“THIS IS MY first job in insurance,” says Stewart Duncan, director of data science at Simply Business. The online insurer, for the second year running, tops the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list. “I was surprised when I joined how many people didn't come from an insurance background,” says Duncan, who worked at Sony PlayStation and Expedia before moving to the firm, which sells insurance to small businesses, landlords and shops in the UK. Along with 33% of the staff, Duncan is based at Simply Business's London office on Finsbury Square. The company's larger hub is its Northampton contact centre. Employees buzz around the open-plan London space, hold meetings via Google hangouts, and a number of staff live abroad and work remotely full-time. Chief executive Jason Stockwood, who wins our Best Leader award this year, invites groups of contact centre staff to dinner when he is in Northampton. “I want to make sure people feel they can do their best work without going through hierarchies or command-and-control structures,” he says. “I enjoy the company of everyone I work with.” Stockwood joined Simply Business from Match.com in 2010. He describes the insurance industry as “a massive market with a low bar on credibility” that can serve customers better. In his first year, Stockwood oversaw a reorganisation that affected 53% of staff. “We changed the culture,” he says, and put employees at the forefront, turning the “hackneyed phrase about customers coming first” on its head. “You can't force people who hate their environment to do a good job,” he adds. “Customers only come first if our employees are happy and doing a good job.” Employees are so highly engaged at Simply Business that their responses to our staff survey put it top in 50 of the 70 questions. People say that they would not leave for another job (a 90% positive score) and are inspired by their leader (91%). Natasha Doran, the head of commercial, says: “No two days are ever the same and you get exposed to a lot of different ways of thinking.” Perks include a benefits package with private health insurance. Salaries have also been improved year on year since Stockwood has been at the helm, despite the recession. Trips, nights out and office beers are part of the company's social fabric, as are charity events. An 89-mile bike ride from Northampton to London and an Arctic biathlon are the main fundraisers. www.simplybusiness.co.uk
