One of the things that immediately struck me when I was being interviewed for a role at Pinstone was how welcoming the team were. The office was a thriving hub of activity but there was an unmistakeably positive atmosphere of collaboration and openness. None of those funny side-long glances you get when visiting some offices!
It’s something that is borne out in every area of the company. So, to celebrate International Happiness at Work Week, we decided to explore how and why, Pinstone continues to thrive and what it is that matters most to the team.
We spend around 90,000 hours of our lives at work, so it’s best to make the most of this time. In our happiness at work survey, everyone gave the importance of being happy at work a score of 8/10 or above. As one member of the team said, ‘happiness at work’ is ‘coming into an environment where you feel both comfortable, welcomed, valued and able to perform professionally.’
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Everyone in the business attends our quarterly finance meetings. By reviewing business performance, sharing staff news and training updates, and internal marketing update, these meetings give everyone a clearly defined sense of Pinstone’s direction of travel.
It is a real motivating factor, providing an opportunity to celebrate our successes and to pull together to achieve the targets that have been set,
Agency life can be demanding. However, knowing that your efforts are recognised makes all the difference. Half the team gave a score of 10/10 when it came to feeling appreciated for their input.
The pandemic forced many businesses to adapt their ways of working. We experienced our most successful year during lockdown which demonstrated that home working can be beneficial. Since the start of September, Pinstone has embraced a hybrid approach, giving staff the choice to work in a way that suits them, while still enjoying a thriving office environment for at least two days a week.
Catherine and Robin have instilled a culture where support and aspiration go hand in hand. This approach has been highlighted in our Pinstone Ladder series of blogs, which showcase the power of personal development within the business. Being helped to achieve career goals scored a total of 181 points out of 200 in our staff survey.
Knowing there’s always someone to reach out to for advice is a big plus in our business. As one of the team explained in our survey, it’s all about “feeling you’re supported, like you belong within the business, like you’re moving forward with your career and you’re striving to be the best you can be.”
Mentoring, regular staff training and team sharing sessions all contribute to a culture of openness and honesty.
A study carried out by the University of Warwick showed that employees who are happy at work are up to 12% more productive when compared with those who are unhappy.
Responses to our own survey wholeheartedly agree, scoring 192 points out of 200.
When we analysed what makes us happiest at work, one word stands out by a mile as the graphic below shows.
It’s the people that are the beating heart of Pinstone. Those relationships and how we interact with each other are what delivers the greatest sense of job satisfaction. It’s why we like to work hard and play hard, each and every week of the year.
