Happy workforce, thriving business

With the Sunday Times top companies lists being published recently, we were pleased to see some of our office provider friends featured in the 100 best small companies to work for, such as Business Environment Limited and The Office Group.

The award, which is in its 14^th year, looks to compare the UK’s most motivated workforces and, being one of the most extensive researches done in the field, it is given good weighting.

So, what is the secret to keeping your workforce happy?

We caught up with Andrew Issott, Head of Marketing at Business Environment Limited, to ask about the companies thoughts on keeping their team enthusiastic.

“It’s crucial to invest in your employees because, after all, they are the means by which you will prosper. As in all elements of the business, you need to improve and refine and the same is true with your staff.

“As part of our annual reviews with every employee, we discuss training and how they would like to develop in the forthcoming year. We have sent people on everything from social media strategy, management training to health and safety courses. Not only does this improve morale and lower staff turnover but it also up-skills your business.”

At Search Office Space we also like to equip our team as best we can. Steve Marsden, Global Sales Director, has put together the School of Excellence Training Academy.

The training includes a full induction into the company and different standardised modules, such as how to do viewings, handling corporate leads, objection handling and about different personality types. There are also regular review points in case anyone needs a little more information on a certain area.

Steve has previously worked in sales but on the office provider side, so he understands the relationship between brokers and providers and knows what is needed from both sides. Therefore, he is able to better equip SOS’s sales team and help them feel more at ease in their role.

Outlining the importance of team training, Steve says, “it gives sales people market knowledge, helps them feel comfortable and able to help customers and gives structure to their role. The team feel valued because time has been invested in them, which then gives job satisfaction. To me, the most important thing is staff retention, as experienced people in our industry are more valued, and all of these factors lead to that.”

According to statistics, 41% of employees at companies with inadequate training programs plan to leave within a year. Training is such a simple process to put in place and gives prospective employees instant respect for the company because they see such a structured process in place.

Having such a positive effect on staff, which, in turn, leads to the smooth running of the business, it’s definitely worth putting a process in place if you haven’t already.