A Teesside digital agency, Visualsoft, has this week announced two finalist positions at The Employee Experience Awards 2016 held in London, following the success of its pioneering benefits package which was implemented almost 18 months ago.
Stockton-on-Tees based Visualsoft, which also has additional offices in London, Newcastle and Manchester, implemented the innovative new benefits package to its 220 employees in September 2014. Visualsoft believes that its staff are its most important and valuable asset, and staff wellbeing is vital to business success. The package is cemented in all staff contracts and includes unlimited paid holidays, unlimited unmonitored flexible working, free breakfasts, free flu vaccinations, and even heavily subsidised gym membership to keep employees healthy and motivated.
It’s simple – all employees can take as much time off as they want, whenever they want, and can work from wherever they want, as long as standards are maintained and team targets are met.
Visualsoft’s CEO Dean Benson said ‘We believe that staff should not be tied down by strict working hours or monitored by their time spent in the office. We introduced this innovative new way of working to give our staff the flexibility they deserve – whether they’re working from home, answering emails from a cafe or calling clients on the go, as long as they get the job done, we’re happy for them to do as they please!’
He added ‘It’s down the employee to decide whether or not he or she wants to come into the office, and also how much time off they deserve, as long as they are satisfied with the job they are doing. In 12 months we’ve not had a single case of people abusing the system – of course we’ve had people who have struggled to adjust to the new concept, but those who prefer can still work 9am to 5pm if they wish.‘
“We’ve discovered that if you trust the people you work with to do the job in hand, they actually do.’
The ability to control work life balance has been a successful move for the company with weekly staff feedback on the company’s HR tool, Hive HR, being 30% more positive when compared to previous results. The company has created a working culture with trustworthy staff that focuses on delivering brilliant and innovative solutions and high service levels to customers. The atmosphere in Visualsoft is relaxed, friendly and sociable, unlike other companies of its size.
As it stands today, although other blue chip companies have implemented the unlimited holidays policy, Visualsoft is still the first company in the UK and Europe to introduce both unlimited paid holidays and unlimited flexitime as a combined benefits package.
Visualsoft has employed 84 new members of staff in the past 12 months, and now collectively employs 220 members of staff across four offices. Since it was established in 1998, the company has grown at an average rate of 300% per year, and now has a portfolio of over 1100 clients from the UK and Europe.
No surprise they earned two finalist positions at The Employee Experience Awards 2016. The finals and award presentations will be held at the Park Plaza Riverbank in London on Wednesday 4th May 2016.