Radio Systems PetSafe Europe Ltd – owner of PetSafe Brand - is one of the top three places to work in Europe.

The company ranked third in the 2018 Great Place to Work Best Workplaces in Europe awards – beating its 2017 ranking by six places.

The accolade from the esteemed Great Place to Work group follows on from RSPEL achieving 1st place in the Best Workplaces in Ireland 2018 list in February where 100 per cent of employees voted the company a great place to work.

Specialising in innovative companion pet and sport and hunting products, RSPEL offers comprehensive pet training, health and wellness, waste management and play product solutions through its leading PetSafe® Brand, and superior training and tracking products for professional trainers and hunters via its global SportDOG Brand.

Since it first opened in Dundalk in 2012, business has flourished for RSPEL, growing by 25 per cent over the last three years and headcount has risen by 50 per cent.  In the last year, RSPEL has built on its projects to foster great working practices and inspire and motivate its team.  The company has introduced new programmes such as ‘Creative Thinking’ and ‘Office Improvement’ and established a bi-annual ‘Fantastic Five’ award initiative.  Categories include ‘Einstein Idea’ which recognises great creativity and ‘Iron Man/Woman’ which offers those with 12 months’ full attendance an extra three days of annual leave.

RSPEL has also introduced policies to help encourage better work/life balance, offering employees both flexi-time and working from home. It is also focused on employee wellness, having appointed a Wellness Champion who runs a programme that includes a plant-filled wellness room, regular talks from external motivational speakers, wellness breaks and voluntary annual employee health check-ups.

On top of more traditional perks, as a pet-centric business RSPEL also offers perks to ensure employees have great relationships with their pet. These include being allowed to bring dogs into the office, eight hours’ ‘paw-rental’ leave to help new pets settle and three days’ paid pet bereavement leave. Additionally, RSPEL helps to cover the cost of pet care, including microchipping, insurance and health check-ups.

A key part of the RSPEL culture is giving back to the local community. As well as nurturing employees’ pets, RSPEL gives back to animals in the community and has an annual budget dedicated to supporting animal-related charities, including Dundalk Dog Rescue (DDR). The business has also recently formed a partnership with the charity RehabCare to help develop disadvantaged adults who have fewer employment opportunities.

David Verdon, General Manager at RSPEL said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised as a Great Place to Work® in Europe for the second year running and to rank in third place is a great achievement, especially given entries have increased 40 per cent on last year. None of this would have been possible without our fantastic Dundalk team who continue to demonstrate daily commitment and passion for our brand – this award is theirs.  Over the coming months our focus will be to continue business growth and ensuring we continue to foster the best possible work environment for our staff and an excellent experience for our customers.”

Great Place to Work’s CEO, Michael Bush added: “The organisations on this year’s Best Workplaces in Europe list represent forward-thinking cultures that cultivate inclusion for all. They understand that employees are people first and foremost and provide them with environments where they can be themselves, build strong bonds, and thrive with their peers.”

The Best Workplaces in Europe is the largest annual survey in the region and this year 2,800 companies across Europe participated, 800 more than last year.  The unique awards recognise organisations that are dedicated to sustaining high-trust cultures for their employees and winners are decided by evaluating employee and management feedback on areas including trust, culture and policies.