They may do magic with numbers, but the chartered accountants at Wright Vigar have also made paper disappear. Last year, to be environmentally-friendly, the firm's three offices in Lincoln, Sleaford and Gainsborough went paper-free. Neil Roberts, the human resources director, is so green that he takes any plastic home to recycle it. The firm gets a 66% positive score overall for giving something back to good causes and a 70% score for doing enough to help the community: there are three paid days each a year for volunteer work and managing director Chris Shelbourne leads the way with Christian Partners, a charity he started more than a decade ago supporting relief work in Africa. Another team member has offered her financial expertise to the West Lindsey women's refuge in Boston. This support for outside charitable work earns the company a 78% score. The firm is equally kind to its own staff of 54, who have been with it for an average of seven years. The working day is based around a "core" period from 9.30am to 4pm, and people can work flexibly around this provided they put in 40 hours a week. Job sharing, school hours contracts and compressed hours are available, together with home working, which is assisted by the loan of company laptops and mobile phones. Stress reduction courses have been offered to staff and Wright Vigar came just outside the top 20 companies for employees reporting low levels of stress at work (84%), finishing inside the top 20 for people not feeling exhausted after a day of labour with a 60% score. Staff do not feel under too much pressure to perform well (80%) and feel they make a valuable contribution (84%). Training is excellent and the firm is in the top five for offering courses that people feel are of personal benefit to them (82%). If they were offered another job tomorrow, almost everyone would stay (87%).
