Teamwork and a brighter future

The woes of working through the recession are familiar to many; being underpaid, undervalued, enduring office politics and generally loathing the working week. A recent survey found that as a result, "Many employees would sell work passwords for just £5".

It can be better:

This company (Best STL) strives to create a place where trust and integrity drive motivation. They're not afraid to trust others. Flexible working arrangements are encouraged. Many work from home, with some on other continents. 

Teamwork - Pulling together in tough times:

When money was tight, the management team shouldered some of the burden through salary sacrifices (ranging from 10% cuts up to 2 years with no pay), pensions were cashed in and holidays cut to the bone.

It is a testament to the training, sales and logistics teams that the company kept 93% of its sales during the recession whilst the industry saw a 40% slump. This exemplary performance and flexibility saved jobs while other companies in the training industry shed staff in droves.

One long serving individual fought a life threatening illness for 2 years. The company provided financial support and created a new role for him. Jacob relates - "I heard stories in hospital from people who had lost their livelihoods. This would have been my fate in many companies".

Signs of a happier and more engaged team can also be seen by the higher than normal staff retention rates (50% of the team have been with the company for 7+ years)

Higher performance is reflected with customer satisfaction of over 98% from 42,493 customer's responses.

A fairer culture:

The company is now thriving and plans to reach its ideal size in about 3 years. At that point, growth will halt, and efforts will focus on becoming increasingly efficient.

Progressively, the rewards will be distributed to colleagues through incentive schemes. The company thus plans to improve employment flexibility and benefits, resulting in a happier —and possibly the most efficient— team within the training industry.

MD of Best STL states, "The key has been the performance of our market leading staff who should be rightly proud of their achievements."

Essentially, cooperation and teamwork got the company through the recent tough times and set the course for a brighter future.