wellbeing and growth, the winners of the second edition of Jersey’s Best Workplace offer a snapshot of what’s working – and what others can learn…

JBW is a collaboration between All Island Media – the parent company of Bailiwick Express and the Jersey Evening Post – and Compass, a pan-island HR consultancy firm offering professional qualifications, training and development, coaching and mentoring.

The initiative – which also took place in Guernsey for the first time this year – was designed to give businesses of all sizes and sectors the opportunity to gauge their employees’ views on eight key areas: reward and recognition, information sharing, empowerment, personal pride, job satisfaction and wellbeing, line management, and learning and development.

Participating businesses were surveyed and benchmarked against each other and received detailed analysis, and the overall winners  were named at a ceremony at Bar Nautique last month.

Three overall winners were named, and five ‘Spotlight’ awards were given to outstanding employers who had shown exceptional dedication to creating positive, inclusive, and supportive environments for their teams.

Shirley Lester, people and culture director of overall winners Islands Insurance Group, explained that ensuring their people managers are equipped with the right skills is central to their success.

“I’m proud that we now have more than 20 people managers across the business with CMI diploma qualifications.”

That focus on learning and development is something which is essential not just for supporting individual team members but also for strengthening the business and building its resilience in what is a challenging labour market.

“Recruitment can be difficult in the Channel Islands, so developing team members and upskilling them, so that we can promote from within the organisation is hugely valuable,” she said. “This process starts from the moment that someone joins the business, with all new recruits undergoing an induction process and then taking part in a six-week ‘First Steps’ programme to familiarise them with the many different areas of Islands.

“From then, the focus on learning and development is continuous, as we support people along their career path and introduce them to a range of opportunities within the business.”

Also key is ensuring employees feel heard through weekly ‘pulse’ surveys, and regular one-to-ones with employees. The group participated in JBW in 2025, and were delighted to have seen progress in “nearly every area”.

“I think we are often guilty of concentrating on any gaps or weaknesses, and zoning in on the things we haven’t done, but these results have shown just how much we have achieved in the past few years, and that, generally, our team members are happy and appreciative of the culture we have created, and that makes me proud.”

It was also Best Medium Organisation Whitmill’s second year of participation. 

Group Head of HR and training Jada Heynes said the firm – which also took the Line Management Spotlight Award – was pleased to have seen progress.

“We recognised that some line managers needed some additional support, so we developed a managers’ toolkit, which has been very well received,” she said. “We have also encouraged the team to tell us about the charities and community initiatives which really matter to them, so that we can support the causes that align with their values,” she explained.

“As a direct response to that feedback, we have signed up to Jersey’s Finance’s Greening Jersey initiative, which people love because it gives them an opportunity to go out and take part in something which benefits the local environment.”

One key achievement was seeing the portion of the team stating that they felt proud to work at Whitmill go from around half to 100%.

Cosmetic Dental Group, who describe their team as the ‘A Team’, were named as the top small business, but also highlighted for their forward-looking approach. 

“We prioritise continuous training in both existing and emerging systems and technologies. Just as importantly, we listen to our team to understand real, day-to-day challenges, ensuring our approach is meaningful rather than simply ticking boxes,” they explained.

Wellbeing Spotlight award-winners Seymour Hotels – who champion what they describe as the ‘Seymour Spirit’ – were clear that looking after employee welfare is key to giving their team a good experience – and that means “truly listening”.

“Wellbeing isn’t just about initiatives or programmes; it’s about everyday conversations, culture and leadership behaviour. The experience reinforced that engagement and wellbeing are ongoing, and even small adjustments – how we communicate, recognise effort or support our people – can significantly improve day-to-day experiences, strengthen resilience and enhance performance,” the hospitality group said.

Inclusivity award winners Citizens Advice Jersey said they were clear that “long-term success depends on our people”, going on to describe inclusivity as “fundamental to who we are as an organisation”. 

“We support people from all backgrounds and walks of life, often when they feel vulnerable or unheard, so creating a workplace where everyone feels respected and included is essential,” they said, adding: “When individuals feel proud of where they work and believe in the purpose of what we do, it strengthens our charity as an organisation and place of work, and ensures we can continue supporting Islanders for many years to come.”

While this year’s awards have only just been presented, thoughts are already turning to the 2026/7 iteration.

“We were greatly heartened by the response to this year’s awards in both islands and we hope that those businesses who took part will take the time to look at the responses, see what they are really telling them and act accordingly,” explained Compass director Jacqui Richards.

“We also hope that the 2026/7 awards will attract a similar diversity of participants and will also enable those businesses who took part in the first and/or second awards to participate again, enabling them to benchmark their progress over the past 12 or 24 months.”

Entries for both the Guernsey and Jersey awards will open soon, and any business keen to take part is asked to register their interest by emailing advertising@allisland.media. You can find out more about JBW by heading to the website and picking up the JBW supplement in the Jersey Evening Post on Monday 27 April.