ACQUIRING AND MANAGING debt is a serious business, although the atmosphere is anything but bleak at Cabot Credit Management (CCM), according to our survey. Workers say that they have lots of fun with their colleagues, returning an 81% positive score. They also feel a strong sense of family in their team (75%). During the European football championships and Olympic Games last year, each department of this consumer debt collector was allocated a competing country and tasked with decorating their desks appropriately. Staff also took part in various events, with the best team winning a night out. This strong esprit de corps is bolstered by regular social events, including trips to a Christmas market in Bruges, days at the races, quiz nights and sport, including five-a-side football. CCM, which was formed as a result of the merger of Apex Credit Management and Cabot Financial in 2011, is an organisation with a strong social conscience (78%) and doesn't just collect money. It likes to give it away, too. The firm ranks in the top 33% of our list for questions in our Giving Something Back category, encouraging charitable activities (88%) from fund-raising for the air ambulance to volunteering its call-centres to help organisations such as Children in Need and Comic Relief. It also offers employees the opportunity to make a difference through its “Skills4Bills” programme, under which employees volunteer to go into local schools to play a game that teaches children the importance of money and how to budget, and through its partnership with the RSPCA. Employees say the company, which has 661 staff at its head office in West Malling in Kent and offices in Stratford-upon-Avon and Dublin, puts enough back into the local community (73%, only eight firms scored higher). It also does its bit when it comes to protecting the environment (74%), through policies such as a ban on deskside bins and a cycle-to-work scheme. CCM, which recovers about £20m of debt a month, rewards those who go above and beyond with prizes that include iPads, VIP tickets, team meals out, coffee-makers and holidays. Workers can also take advantage of a range of benefits that include free private healthcare, a wellness programme, a £25-a-month subsidy towards gym membership, an employee assistance programme, dental insurance, staff discounts and a contributory pension. Employees, 66% of whom earn between £15,000 and £25,000 a year, feel they can tell their manager when things are going badly (75%) and say that work doesn't interfere with their responsibilities at home (68%). This positive atmosphere may explain why 25% of staff have been on the payroll for at least five years. Cabot is run on sound moral principles by group chief executive Neil Clyne (74%). He operates an open-door policy welcoming questions from employees, and attends birthday lunches, all of which helps win him the trust of the workforce (70%). Nor do employees lack support from their managers, thanks to regular one-to-one meetings covering issues from their workload to their development needs. Staff can take advantage of a range of NVQs and professional qualifications, in addition to which the firm runs a 12-week induction programme for account negotiators and asset investigators. Employees, who get 22-30 days holiday a year, can take up to a five days of additional unpaid leave.
