DRIVING A TANK is a skill few recruitment consultants can list, but top performers at Pertemps Professional Staffing Network know how. They spent a day learning to handle the mighty machines during a reward day out, followed by dinner and drinks to debrief. Life at the recruitment agency's eight offices in England and Wales feels far from regimented, however. Its 115 employees rank it top for Wellbeing in our survey, with a positive result of 85%. Deadlines are realistic (90%) and staff, specialising in IT, engineering, education and healthcare markets, do not feel under too much pressure to concentrate (89%). Both are top scores. Between a quarter and half of employees stagger their hours to co-ordinate with their clients across the world, working any time between 7.30am one day and 5.30am the next. This means staff can get the job done in an average 40-hour week, rather than putting in overtime. The workforce says Pertemps Professional Staffing Network is more proactive than reactive (88%), a top score. New fathers are allowed 13 weeks' unpaid leave on top of the statutory two weeks on full pay, and can then work flexible hours to accommodate domestic duties such as the school run. Based in Teddington, Middlesex, the agency was founded in 2000 and has been a Best Company before as Connect Group Consulting, then Nurture People. It rebranded again last year after its acquisition by Pertemps, and employees were encouraged to get involved in the new brand design, strategy, and opening of new offices. As a result there is a real sense of family, with colleagues going out of their way to help each other (both 93% and top scores). People share practical advice, give feedback on company incentives and take company surveys through a “knowledge hub”. Staff get together for quiz nights, bike rides, picnics, and team-building events to raise money for charity. Employees on a new charity committee have chosen two children's hospices as good causes. Staff can make donations through a tax-efficient give-as-you-earn scheme — and 95% do, encouraged by the company (95%, fourth). The firm matches funds raised for charity, and 32 people donated time during work hours last year. Staff are less convinced about the firm's environmental commitment (80%, in 46th place — its worst showing), but it has bought solar panels to reduce its carbon footprint.
