Reprinted from
March 02 2014
the sunday times 100 best small companies to work for
37
First Response Finance
Financial services
TOP SCORES
Wellbeing
Fair Deal
Leadership
17th
30th
33rd
Male/female ratio
Average age
Voluntary leavers
Earning £35,000+
44:56
32
7%
16%
PEOPLE FEEL GOOD about their
work at First Response Finance,
which offers “responsible lending”,
so customers can purchase a vehicle.
The firm, based in Nottingham with
offices in Glasgow and Leigh near
Manchester, does best for questions
on staff Wellbeing (earning a top-20
positive score of 77%).
It has recently grown by almost a
sixth, to 208 employees, who enjoy
reasonable hours and flexible working
conditions. Underwriters typically earn
just over £21,000, and everyone has
a working week of 371/2 hours, which
doesn’t feel like too much (73%).
Annual holiday starts at 20 days,
but staff can take advantage of a
flexible benefits scheme offering up
to 35 days off. The firm has recently
trialled shift work in the renewals
department — although participation
isn’t obligatory — and says it has
been “a huge success, particularly for
working parents”.
The firm is happy to try new
work patterns to accommodate
people’s requests, and this stops
work interfering too much with
responsibilities at home (81%).
Everyone has private health insurance,
the company offers the cycle-to-work
scheme and offices are stocked with
free fruit. Meanwhile, team leaders
attend workshops to help them spot
employees who are struggling, and
people rarely feel they’re taken
advantage of (87%).
Recently, a “systems thinking”
group has been formed to question
processes and make the business work
better. As a result, the company says,
“Our account-management teams
are more customer-focused...They
can understand the reasons behind a
missed payment, for example, which
will in turn lead to loyal customers.”
This customer service, along
with regular charity work, means
staff don’t feel that profit is the
only driving force (89%, a top-10
score). It’s a place run on strong
values (93%) around its mission of
“ providing straightforward financial
solutions for today and tomorrow”.
www.firstresponsefinance.co.uk
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