Brookson takes care of tax — that bedfellow of stress. In stark contrast to the real world, 86% of its staff say their health is unaffected by the paperwork and administration that constitutes their work, including PAYE codes and the like.
Contractors and recruitment agencies use Brookson, which manages their business needs via the composite companies it has set up. The Warrington-based firm has grown dramatically since 1995, when it was founded by Rick and Carolyn Nevinson, and it currently operates with an annual turnover of £11.4m.
As managing directors, the co-owners have stayed close to the business and their 97-strong workforce — 80% say they run it on sound moral principles, and they inspire 82%. Serving cocktails in a makeshift office bar before Christmas goes down well.
The company scores consistently well in the two key areas: "leadership" and "my team". A swanky new open-plan building lifts staff morale, who can use a local free shuttle bus to the business park premises.
Almost 90% of employees laugh a lot with their team. Most staff work as administrators, earning £13,650 a year. A pay review last year saw the workforce receive a 5% business bonus and a personal bonus of up to 10%, depending on performance. There was also a net Christmas bonus of £100. Wellbeing scores are high, and the level of happiness and work-life balance (80%) is bettered by just two of the 100 best SMEs.
