The Orchid Group is celebrating being placed at number 20 in the Sunday Times Best 25 Big Companies to work for.
Praised for its clear communication and strong team spirit, 84% of staff members said they had fun working together. Placed 5th overall for wellbeing, staff reported a real sense of family amongst colleagues.
With a youthful staff base (average age is 29), you’ll also find a female edge to the Company with a male female split of 44:56.
Managers were commended for being great role models (68%) and staff felt they could talk openly and honestly to their employees. Beating every other organisation on the list, two top scores showed that people aren’t under so much pressure at work they can’t concentrate (79%) and they haven’t suffered work related stress in the last year (81%).
Orchid CEO, Rufus Hall, explains, “People are the heartbeat of our business and we ensure their wellbeing comes first. We have a strong family atmosphere at Orchid and look after our people as individuals. We make sure talents are nurtured and career goals achieved whilst also keeping fun high on the agenda!”
“We’re thrilled to be one of the first managed pub retailers to be ranked in the Top 20 and hope to build on our current platform to rank even higher up the list next year!”
Angie Barclay, General Manager at the Ardleigh & Dragon adds, “This ranking is testament to Orchid being a truly fantastic Company to work for. The support and passion of all involved is second to none.”
Key initiatives that helped Orchid to secure its place include:
· Small touches: Saying ‘well done’ or ‘thank you’ with CEO Rufus Hall known for sending flowers and Champagne whilst personalising every note.
· Incentives: Quarterly schemes offering fantastic rewards for both Managers and their families. Recent incentives have included an all expenses paid trip to New York for 20 managers (and their partners).
· Platinum Partners: Rewarding Orchid’s Elite Managers for exceptional business performance. Perks include; free family private healthcare, enhanced pension contributions, a stake in the company (£1,000 worth of shares), a percentage of pub profits and 50% food discount for all of their staff. Rufus and the board also recently hosted a fully expensed ‘Thank You’ gala dinner at Brighton’s famous Grand Hotel for all 65 managers and their partners.
· Tailored personnel packages: regularly updated to meet employees’ changing needs – from ‘Heath Shield’ to Perkz, staff have access to over 40% discount at 80 of the UK’s leading brands.
· Cultivating home-grown talent – ‘Steps to Excellence’ scheme equips deputy managers with the skills and experience to become fully-fledged pub managers (over 100 staff have been through the scheme since Orchid’s inception).
· New Deal: Working with the Job Centre to show commitment to helping the wider community during the downturn. ‘New Deal’ aims to get people out of work for six months or more back into work.
· Orchid Idol: Staff members in each pub vote for their best team player each month. There have been over 500 Orchid Idols to date with each winner getting a certificate and a £20.00 voucher.
· Chef Academy: Top quality training for chefs includes a leading bonus scheme, regular skilled training courses (e.g. butchery, fishmongery) and focused succession planning.
· Skills Pledge: A partnership between the Government and Orchid, this is a public commitment to help all employees to develop their basic skills and enable them to work towards relevant, valuable qualifications.
· Cause related Marketing: regular community focused campaigns designed to make a difference whilst bringing staff members together at all levels. Recent activity includes Orchid Blooms (making over neglected local areas), Project Roar (collecting school supplies for disadvantaged children), Project Re-Gift (re-gifting Christmas presents) and Proejct Fair Play (a football shirt amnesty and creation of a sports ground in time for the World Cup in South Africa - see www.projectfairplay.co.uk for further details).
