Apax Recognised as a Great Place to Work

Introduction

At Apax, we're proud to be recognised by Great Place to Work, a global authority on workplace culture. This achievement reflects our commitment to creating an environment where our team members can thrive, develop their skills, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of the vulnerable adults we support.

This recognition comes on the heels of our UK Company Culture Awards 2024 win for Best Team Culture, reinforcing our position as a values-driven organisation that prioritises both employee wellbeing and exceptional service delivery. As noted in our corporate history, this accolade "inspires continued effort in making Apax a great place to work and reinforces commitment to a values-driven enterprise."

Building a positive workplace culture isn't just about employee satisfaction—it directly impacts the quality of support we provide. When our team members feel valued, supported, and engaged, they bring their best selves to their work, creating better outcomes for our residents and contributing to our mission of transforming supported housing services.

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Understanding the Great Place to Work Recognition

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and leadership behaviours proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention, and increased innovation. Their certification is based on rigorous methodology and validated employee feedback, making it one of the most respected recognitions in the field of workplace excellence.

The certification process evaluates organisations across several key dimensions:

• Trust: The degree to which employees trust the organisation's leadership
• Pride: How proud employees are of their organisation and its impact
• Camaraderie: The quality of relationships between colleagues
• Credibility: Whether management is believable and trustworthy
• Respect: How employees feel respected in the workplace
• Fairness: The perception of balanced treatment, free from bias

Organisations that achieve Great Place to Work certification have demonstrated exceptional performance across these dimensions, creating workplaces where employees feel valued, engaged, and empowered to contribute their best efforts.

For Apax, this recognition validates our commitment to creating a workplace culture that not only benefits our team members but also enhances the quality of support we provide to vulnerable adults in our supported housing services.

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Our Values-Driven Approach

At the heart of our workplace culture are our core values, which serve as the foundation for everything we do. These values aren't just words on a wall—they guide our daily interactions, decision-making processes, and organisational priorities.

As stated in our corporate materials: "Values illuminate individual and collective actions to forge a bond which unite our people. The journey will be full of difficulties and setbacks. As we continue to make and learn from our mistakes – which is inevitable – the aspiration to transform towards a values-driven organisation forms the cornerstones of our identity."

Our corporate values include:

• United We Shine: Fostering unity in diversity, recognising that "our strength lies in our unity, as equally as our collapse lies in our division"
• Strive for Excellence: Pursuing excellence in all aspects of our work, understanding that "excellence is perhaps only measured by the extent of efforts we inject in our work"
• Sparks of Kindness: Ensuring that kindness infuses everything we say and do, creating a ripple effect throughout our organisation
• Humility is Power: Embracing a learning attitude by setting aside ego and remaining open to growth and improvement
• Continuous Learning: Committing to never-ending development, making each day better than yesterday
• It's Right to be Fair: Upholding justice and fairness in all our relationships and decisions
• Our People, Our Partners are Our Strength: Valuing our team members and partners as "a mighty drop in the vast ocean"

By living these values daily, we've created a workplace where people feel inspired, supported, and connected to our mission of transforming supported housing services and enhancing the lives of vulnerable adults.

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Benefits for Our Residents

Our recognition as a Great Place to Work directly translates into better support for our residents. When our team members are engaged and fulfilled in their work, they provide more attentive, compassionate, and effective support.

The benefits for residents include:

• More consistent support from staff who stay with us longer
• Higher quality interactions with team members who bring their full energy and enthusiasm to work
• Innovative approaches to support as staff feel empowered to contribute ideas and solutions
• Stronger relationships built on trust and genuine care
• Better coordination between team members who communicate effectively

Our range of services document outlines our comprehensive approach to supporting residents, from providing "access to essential support 24/7 around the clock, 365 days per year" to helping them "build confidence, independence and stability." Our strong workplace culture enables us to deliver these services more effectively, with team members who are fully committed to our mission and values.

One resident recently shared: "What makes Apax different is how much the staff seem to enjoy their work. They're always positive and really take the time to understand what I need. It makes me feel like I matter."

These outcomes align perfectly with our mission to provide exceptional supported housing services that truly transform lives.

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Our People Development Journey

Creating a great workplace doesn't happen overnight—it's the result of intentional effort and ongoing commitment. Our journey has involved:

• Developing comprehensive training programmes that equip our team with both practical skills and deeper understanding of the values that underpin our work
• Establishing clear career pathways that provide opportunities for growth and advancement
• Creating mentoring and coaching systems that support continuous development
• Implementing recognition programmes that celebrate achievements and contributions
• Building feedback mechanisms that ensure all voices are heard
• Fostering a culture of psychological safety where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns

As we state in our corporate values: "The collective organisational capacity, efficiency and effectiveness are simply the by-product of mutual, employer and employee, commitment to the never-ending focus on learning to make each day better than yesterday."

This commitment to people development reflects our belief that investing in our team is one of the most powerful ways to enhance the quality of support we provide and advance our mission.

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Creating Meaningful Careers in Support Work

The supported housing sector offers incredibly rewarding career opportunities for those who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of vulnerable adults. At Apax, we're committed to elevating these roles and creating pathways for meaningful, long-term careers.

We offer:

• Structured career progression from support worker to team leader and beyond
• Specialised training in mental health support, trauma-informed practice, and other key areas
• Opportunities to contribute to innovative programmes and initiatives
• A collaborative environment where everyone's expertise is valued
• Work that aligns with personal values and provides a sense of purpose

Our supported housing services operate at different levels—high support, medium support, low support, and semi-independent living—each requiring specific skills and expertise. This tiered system not only benefits residents but also creates varied career opportunities for our team members, allowing them to specialise in the areas where their talents can have the greatest impact.

By highlighting the importance and impact of support work, we're not only creating a great place to work but also contributing to the development of the wider sector and the quality of support available to vulnerable adults.

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Final Thoughts

Being recognised as a Great Place to Work represents both an achievement and a commitment. It acknowledges the culture we've built while challenging us to continue growing and improving.

We believe that a positive workplace culture isn't a luxury—it's essential to fulfilling our mission of providing exceptional supported housing services and transforming the lives of vulnerable adults. By creating an environment where our team can thrive, we enable them to provide the kind of support that truly makes a difference.

As we state in our corporate values: "Because our corporate values serve as a framework to guide policies, working practices and decision-making, we begin to appreciate the real necessities to reshape the landscape of supported housing." This recognition affirms that our approach to workplace culture is having the intended effect, creating an organisation that can truly deliver on its mission.

We're incredibly grateful to our team for their dedication and passion, and we look forward to continuing to build a workplace where everyone can shine. Through our values-driven approach to workplace culture, we're not just creating a great place to work—we're creating better outcomes for our residents and contributing to positive change in the supported housing sector as a whole.

As we continue to grow and evolve, we remain committed to our mission: striving for excellence to improve ourselves, transform services, enhance lives, and advance society. Our Great Place to Work recognition is one more step on this ongoing journey of creating positive change through values-driven leadership and compassionate support.

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