DATA analytics company Simpson Associates may be based in York but the nature of its business means it has employees all over the UK.

The firm has been running for more than 25 years, and in July 2018, it went through a management buy-out by four members of the leadership team.

So why is it worthy of the title Employer of the Year in The Press Business Awards?

The firm says: “The bottom line is Simpson Associates value people.

"The leadership team really do recognise their employees are at the foundation of a successful business.

“One of the first tasks they took on was to do some work around the company’s vision and values.

"They realised it was important to get everyone’s ideas and buy-in, as the values would form an integral part of everything we do as a business.

"They included the whole company in the project, using one of our company away days, to brainstorm and collate everyone’s thoughts and ideas.”

The four values that Simpson Associates stand for are: We value People; We do what we say we’ll do; We are Strategic Partners; We Strive for Excellence.

It adds: “The values really do reflect who we are as a business – it’s not just some corporate jargon that an external agency came up with, but words that truly resonate with the people who work here and created by those same people.”

Simpsons provides each employee with a personal development plan and access to training courses dependent on the skills they need to improve upon.

It has a graduate recruitment scheme, and annually employs four new graduates to join the consultancy team. Many of its consultants progressed through that scheme, and have been with the firm for several years, testament to the development Simpsons have provided them with.

Simpsons ensures everyone feels part of the team, and uses technology to enable staff who work away from the York office to feel connected, with regular company update skype calls and internal communication portals, plus a quarterly company away day, everyone feels connected.

As well as perks like private healthcare, the firm also sends a card and voucher to help mark an employee's birthday, and provides subscriptions to Perkbox with discounts on retail and entertainment.

Flexible working is a valuable offering for those with family commitments. Part-time opportunities are also available, plus the option to work from home from time to time.