Our culture

As well as 25 days of annual leave (plus three days for our Christmas shutdown) everyone at DJS Research gets a day off for their birthday. But what if your birthday falls at the weekend? Fear not – you’ll get to take a day of annual leave either the week before, or after your birthday. Simply agree with your line manager and the day is yours – be it on your actual birthday or, to quote the Mad Hatter and March Hare from Alice in Wonderland, your ‘very merry un-birthday’!

Just in case you missed it, we’re incredibly proud to be employee-owned! It’s a move that has placed the future of DJS Research firmly in the hands of our incredible employee Partners, ensuring they will always come first, be looked after and listened to. It also protects our unique legacy as an independent, family-owned business. Our EO anniversary on 1^st July gives us a great excuse to have a little celebration and though the ‘what and where’ may vary, there is always plenty of cake!

Hybrid working means spontaneous after-work get-togethers are a little trickier than they once were… that’s where our Social Committee come in! Tasked with organising ‘in-real-life’ events throughout the year, the DJS social calendar is created by our Partners, for our Partners. From company away-days (at Chester Zoo!) to Inform events (at the cinema – with popcorn!) and simply getting a date in the diary for a trip to the pub; who says being organised can’t be fun?!

We all know a little thanks can go a long way, but when a teammate’s gone above and beyond, an email or Teams message doesn’t always feel enough. That’s why we introduced our own thank you cards and ‘DJS Star’ badges, as a simple way to recognise when someone’s gone that extra mile. Available for anyone to send to a colleague across our business, they’re always well received and spread a little cheer company-wide.

Department updates, team news, book club recommendations, photo comps and DJS pets… just a few of the regular features in our very own digital company newsletter – DJS Digest. Launched in 2023, thanks to an idea from our employee council EO Voice, it aims to connect colleagues across our network and provide something of interest for everyone. Published biannually, it’s a real team effort and the results are well worth it.

We don’t half love our pets at DJS Research and with so many passionate pooch-owners amongst us, we decided to try our own ‘Bring Your Dog to Work Day’ at our Strines HQ. That was back in 2019 and it’s been a firm fixture in our calendar ever since! After a furry meet-and-greet, our canine pals are encouraged to settle down while normal work resumes, before lunchtime walkies and a pit stop at the local pub. Then it’s home for an afternoon nap – for the dogs, not the humans!

Since the early days of the Great British Bake Off (remember Mel and Sue on Channel 4?) we’ve been hosting cake-based events at our Strines office and a pun-tastic GBBO sweepstake soon followed! We have more than a handful of star bakers amongst us and our ‘Coffee & Cake’ days are a fantastic way to bring people together, and raise a little money for our chosen charities too. You don’t have to bake to take part, but you definitely need to donate to eat!

Partners’ wellbeing is the core priority of our People Pillar – a strategic working group who ensure we’re doing everything we can to look after our most valuable assets; our people. Initiatives have included company-wide mental health and stress awareness training and regular factsheets, often written from first-hand experience, on important topics from neurodiversity to domestic abuse. We encourage an open-door, open-dialogue policy and our Mental Health First-Aiders provide additional support alongside line managers and HR.