A HOSPICE has come second in a list of the country's 100 best companies to work for.

St Ann's Hospice, in Peel Lane, Little Hulton, scored high as a happy place to work, where job satisfaction meant more than a large salary.

Only 34 out of 298 employees across three sites in Greater Manchester earned more than £25,000 and only eight of those earned more than £35,000.

Yet more than two-thirds say they were happy with their pay and benefits, according to a survey by The Sunday Times,

A spokesman said: "Every member of staff can leave work at the end of a day or shift knowing that they have made a positive difference.

"The hospice aims to improve the quality of life for people with life-threatening illnesses while supporting their families and carers."

The Sunday Times found that 88 per cent of staff were motivated by having a job that mattered, rather than a job that just paid the bills.

St Ann's was the top scorer among 100 companies for staff that thought they made a "positive difference" to the world, while 85 per cent felt their contribution to its success is valuable.

The survey found that staff respected and got on with each other because they were united by their common aim of caring.

Chief executive Terry McDonnell said: "I remind managers that they can't expect staff to care for patients and families if they're not cared for themselves."

Teams scored high marks with 82 per cent claiming team-mates went out of their way to be helpful and 87 per cent said that they had confidence in their team-mates' abilities.

St Ann's offers the biggest adult hospice facilities in Britain, caring for more than 3,000 people each year.

The hospice also provides support to hospices in South Africa and Romania. No organisation in The Times' survey scored higher (83 per cent) for putting something back into the community.

Despite the hospice's serious work, nearly nine out of 10 people say they "laughed a lot" with their team and 87 per cent reported them as being "fun to work with".

Supportive internal structures also made for a good working environment.

Education and skills training were identified during individual performance reviews, and in-service training is held weekly and open to all.

The hospice has a dedicated institute for development and staff may job-shadow each other to gain a better understanding of different roles.

Holiday allowance is 27 days for all and staff can take paid sabbaticals for training activities.

Maternity pay is enhanced and the hospice will match pension contributions up to seven per cent of salary.

For the second year running, multinational Gore-Tex manufacturer WL Gore and Associates' Scottish operation was named as the top company to work for.