Outstanding client service can only be provided by committed, motivated and happy
staff. Therefore our staff are key to our business offering and we have always endeavoured to maintain
a good environment in which staff can feel part of a team with a common goal - outstanding client care.
We encourage our team to feel motivated to make Squirrel a career for the longer term. Many key staff
have been with Squirrel for many years and even in the environment of the warehouse, where many companies
experience high staff turnover, we have many long-term members who remain loyal to Squirrel and its
values.
For Squirrel to 'stand for something', it needs a clear vision. This is what the top management
projects and the wider management infrastructure helps to maintain. Indeed, this was one of the indicators
that was assessed during our accreditation with Investors in People. Our report said that, company-wide,
staff "were able to talk about what the organisation is striving to achieve".
At Squirrel, all aspects of staff performance are very carefully monitored. Staff turnover is
measured and was benchmarked by the British Standards Institute (BSI) as remarkably low in our industry, with
an overall average length of service of 3.7 years. Our attrition rate is 6%.
We are especially good at promoting internally and retaining our management team:
- 30% of Staff have over 5 years experience at Squirrel
- 20% of Staff have over 8 years experience at Squirrel
- All Managers bar one have more than 5 years experience at Squirrel
Staff (Vetting)
Confidentiality is of paramount concern to all our clients and is the cornerstone of the
industry within which we operate. We are continually increasing the levels of this aspect of our policy
with all new staff now vetted against basic disclosure standards. As a minimum all new staff will be
subject to disclosure.
Investors in People
Great people make great partnerships - and our greatest asset is our people. It is our
commitment to investing in them - and encouraging them to realise their ambitions - that helps to keep
us at the forefront of our industry. Our people are, quite simply, the best. We believe they make us the
On 20th September Squirrel's Investors In People assessment by the Yorkshire & Humberside Recognition Panel
are pleased to accept the recommendation we successfully achieved the Investors In People Standard. "The
Panel appreciate that this achievement is the culmination of a great deal of effort on the part of the
people in your firm. You and your colleagues should be very proud of yourselves...The culture of the
organisation is very positive. Aspects such as being a family focussed organisation means that staff
are able to feel that their family comes first and that the company will support this."
Training
We provide on-the-job training from the outset, having a strong infrastructure in place to
ensure the correct amount of attention is given to new staff. Off-the-job training is provided through a
modular system, whereby all relevant business elements are covered in detail, depending upon the individual's
job role. Any staff, regardless of job role, are allowed and indeed encouraged to widen their overall
perspective by learning about other job roles within the business. Computer-based training (CBT) is
increasingly becoming a convenient and more effective method of training, and staff are given time
within working hours to spend time completing their modules.
