A stated ambition to become one of the best companies to work for has been realised by pan-Humber IT specialist HBP.
The Scunthorpe-headquartered team, currently rapidly expanding in Hull, has been recognised for providing one of the best environments in the country for its 57-strong team. Led by second generation Joanne Dixon, the daughter of co-founder Sue Dixon, the mission was unveiled as the business turned 25 in 2016.
The Microsoft Gold partner has now been named in the elite bracket as the latest tables are compiled - having come through one of the most challenging periods in business.
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Ms Dixon said: “It made me cry. I was on the train on the way to London with my children for the weekend, and I burst into tears. It has been a lot of hard work - especially following Covid - so it was amazing news.
“So much of our work is about collaboration, being together, having people together, so to get this on the back of everything the pandemic and working from home brought, is terrific.”
While the company “would always do nice stuff, but it was never agreed or written down” a concerted effort was put into what mattered, while ensuring the business remained strong enough to deliver on it all.
A targeted health programme ‘Head, Boobs and Balls’ enhanced maternity pay and a “feel for doing the right thing” have propelled the £6.6 million turnover operation on.
And results are clear. As a business, HBP celebrates five year milestones, and is about to have the highest number celebrated.
Phil Denham, commercial director, said: “That is great recognition, as good and as big a milestone as some of the awards we have won..Once you get people to five yeard, you hope 10 and 15 will follow, so addressing that initial churn is important.
“Now we want to retain and keep the award!”
Having worked on the strategy, the application sees a 40-question survey go to staff. “It wasn’t like other awards, where you can really concentrate on something or complete a training course, or give a case study, it has to be all the time,” Mr Denham said. “We’ve always had an ethos of employing nice people, keeping nice people and treating people nicely, and we recognise that life changes, people are human, stuff happens.”
Mental health, breast and testicular cancer have been causes close to the team, and maternity also struck a chord, with three months full pay and three months at 50 per cent offered.
“We want to encourage people to come back to work, we don’t want to lose out on knowledgeable women in the workplace,” Ms Dixon added, while acutely aware young men are statistically more likely to struggle with mental health - while also being a strong vector in the IT world.
HBP is now increasing the size of its A63-facing office at Hessle, where it relocated from its previous North Bank home at Priory Tec Park, launched in 2015, complementing the Woodhouse Road base across the river.
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