STRONG LEADERSHIP CAN make all the difference in the workplace, as staff at Rother District Council will happily tell you. Formed in 1974, the Bexhill-based organisation has a workforce of 312 and close to two-fifths have been there for five years or more. The average salary for a customer services assistant is about £19,000 and 38% of staff earn more than £25,000. Chief executive Derek Stevens, who joined in 2002, has an open-door policy and is seen as accessible and approachable. He attends meetings, provides updates via the intranet and contributes to the in-house newsletter. Employees find Stevens inspiring, giving him a 65% positive score, have great faith in him (73%) and agree that he runs the the council on sound principles (74%), all top 10 rankings for mid-sized organisations on our list. Managers also rate highly. Senior leaders truly live the values of the organisation (61%), staff are confident in their skills (66%) and they say the council is run on strong values (68%). Rother council also excels for Wellbeing, the factor in which it achieves its best ranking, with just 10 other organisations higher overall. Deadlines are realistic (63%), people are happy with the balance between work and home (68%), and staff do not suffer stress (71%) — all top 10 results. www.rother.gov.uk
