The Best Places to Work in IT Awards 2008 were celebrated at the Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane on 22 February. Here we profile the winners, whose effective and innovative employment practices have put their IT departments at the top of the list.

The Internet Group

Category winner: IT services

The Internet Group has established a work environment and culture in which people enjoy working and can thrive both individually and as a close-knit team.

The firm was described as buzzy and different by the judges. The Internet Group aims to provide careers, not just jobs, and looks to turn technical staff into professional business people.

The company measures customer resolution issue time as a measure of team performance, tying the team to a business goal.

It gives each member of the IT team a personal development roadmap, with all The Internet Group staff being mentored.

Staff receive 30 days of training per year. The company pays for training, materials and exams, and automatically gives pay rises to everyone who gains a new accreditation.

Judges' comments

Judges were impressed with The Internet Group's personal development roadmap and 30 days training a year.

Judges also approved of The Internet Group's attitude to green issues and carbon neutrality.

Judges were also impressed by the firm's commitment to personal development. It felt it displayed more originality than other entrants in the category, and described the link between pay rises and accreditation as unique.

Judges commended the company for recognising the practical issues surrounding working mothers.

Here are a couple of pictures of the night...

www.computerweekly.com | 28/02/2008

Watch the video of the awards ceremony and interviews with the winners.