Yorkshire supply chain and logistics consultancy Hatmill has officially been named as one of THE UK’s Best Workplaces™ 2024 by Great Place To Work®, the global authority on workplace culture. 

Officially announced last week at the prestigious Best Workplaces Awards held at London’s Grosvenor House and hosted by Comedian Katherine Ryan, the company ranked runner up in the medium category (51-200 employees).

Last year, the employee-owned company was ranked first in the small business category and was also ranked top professional services firm in the UK (small business) and sixth best company in the small business category in Europe on the list of the 150 companies in Europe to receive this recognition.

The unique, self-managing culture and employee ownership is just one of the reasons why the company was runner up in the medium business category and why employees love working for Hatmill. Hatmill came second in the list after a rigorous survey and interview process with its staff and faced tough competition.

Hatmill provides end-to-end supply chain and logistics support to deliver improvements to warehouses, transport, forecasting and inventory, so clients become more profitable and transform their customers’ experience. The employee-owned company works with some of the world’s leading brands including Boohoo, Birkenstock, Burberry, Diageo, Fujitsu, Greggs, Lego, NHS England and Walmart.

Hatmill joins well known firms recognised on the list including Charlie Bighams, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, Lavazza, Lindt and Michael Kors.

Simon Dixon, Founder and CEO at Hatmill said:

“I’m beyond thrilled that Hatmill has been recognised as one of THE Best Places to Work for the second year running. Creating a great place to work is fundamental to my business principles so to be ranked number two on the medium category list is such an honour and is credit to our amazing team”

“I believe Hatmill has been so successful in the programme due to our unique culture and innovative ways of working which is in direct contrast to so many traditional consultancy firms. While growing Hatmill I’ve been determined to create a culture focused on collaboration and shared values that avoids the usual corporate traps and focuses on what’s important – for our clients and our team.”

“It’s a key differentiator between Hatmill and our competitors; our clients value the difference it makes to them. It hugely influences our ability to attract and retain the very best talent in the industry. We’ve demonstrated time and time again that a growing firm from Yorkshire can compete against the big consultancy firms.”

“Despite the challenging economic environment, we’ve got ambitious plans for growth at Hatmill in 2024 following a 16% increase in turnover last year. On the back of client demand, we’ve recently expanded into North America and Europe and we’re actively recruiting for talented individuals to join us.”

Hatmill’s culture matches that of ‘Teal’ businesses as researched by Fredrick La Loux in his book “Reinventing Organisations”.

As a ‘Teal’ organisation, Hatmill’s operating model is non-hierarchical – and the team have significant influence over their work, something that has boosted staff retention, morale and wellbeing.

Innovation is a pivotal part of becoming a Best Workplace - and Hatmill's ethos of "self-management and trust" allows employees to maximise their potential and drive innovation.

"Teams are self-managing," says Simon Dixon, "because the people closest to the challenge are best placed and motivated to decide how something should be organised. This allows the consulting team the freedom to address problems themselves and come up with innovative solutions, rather than passing challenges up the chain of command.

“At Great Place To Work® our overarching goal has consistently been to enrich the world of work by empowering companies to evolve into exceptional organisations that cater to everyone. We wholeheartedly endorse the idea that what's 'better for business' aligns with what's 'better for people,' ultimately contributing to a better world For All™" said Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place To Work® UK.  

“Year after year, it's truly inspiring to witness a growing number of organisations earn a spot on our UK’s Best Workplaces™ List, we’ve seen our client’s Trust Index scores increasing, meaning the bar for being on this List is getting higher. This recognition is no mean feat and highlights companies across the UK that excel in fostering high levels of trust in leadership, instilling pride in their workforce, and cultivating strong camaraderie among colleagues. These crucial elements collectively contribute to creating workplaces where employees feel they can truly be themselves and thrive in a supportive environment. Congratulations to Hatmill for being part of our 2024 UK’s Best Workplaces™ List." 

Great Place To Work® performed rigorous evaluations of hundreds of employee survey responses alongside Culture Audit™ submissions from leaders at each company to create the 2024 UK's Best Workplaces™ list. They then used these data insights to benchmark the effectiveness of companies' employee value propositions against the culture their employees actually experience. Only those businesses who achieve the highest scores after evaluation receive Best Workplaces™ status.