Solihull-headquartered Paragon Bank’s ongoing support for its employees has been reflected in its latest employee survey, with 87% of staff demonstrating that they care about and have a positive relationship with the organisation.

Paragon employs over 1,000 people in Solihull alone and the survey is an opportunity for staff to provide feedback and help make the Bank a better place to work, highlighting its ongoing commitment to supporting its people, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

With more than 1,150 employees from across the company taking part in the survey, all departments achieved an individual engagement score of at least 80%, contributing to the overall engagement score of 87%. This is well above the financial services industry average of around 65%.

Results also showed that 97% of employees reported a positive working relationship with their line manager, with 96% agreeing that their line manager cares about their health and wellbeing and 94% agreeing that their line manager makes it clear what the responsibilities are in their role.

A recent report from Business in the Community – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network, highlights how the pandemic has accelerated the demand for an increased focus on employee wellbeing and states that “good job design must be part of the solution.”

The report calls for employers to treat mental health with the same importance as physical health and safety, as well as collaborating with employees to improve their work life – something that has been a particular focus for Paragon during the past year.

Anne-Marie Day, Head of Learning and Development at Paragon, said: “We have received a great set of results so are hugely grateful to everyone who took part.

“Achieving an overall engagement score of 87%, despite the challenges that we have faced during the pandemic, is fantastic and we’re really glad that the support provided for our employees throughout this period has been reflected. However, we won’t be standing still; we are already looking at areas of best practice to share across the Group and identifying where improvements are needed.”

Through Paragon’s employees taking the opportunity to have their say about working at Paragon, the Bank has also raised £1,156 for chosen company charity of the year, The Alzheimer’s Society.