Insurance broker Marketform is used to looking after people's interests and that includes the welfare of its own staff. When an undergraduate on a year's work experience was caught in the Aldgate Tube blast last year, company chairman Holly Bellingham went to the hospital to pick him up because his family were abroad. Colleagues had an impromptu collection to replace his football boots which had gone missing in the chaos and two members of staff drove the student, who had only started work three days earlier, to his uncle's house. No wonder workers say that staff at the company care a lot about each other and feel a strong sense of family in their team, awarding the firm 87% positive scores. The firm's 81-strong workforce, where ages range from 18 to 80, are a committed and motivated bunch. Employees believe in the values of the company (87%) and staff turnover is just 7%. Fun is one of the company values and regular social events help to develop good working relationships, as does a budget of £100,000 to support it. The benefits are clear to see — staff surveyed say their team is fun to work with (88%).

