A company near Weston-super-Mare has opened a huge new office with facilities for staff including an onsite gym, recording studio, social space with an arcade machine - and even a computer museum. The Ascot Group’s extensively renovated business campus in Worle cost £1.5m, spans three sites and will house more than 100 staff.
The company also offers perks to its employees including access to a TV with streaming services, seated massages, a high-tech music system and team activities. Andrew Scott, the group’s chief executive, said the campus was the result of "many years of hard work".
"I am delighted with the end result," he said. "Since the pandemic there’s been a real shift in the way we work across the UK, a good salary is not the only priority for people. Instead, individuals are looking for so much more from their employer and at the Ascot Group, we’re passionate about building a real community within the work environment."
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The company's onsite museum - the Ascot Computer Museum - features the first portable computer which was launched in 1981 and sparked a generation of programming wizards. It also has a Tiny ZX81, launched 1981; BBC Micro, launched 1981; Apple Macintosh, 1984; an Amstrad CPC from 1984; and an IMB PS1 PC, launched in 1990.
Mr Scott, who founded the company in 2004, said the opening of the offices marked the start of an "exciting new adventure" for the business. He said: “We want to create a positive workplace culture where our whole team look forward to coming to work each day and are able to spend as much time together collaborating.
This is why we’ve built state-of-the art facilities including a gym and designated break-out area, for lunch and after-work socialising, within the office."
This week, the company appointed a so-called "social squad" who will champion organising specialist activities for the whole team to support good work-life balance, Ascot Group said.
“I believe it’s time to get back into the office and start working collaboratively and creatively together once again and the Ascot Campus is the ideal place to do this," Mr Scott added.
Since 2020, the group has employed more than 30 new members of staff and has plans to grow this number further to reach 200 employees over the next three years.
