RideTandem has been named one of the best places to work in the UK.
The annual Sunday Times Best Places to Work list has been published for 2024 and RideTandem was named amongst leading companies.
Thousands of businesses applied for a coveted spot on the list but only 500 made the final cut.
Support for all employees
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 celebrates the best businesses in the UK. Companies have to meet strict criteria and are judged on how well they support women, young and older people, LGBTQIA+, ethnic minority and disabled employees.
Gaining a place on this list is very difficult. Businesses are sent a survey with 31 questions measuring everything from reward and recognition, job satisfaction and wellbeing.
RideTandem has a strong focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. There are several working groups to support LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse and BAME staff. Career progression, wellbeing and creating a positive, flexible work environment is very important.
Most of the team are remote-first but people who prefer to work in-person can bring in their furry friends as RideTandem’s head office is also dog friendly!
“We genuinely care about each other”
Alys Jones, Head of Operations at RideTandem, was one of RideTandem’s earliest employees - joining the company as its fourth employee.
She said: “I joined RideTandem because I'm a big believer in doing good in the world, and I wanted to make sure that my day job aligned with those values.
“I'm a different person now to who I was four years ago, and that is in huge part due to the professional development, coaching and support offered by my peers. I'm encouraged to take on challenges and supported to take them on head first - I know I can ask for help whenever I'm stuck on something or need support, and nobody is ever too busy to provide help when it's needed.”
Alys added: “We share appreciation for one another because we're genuinely thankful, we celebrate milestones because we're proud of our work, we provide support because we care about each other, and we send people brownies for their birthdays because Alex loves them.
“We celebrate with one another when there's big happy news to share, and the support, empathy and understanding is genuinely there in life's tougher moments too.”
Building a great place to work
RideTandem CEO, Alex Shapland-Howes, said he and co-founders Tatseng Chiam and Huw McLeod were proud to have built such a strong, supportive culture.
He said: “When we created RideTandem five years ago, we wanted to build a huge, successful company that not only had a positive impact on society but that was also a genuinely great place to work.
“Everyone at RideTandem comes to work to make a difference. We inspire and challenge each other every day. The positive feedback, respect and appreciation that runs through our teams and the company as a whole is testament to the strength of our culture.
He added: “We’re thrilled to be named on the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list and it confirms my belief that our success is down to the brilliant, talented people we have. I’m super proud to work with such a positive bunch and see how their enthusiasm, support for each other and willingness to go the extra mile makes RideTandem a great place to work.”
The importance of collaboration, co-operation and communication
RideTandem is a remote-first workplace which means putting more emphasis on collaboration, co-operation and communication. Teams arrange in-person meetings and work days at the main office in London and every quarter the whole company gets together to catch up, socialise and build stronger relationships.
Launching in Germany in 2023, RideTandem’s team is continuing to grow. Since 2019, 1.5million passenger journeys have been completed - avoiding more than 16,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.
The positive impact shuttle bus services have on businesses are well known. Companies struggling to recruit and retain employees rely on RideTandem for cost-effective transport backed by 24/7 customer service. In the past four years, we’ve enabled people to earn more than £66 million in jobs they would not be able to reach without a RideTandem bus.
Focusing on making society a better place
As the first, and only, B Corp Certified employee shuttle service, RideTandem is proven to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
As well as achieving the difficult B Corp certification this year, RideTandem has also partnered with the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group. The organisation was set up to encourage employers to recruit people who face challenges securing employment. This could be people with disabilities, young people, unpaid carers or those leaving the criminal justice system.
This is as well as being an Association of Labour Providers Service Partner and a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
Gaining a spot on the Sunday Times list
To achieve a high overall engagement score, an organisation must score well across WorkL’s six-step framework:
1. Reward and Recognition
2. Instilling Pride
3. Information Sharing
4. Empowerment
5. Wellbeing
6. Job Satisfaction
You can see the full list here. RideTandem will also feature in the dedicated print supplement in the Sunday Times this weekend (12th May).
