TradingPartners is devoted to driving down the cost of goods and services for its client companies. As for employees of the procurement agency, it is a case of driving up their expectations — excitement about where the firm is headed earns an 88% positive score. There are 23 nationalities among staff, and the company has offices in the US, France and Italy as well as London. More than 10% of people here have relocated at some stage to another country. Staff feel they can make a difference at the firm, scoring it 88% in this measure too. The company encourages working from home by providing BlackBerries and laptops, and paying for broadband. More than two-thirds of staff took advantage of this last year, and most feel that their manager trusts their judgment (81%), and say their team cares for each other (89%). TradingPartners offers new fathers generous paternity leave with up to four weeks off with two weeks paid in full. It also offers 31-50 days off the job training a year, making it no surprise that staff would be reluctant to leave even if they had another job to go to (80%). If the pressure gets too much, people can relax in a room equipped with satellite TV and table football.
