offi ce life
Noel Williams, Kilsby Williams, Newport
Ross Porter, Lady Muck Cleaning, Caerphilly County Borough
Does your business have a dress code? Why? Yes. All offi ce-based staff are dressed in business-like attire daily. All cleaning staff out on assignment wear uniforms. I believe that the lack of a dress code or a casual dress code
puts the individual in a more relaxed mode, which in turn results in less productivity in the workplace.
Team building – does it work and what do you do? We recognise the importance of team building and the team has benefi ted from numerous activities including paint balling, go-kart racing and spa days.
Under what circumstances are staff allowed to work from home? Some of staff can work from home if they are unable to make it into the offi ce due to extreme weather. Saying that, some of our contract managers work from home as they live closer to the site of our clients than they do to our offi ces.
If you had a magic wand and could instigate one thing to make a better working environment what would it be? (We won’t hold you to it...) A restaurant with a Michelin star chef at the helm.
Does your business have a dress code? Why? Yes, smart business attire although, some of the partners do not set a very good standard. Why? Because we are, to a certain extent, judged by our
clients and spend quite a lot of time with them. There is an expectation that accountants will turn up in smart business wear.
Team building – does it work and what do you do? Team building can assist in making a business a good place to work but there are many other elements. We have open plan offi ces, an open attitude to our business, regular updates on business performance and future plans, great staff outings, lots of cakes and sweets, staff can work from home within reason.
Under what circumstances are staff allowed to work from home? If it causes them an issue to come into work, if they feel they can be more productive at home, if they cannot get to work or if it’s easier to work from home (say at weekends or in the evening).
If you had a magic wand and could instigate one thing to make a better working environment what would it be? Moving the offi ce to Monaco!
Maria Larcombe, director of Operations (South), Acorn Group
Does your business have a dress code? Why? At Acorn rather
than having a formal dress code we ask our employees to dress appropriate to the role they undertake. We expect everyone to be smart and well-presented but as we work with a large number of clients in a variety of industries offi ce attire is not always practical. Most of the time, for our consultants, this means wearing a smart business attire, especially when they meet clients or job- seekers in the branches or when visiting clients. But for the consultants working on-site, in the construction or in the manufacturing industry for example, the dress code can be completely different. Health and safety rules come fi rst and they sometimes have to wear hi-vis vests or protective hard hats. The key word for us really is fl exibility: it is important
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that our consultants are dressed in a way that represents Acorn’s professionalism while adapting to our clients’ working environments.
Team building –does it work and what do you do? Acorn’s branches, specialist division and on-site locations are spread across the UK, so team building activities are very important to make sure everyone is kept up to date and feels part of the group team. Team building activities play a vital part of our regional branch managers meetings and we also organise training activities and seminars. At a group level ‘staff outings’ defi nitely help to make everyone feel part of the same team. Whether it is inviting the whole company to see rugby matches in Cardiff or organising the annual company Christmas dinner, there are always occasions and ideas to bring everyone together and we all have fantastic memories of these days!
Under what circumstances are staff allowed to work from home? Acorn is a fl exible organisation and, role
permitting, our staff can work from home when it is required. With today’s level of technology it is now so easy to stay in touch via iphones, laptops and skype. Also, some of our managers are constantly on the road. For them, being able to work remotely is a necessity. The fact that we can offer this level of fl exibility to our employees can also be very practical in some specifi c occasions. In January for example, when the snow was causing so many disruptions, some of our staff worked from home and it has been a real plus for our business.
If you had a magic wand and could instigate one thing to make a better working environment what would it be? I would love to be able to untangle traffi c jams! There is nothing like a day that starts without a hitch and for all our staff on the road, either on the way to work or travelling between meetings, not being stuck in traffi c would be a real time saver.
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