Working with Momentum

Momentum Group buys, supplies and installs furniture and offers refurbishment services for organisations as varied as the Royal Opera in Covent Garden, IBM and Investo. The client-facing side (established as Furniture For Business in 1991) is primarily a sales operation, so there are incentives for the 66 employees to keep the cash rolling in. Anyone in the London-based group can nominate someone for a recognition award, and if their manager agrees they get a £10 voucher of their choice. Three recognition prizes in a quarter add up to a meal out worth up to £80. The hard-working person also gets a bottle of champagne at the company's quarterly meeting. Employees believe they can make a difference in this company (an 84% positive score) and make a valuable contribution towards its success (87%). They also feel well supported by their managers (85%). Sales staff typically earn £38,000, which they believe is fair compared with similar positions at rival firms (69%). Everyone gets access to childcare vouchers, critical illness cover, life assurance and various discounts. There are flexible start and finish times, and an early finish on a Friday afternoon. A ride-to-work scheme allows employees to hire a bicycle cheaply for 12 months, after which it becomes their own, and a massage therapist kneads out stresses and strains once a fortnight. Staff members agree that their health is not suffering due to work (89%). The company is strict about recycling and employees say it does a lot to protect the environment (77%). They believe the business is run on strong values (87%). The firm spends £50,000 a year on fun, including dinner and drinks after quarterly meetings and an annual bash. “Company day is a tradition, where staff get involved in presenting the results of the year to each other, followed by a party, quite often in fancy dress,” Momentum Group tells us. Employees give an overall 84% score for the My Company factor and say they love working for the firm (83%).