I’m incredibly proud that Benson Wood & Co has been named Employer of the Year at the 2026 Lanarkshire Business Excellence Awards! It’s a fantastic achievement for our team, particularly given how much we’ve changed the business over the past few years and the part they’ve played in making that happen.
We were finalists alongside International Beverage and Viridor Energy, so congratulations to both organisations too.
We’ve worked hard to build a business where people enjoy working and have opportunities to develop their careers. Some of the decisions we’ve made along the way haven’t been easy, which makes this recognition even more special.
What does the Employer of the Year award recognise?
The Employer of the Year award recognises businesses that create a positive working environment and give their people opportunities to develop.
The application covered everything from recruitment and staff retention to employee wellbeing, fair working practices and career progression.
After being shortlisted, we were invited to present to the judges and explain what we’ve been doing at Benson Wood. It was a good opportunity to reflect on the changes we’ve made and hear what our own team had to say.
How we’ve changed Benson Wood
A few years ago, we realised we needed to change how we recruited people.
We’d placed too much emphasis on technical qualifications and experience, without paying enough attention to how well someone would fit in with the rest of the team. That’s something we’ve since changed, and today, our team has the final say on who joins Benson Wood.
They also developed our company values themselves during a workshop we held at a local cinema in Spring 2026. We use those values every day, including in our morning huddles, where we share examples of how we’ve put them into practice.
The changes have helped us build a more stable team, with people who enjoy working together and want to see the business succeed.
What our team told the judges
We included testimonials from two team members in our application, and I think their words say more about Benson Wood than I ever could.
Gillian Nimmo joined us for summer work experience while studying at college. She's now a permanent member of the team, studying towards her AAT qualification with our support.
As Gillian put it:
“I can honestly say this has been the first employment I have been in that I have not felt like ‘just a number’, that my opinion as well as my daily contributions genuinely matters.”
Nicole Gordon, our Senior Administrator, spoke about the team's involvement in developing our company values:
“I think this really empowers everyone and makes us all feel included, listened to, valued and empowered. I am proud to work for Benson Wood & Co and excited about what the future will bring.”
We also shared the results of our employee feedback platform, which recorded an engagement score of 9.5 out of 10 and a wellbeing score of 9.7 over the year leading up to the award. Part of what sits behind that is a quarterly wellbeing session for the team, which has included everything from yoga to calligraphy.
We’re an accredited Real Living Wage employer. People can choose their start and finish times between 8am and 6pm, and part time working is there for anyone who needs it. Hybrid working is available too, although most of the team choose to come into the office.
Creating opportunities in Lanarkshire
Our application also covered how we help local people develop their careers.
We’ve taken on students through work experience and internships, and we support apprenticeships alongside funding professional qualifications, including course and exam fees. We’ve worked with Routes to Work, which helped us recruit Irene after she was made redundant from HMRC following 40 years of service.
We’re proud that Benson Wood has been selected as a case study for the Scottish Government’s Fair Work initiative.
As our profession changes, we’re continuing to develop our team so they can take on more advisory responsibilities and build long careers with us.
Every person in our team made this happen
When we won the award, I shared the message I’d recorded for the ceremony:
“This is what turning a business around looks like... Every person in our team made this happen.”
And I meant every single person in the great wee team we have at Benson Wood.
We’ve come a long way, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we achieve together next!
