We’re a Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2025

We are delighted to announce that, for the third consecutive year, we’ve been named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list.

The nationwide workplace survey, powered by WorkL, honours and celebrates Britain’s top employers and acknowledges the best workplaces for women, LGBTQIA+ community, disabled employees, ethnic minorities, younger and older workers, and wellbeing.

The survey uses 26 questions from WorkL’s employee engagement survey to accurately monitor employee engagement, wellbeing and discretionary effort in the workplace. To achieve a high overall engagement results, an organisation must score well across WorkL’s six-step framework which encompasses aspects such as Reward and Recognition, Instilling Pride, Information Sharing, Empowerment, Wellbeing, and Job Satisfaction.

In our listing, we were praised across several areas: “This Manchester architect practice ensures its employees’ career plans are on track by investing in a professional development programme and providing mentoring to its trainees. Following feedback from staff the firm has further enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity pay, as well as its hybrid flexible working offer. AEW, which has an office in London, offers the 103 staff benefits including a paid volunteering day, team social events, biannual performance bonuses and sabbatical leave of up to a year.”

Director, Alex Southall, has said of the accolade:

“As a people-first business, we know we’re only as good as the people we employ. Our holistic People Strategy – built around wellbeing, growth & development, and outreach – is designed to create a truly rewarding and inclusive work environment for every member of our team. To be recognised on the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list for the third consecutive year, and to receive praise across multiple aspects of our people offer, is an incredible honour. We’re absolutely delighted.”

Our appointment to the list, comes off the back of other recent successes including being shortlisted for Architectural Practice of the Year at the Insider North West Property Awards and making the AJ100 for the third time.

View the full Sunday Times Best Places to Work list here.