The recognition follows the charity’s decision to re-enter the awards in 2025, seeking to capture honest feedback from its team and gain deeper insight into what makes its workplace culture thrive and where it can improve.

Each employee completed a 26-question anonymous survey, exploring everything from job satisfaction and feelings of reward and recognition to their sense of empowerment and overall workplace experience.

This year’s results showed improvement across all six measured categories.

The survey revealed a deep sense of pride and fulfilment among The Cinnamon Trust’s team, with standout scores including an 86% average happiness rating, 87% for job satisfaction, an outstanding 92% for pride in their work, and 89% confidence in the management team.

Patrick Williams, CEO of The Cinnamon Trust, expressed,

The past two years have brought significant change and growth for The Cinnamon Trust. To navigate it well, listening closely to our team and nurturing our mission from within was absolutely key.

Last year’s results reassured us that we were heading in the right direction; but this year’s incredible feedback truly affirms that we’re building something lasting.

It shows that The Cinnamon Trust is not just a workplace, but a place where people find joy, support, and real purpose. We’re immensely proud to have achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating in every category.

About the survey

The Sunday Times Best Places to Work awards survey uses 26 questions from WorkL’s employee engagement survey, developed by behavioural scientists, data analysts, psychologists, business leaders, academics and other independent parties to most accurately monitor employee engagement, wellbeing and discretionary effort in the workplace.

To secure a spot on the list, each company had to meet a minimum response rate based on its size and garner a workforce rating of over 70%. Although the final listing is determined by an engagement score average, a highly engaged workplace must perform well in all six areas.

Some of the things that The Trust established across the years that have contributed to the positive employee feedback are flexi days in addition to annual leave, dog friendly workplace, wellbeing events, professional development opportunities, fun team activities, discounted pet food, and a generous 5% pension contribution.