A not-for-profit organisation which provides housing and community services for vulnerable people has featured in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For list.

Southdown Housing Association is the only Sussex-based company to be listed in the table which is regarded as an accurate gauge of company policy and practice.

Despite an average salary for a full-time support worker of less than £16,000, more than 80 per cent of the staff said they would miss working for the company if they left.

The Lewes-based group, which has a £12 million turnover, gained top ten rankings in several categories and was named third best company for its "strong values and principles".

Aideen Jones, chief executive of the organisation which provides care for 1,000 people in Sussex, described the company's overall ranking at 32 as "fantastic".

She said: "It shows our staff feel valued and happy at work which is so important because contented, motivated staff can provide sensitive, quality care and support to our tenants and service users."

Southdown works across Sussex providing supported housing for 650 tenants and community services for more than 300 people with various disabilities.

The organisation has charity status but, according to Sunday Times judges, "runs with the kind of efficiency many private sector companies would envy".

All staff have access to childcare vouchers, more than a third of managers are women and the association spends nearly £100,000 per year on staff training.

Compiling this year's 100 Best Companies list involved one of the largest surveys of the British workforce undertaken by the Sunday Times.

Judges were impressed by Southdown's employment policies, its environmental policies and the results of a questionnaire sent to 250 staff about what they thought of the company.

More than 70 per cent said Southdown put a lot back into the community and more than 80 per cent felt it made a positive difference to the world. These were top ten scores across all 100 companies.

Southdown, which has offices in Brighton, Worthing, Horsham and Polegate, was also the third best company in the category of least overtime required.

For the second year running, WL Gore, the Scottish-based manufacturer of breathable, waterproof fabric Gore Tex, topped the list. Other well-known companies to feature in the list were Yell, Beaverbrooks, EMI Music, Microsoft, Volkswagen Group UK, Avis Rent A Car and Virgin Mobile.

Nationwide came first in a top ten of companies to work for with more than 5,000 employers, followed by Asda, KMPG and the Carphone Warehouse.