office matters

The Ten Best Companies to Work for in London

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There are a large number of companies to work for in London, and many seem to offer extremely attractive contracts and benefits. Choosing between all of the companies in the capital and making sure that you have made the best choice can be rather tough, especially when you consider all the various aspects such as pay, working environment and benefits. What follows is ten of the best companies to work for in London, most of which have won awards for the excellent packages that they offer their employees.

Shine Communications, which has offices in Islington, is a public relations consultancy agency that was established back in 1998. Shine Communications currently employs just over 50 people and recently won the title of the UK’s Best Small Company to Work For. Shine Communications has a reputation for respecting its staff and treating them as individuals, along with asking their opinions on various aspects of the company’s management. The company offers flexible working hours and an early finish on Fridays, as well as plenty of holidays, especially on special occasions such as their birthdays. The company is also noted for their charity work and competitive salary packages.

Electrical cable supplier Eland Cables is known for its fun and friendly working environment, while special team building exercises are run throughout the year. Eland Cables, which has its corporate head office in Kentish Town, also offers flexible working hours, along with a number of schemes in place to help protect the environment.

The Eurostaff Group recruitment consultancy agency regularly rewards its staff for their hard work with treats such as a weekend in Marrakesh. Around 60 people currently work for this caring company, and staff turnover is just 5%. The company offers a comparatively high salary to their staff as well as perks such as mobile phones and performance related pay. The Eurostaff Group also rewards their employees for working hard with incentives such as trips to Las Vegas and Paris. The Eurostaff Group have offices across Europe and a London base in Southwark.

The Softwire software development company boasts a workforce of 58 people. The happiness and wellbeing of Softwire staff is taken seriously, and the company has even developed an app to monitor general happiness and give instant praise. People who care about their working environment are sure to love working at Softwire.

Goodman Masson, established in Barbican, is a recruitment consultancy company that goes to great lengths to ensure that their staff feel secure by helping them financial in a number of ways. Although the starting salary is already very competitive, the company offers extra bonuses such as helping them to save money on their mortgage payments. Staff also have the option to trade some of their salary for extra holiday time, while staff members who want to purchase a car or make any other type of major purchase will be offered a loan.

The Berkeley Partnership management consultancy company, situated in Chancery Lane, show their appreciation for staff who work hard in a number of different ways. The company features 50 employees and 15 partners. Refreshingly, there is no boss as such, as each of the partners take it in turns to manage different divisions of the company. This helps to ensure that staff are treated fairly, which is reflected by the company’s 10% staff turnover rate.

The Karmarama advertising agency, located in Hammersmith, is perhaps best known for their high profile work for charity, which includes a 24-hour table tennis marathon. While the company’s staff are encouraged to work hard, they also play hard, and the advertising agency provides an onsite fitness centre and games room. Staff who perform well also receive excellent bonuses and other rewards.

The SilverDoor Serviced Apartments property management company, which has offices in Chiswick, believe in treating each of their 54 members of staff as individuals and goes to great lengths to create a personal image and profile for new employees. Team building exercises are regularly organised and SilverDoor Serviced Apartments ensures that the high profits that are generated by the sale and rental of apartments is shared with their employees.

Having fun at work is one of the main concerns at Mind Candy. The average age of employees at this children’s entertainment company is just 30, and staff are encouraged to tackle their workload in a playful and innovative way. Employees spend their days thinking up new ideas for children’s games and putting them into practice, and this a great place to work for people who are young at heart. Mind Candy’s workspace is in Shoreditch.

London Transport MP Urges Flexi Time During 2012 Games

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In order to limit the amount of commuters using the London transport network during the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Department for Transport has recommended that businesses allow employees flexible hours or remote working where possible.

Due to the expected influx of tourists and visitors during the London 2012 Olympic Games London Underground and bus services are expected to be stretched to the limit, with overcrowding and delays.

Norman Baker MP, the minister for transport has said that although the transport system has been upgraded and an investment of 6.5 billion pounds has been made, this will not be enough to stop travel delays and issues.

Mr Baker recommended that businesses allow London based office employees work closer to home, use video conferencing facilities or work from home if possible to ease congestion on public transportation during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

UK office staff lean towards remote working

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According to a recent survey carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), UK workers believe that by 2020 it will be an absolute norm to work remotely – from home, the cafe, the park or anywhere else – rather than from the cramped and soulless office.

More than 1,150 were asked to predict their career situation and workplace conditions for the year 2020. The majority of respondents admitted being worn down by the increased workload due to the recent recession, causing them to desire for better flexible working arrangements (reported by 47 per cent of respondents). Nearly half (42 per cent) admitted desiring for an improved work/life balance.

Interestingly, only the younger group of respondents (61 per cent of 16-25 year olds) believed they would still be working in an office environment by 2020.
There have been reports that office workers might not need to wait until 2020 for more flexible working arrangements, as many CEOs are already looking to invest in technologies allowing remote operations.

Uncomfortable situations ignored by most workers

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We all have received positive feedback from our colleagues about the change of our hairstyle or a nice pair of trendy shoes. But what about the embarrassing feedback, especially if both sides feel uncomfortable thinking about, let alone mentioning it?

CareerBuilder has carried out an interesting survey recently, trying to establish how brave office workers are at revealing unpleasant information, i.e. that someone has some food stuck in their teeth or that the colleague’s zipper is undone.

It turns out that we are more likely to comment on embarrassing situations if they involve people of the same or lower work level. For instance, half of office workers would inform the same level colleague if there was something in their nose, whilst only a third would be brave enough to tell a higher level colleague.

Only 11 per cent of respondents would ever tell a higher level co-worker that they needed a shower, the same percentage would comment on the inappropriate wardrobe, and only 13 per cent would tell their superior that their hair was a mess.

The survey involved 4,478 full time working respondents in the USA.

Additional advice for office workers in London including Healthy Office Lunch Delivery Services in London, Business Etiquette, Office Kitchen Etiquette, Making a Good Impression on Your First Day in the Office, A Guide to Managing Stress in the Workplace and advice on Working Remotely.

Company Christmas Cards

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It’s about time to check your address book and get sending out Christmas Cards to employees, clients, suppliers and local companies. You can quickly and easily have a personalised Christmas Card produced with your company name, logo and address (good for advertising or just as a reminder of who you are) and/or with a picture of your company.

Having received a company Christmas card where all the employees were dressed up as Xmas puddings, which is something I would be very reluctant to do myself, there are other ways of producing a card with a difference. How about a collage of employee baby pictures? Probably far more endearing than the grown up versions, unless you work at a modelling agency that is. Or employee pets, perhaps with Santa hats or similar Christmassy adornment.

If you can take the time to handwrite your cards, it does give them a more personal feel. Ensure you get your cards out in the beginning of December, the longer your cards are on display the better, plus it gives the receiver time to return the favour.

Further advice on all things Christmassy in the office including office Xmas parties, planning an office Christmas party in London and Christmas on a Budget.

Office Christmas Party Checklist

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If you’ve been put in charge of planning the office Xmas do, here is a checklist to get you started on your way:
Venue – Choose your Christmas party venue carefully, can people get to it easily? What about drivers? Public transport options?

  • Date and Time – You don’t want to overlap with other parties if you can help it, for example individual team Xmas parties.
  • Budget – How much has been allocated per head?
  • How many people are attending – Are you allowing spouses/dates?
  • Caterer – Is it a sit down meal or buffet? Don’t forget to cater for vegetarians, allergies etc.
  • Drink allowance – is there a bar?
  • Entertainment – Themed, music or band?

Remember that places get booked up very quickly during December, so don’t leave it too late to get organising.

Further advice on all things Christmassy in the office including planning an office Christmas party in London and company Christmas cards and Christmas on a budget.

Office Share – The Pros and Cons

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Sharing an office with another person can be difficult. Having a colleague in close quarters with you when you are trying to work can be advantageous or completely unbearable.

It can be beneficial to have another person in your office. They can be someone to brain storm with and discuss ideas and solutions to your work problems or simply just someone to talk to. This can make your day more interesting and motivating. However, sharing your office can cause a lot of problems too, particularly if your job requires quiet and is fast paced and stressful. If you are used to working in your way, having another person in your space can be distracting and even aggravating.

Having an office-mate can be a positive experience. It can be someone to bounce ideas off of and help you to develop those ideas before presentation to your boss. However, it is important to try and allow each other to have personal space, even if it is a small office.

The arrangement of the furniture in the room can either make or break a shared-office relationship. If you can, it can often be good to have some kind of partition in the room, clearly marking your space. If not, just make sure that your desks are far enough apart that you are not bumping into one another every time you move. Also make sure that office equipment that has to be shared, such as printers, fax machines and copiers, are in a position that you can both reach with ease without getting into each other’s way.

Besides the problems that the logistics of the office space itself can cause there are also personality and work-style clashes. Some people like to listen to music while working, and if this is the case it is best to use headphones. Not everyone wants to hear your music and it can be distracting for some. Headphones may help to solve this argument before it even occurs. It can also be a good idea to “stagger” lunchtime as this can provide you with some peace and quiet if you take lunch at different times. This can then allow you to get critical things that require focus done. Continue reading “Office Share – The Pros and Cons” →

Top 5 Microwave Manners – Office Kitchen Etiquette

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In most offices there is a distinct lack of kitchen etiquette: people leaving dirty dishes in the sink or crumbs/leftover food all over the kitchen counters. Many office workers either forget or ignore the rulers of the office kitchen even though most of the rules simply stem from common sense and consideration for others.

When using the office kitchen there are simple and seemingly obvious general rules that should be followed.

Continue reading “Top 5 Microwave Manners – Office Kitchen Etiquette” →

Office Art and Decor

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When choosing how to decorate your office it is important to choose art and décor that speaks positively about the environment of the office and sends the right message to both employees and clients.

It can be difficult to choose the right colours, wall hangings or sculptures that not only fit in with the corporate culture but also adhere to a sense of professionalism and will help to create a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere for clients. You and your employees also spend a large amount of time in the office so it should be an interesting and motivating place.

Continue reading “Office Art and Decor” →