Dear readers, I hope you’re great. I was absolutely delighted for our business to be included in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work recently. Just so you know, there was quite a tough criteria for entering, but the entry also strongly depended on what our team thinks about the business. In fact, as part of the award submission process, an anonymous survey was distributed to the entire team, making this achievement particularly meaningful to us.
In my opinion, this is the greatest accolade that our business has ever received. For Pauline and I there really isn’t a business without the team, and to know that they are so happy to work with us towards our goals and our mission is an absolute dream. So I thought I’d share a few top tips on how we’ve built a great place to work.
Finding the right people
We have a vigorous employment process where team members will be invited from two to three interviews. We do background and reference checks and we may even set this very new team member a task.
We will make sure that they understand our company culture, with a culture document that we have put together, running through all the main pillars of our brand. We’ll make sure that they align with our goals. Taking the time to ensure a good fit now will save you so much time in the future. Of course it doesn’t always work out, and this sounds like a basic tip, but it is a key tip.
Regular communications and goal setting
We take great pride in the amount of time we spend catching up with our team. Whether it be through quick WhatsApp messages to see how the other team member is doing, regular meetings as a team, or finally regular 1 to 1 meetings for goal setting.
It’s really important that you, as the company owner, and the team member share your common goals and that also you, as the employer, are trying to help them achieve their goals. So many employees I have met over time in other workplaces will regularly say that they are unsure of what they are doing, why they are doing it, or where they are headed. To prevent this, we consistently communicate our latest numbers, current business status, and recent updates to keep our team fully informed.
We also prioritise listening to our team members to understand the type of additional training they need to advance in their roles. This approach helps us identify the best educational opportunities for our employees and enables us to organise training sessions that really support them in their growth and in achieving their personal goals.
Recognition and rewards
Ultimately, this is why we work – for reward and pleasure. Firstly, if you don’t love what you do you really shouldn’t be in that workplace. It’s unfair to yourself and to the employer, and it might be a better opportunity for somebody else. However, in the work space reward and feeling rewarded, and wanted, is very important to Pauline and I.
We have a number of initiatives to ensure our team members feel special, such as: regular communication. Basic, we know. Monthly office massages, a personalised health benefit scheme through Simply Health, as well as summer and winter motivational events. We invite the team to regular awards ceremonies, we organise yearly educational programs and business trips. We have also introduced a team-nominated reward scheme through which colleagues are awarded a perk—this could be anything from shopping vouchers to money to spend on a day out with the family.
To summarise, the foundation of creating a great place to work is built on these three elements: finding the right people, having a clear line of communication with them, and putting in place rewards to ensure that they always feel valued and appreciated for their hard work. The combination of all of these key points is what really ensures that team members feel like they’re part of a bigger plan.
