UK digital transformation provider, ANS has landed a place on not one, but two Best Companies Awards lists for 2021. ANS was named as one of the Top 50 Technology companies to work for in the UK as well as placing inside the Top 100 companies to work for in the North West.

In a year where everything was turned on its head, ANS turned its focus to keeping its people happy and providing the same open and inclusive company culture. Quarterly All Staff meetings and weekly Champagne Fridays were all made virtual so the teams could continue to connect with each other.

The leadership’s attention was on updating employees continuously and listening to their needs through open forums, surveys and team sessions. CEO Paul Shannon even took it upon himself to personally text every single employee to check in on how they were doing and if there was anything they needed. The business has been committed to making sure every employee has all the support and flexibility they need while working remotely.

Due to significant business growth supporting many customers operating on the frontline during the pandemic, ANS hired almost 100 new starters in the last year alone, making it the biggest year for team growth in the last 5 years.

ANS also continued their charitable efforts, donating more than £70,000 over the course of the year to numerous charitable causes. One highlight came in May 2020 when the ANS leadership team took part in the ANS lip sync battle at home, in aid of Manchester Youth Zone, raising over £800. While people’s charitable focus shifts to Covid-19, it’s charities like the Manchester Youth Zone in Harpurhey that felt the greatest pressure to support the people hit the hardest by the situation, yet they lose focus, attention and support. ANS was, and still is, committed to supporting the young people of Greater Manchester.

The CSR team also created a campaign, known as Means Together, designed to bring together people when they can’t physically be together. It is about giving people the opportunity to take care of themselves, each other, those less fortunate and the planet. The campaign has sparked some interesting team activities, walking meetings, charitable days and positive team habits which will continue far beyond 2021.

Commenting on the achievement, ANS’ CEO Paul Shannon said, “The last 12 months have been monumental for ANS, we’ve seen a lot of change and our teams have grown at an unprecedented rate. I am proud to work for this organisation every day and watch our teams achieve above and beyond what is expected.

In this fast-paced industry, and as we continue to grow and evolve the business, it’s a tall order to expect all staff to adapt instantly but time and time again, the entire ANS team astounds me by not only how quickly they adapt, but the attitude they do this with in what can only be described as true ANS spirit, something which has shone through in the last 12 months more than ever before.”

The Best Companies accreditation focuses on Workplace Engagement as an integral component of an organisations’ success and growth. This year will mark the organisations’ eighth appearance in the country’s most searching and extensive research into employee engagement.