Dougie Mac celebrates top spot in the UK’s Best Charities to Work For list

Dougie Mac is celebrating after being named the UK’s Best Charity to Work For in the latest league table compiled by independent employee engagement specialists, Best Companies.

The prestigious title was awarded by the Best Companies 2023 Accreditation which also gave Dougie Mac a three star rating – the highest possible ranking – meaning that the hospice is now classed as a World-Class Organisation to work for.

The Best Companies accreditation is based entirely on employee feedback where earlier this year more than 400 Dougie Mac employees were encouraged to complete an anonymous survey to have their say about working at the hospice.

More than 75% of employees completed the confidential survey, sharing their thoughts on 8 key areas, including leadership, wellbeing and how they feel working in their team.

After appearing in the 2022 UK’s Best Charities to Work For list in 7^th position, Dougie Mac made significant progress within the last year to reach the number 1 spot in the 2023 list. In addition to the charity sector list, Dougie Mac also made strong headway in the regional and national lists, featuring at 14^th and 16^th respectively. 

The results demonstrate that Dougie Mac has extraordinarily high levels of employee engagement and employees feel valued, engaged and proud of where they work.

David Webster, Chief Executive of Dougie Mac, said, “We’ve always regarded ourselves as a world-class hospice and a charity that local people can be hugely proud of but it’s fantastic to get external confirmation and evidence of just how special this place is.

“It’s particularly poignant to have gained this achievement in our 50^th year; a landmark for Dougie Mac that we are tremendously proud of. The staff and volunteers at Dougie Mac deserve the most profound credit and thanks for all they have achieved and continue to achieve on behalf of the local patients and community.

“We hope we can continue to receive the most superb support we get every year from local people and businesses.”

Dougie Mac’s success was announced during Best Companies Live, a seminar hosted by TV’s Dan Walker, where David appeared as a panellist discussing the importance of employee engagement and how to create a culture that supports employee wellbeing. 

2023 saw Dougie Mac take part in the Best Companies survey for the fourth time after first introducing the initiative to their employees in 2019.

David continued: “To be recognised as one of the top performers in the charity sector, as well as at regional and national levels alongside other huge household names is an outstanding accolade for our local hospice.”