FEATURE
Bonding – staff enjoying Fitfactory ’ s FitFest event .
Fun and games – Fitfactory workers let their hair down at FitFest .
Dedicated – Fitfactory ’ s Anna Conley ( left ) and Lynn Brown pictured with their awards presented to them at the firm ’ s FitFest event earlier this year .
3 . Challenge with positive intent . There ’ s no blame culture at Fitfactory – rather staff are encouraged to challenge situations or working practices they think could be improved , as long as it ’ s done respectfully and positively . 4 . Work hard , play hard . All work and no play isn ’ t good for anyone and Fitfactory is acutely aware of that . So , in June , all staff – whether based at the Stockton , Glasgow or Cardiff offices , or working remotely – were invited to Darlington ’ s Hall Garth Hotel for its “ FitFest ” event . A fantastic day of celebration , featuring awards , fancy dress , team games and plenty of refreshments , it was a fun way to recognise the hard work and dedication of the team – a testament to the strong sense of community and collaboration within Fitfactory .
In essence , FitFest – one of two events a year the company holds – encapsulated the spirit and culture Jason and his management team want to see in Fitfactory .
And it ’ s an approach that has attracted the attention of other firms across the Everfield group , with Jason soon heading off to Portugal to share his approach with other CEOs .
Fitfactory marketing manager Laura Neilson says events like FitFest help foster a great working culture .
She said : “ It ’ s very important to give people a good day out , enjoy themselves and spend time with each other – a fun celebration to let our people know their hard work doesn ’ t go unnoticed or recognised .
“ Jason wants people to be happy . He wants to give back where he can and wants people to have fun – hence the ‘ work hard , play hard ’ approach .
“ We ’ ve all got targets to hit and every person in the business has a role in ensuring we hit them .
“ But it ’ s also about making sure people come to work and enjoy the work , the environment and the people they ’ re around .”
Perhaps Jason ’ s remarkable back story helps explain his enlightened approach to company culture .
He ’ s spoken openly about how he left Darlington ’ s Haughton School with no GCSEs , had a family fall-out and , aged 17 , ended up sleeping on a park bench “ for a month or two ”.
But after finding an internal drive , he turned things around – and how ! Earlier this year , he was named Business Leader of the Year at the prestigious Tees Tech Awards .
And after picking up his trophy , he offered an insight into his business thought process .
He said : “ I ’ m over the moon to win this but it feels a bit weird , because we are a team .
“ I wouldn ’ t be anywhere without the management team l ’ ve got , but they ’ ve been allowed to grow , occasionally make mistakes , to challenge the norm and to bring their own ideas to the table – that ’ s why we ’ re a great company .”
Twenty-three people currently work for Fitfactory , although a business development manager has recently been appointed and active recruitment for two other roles is ongoing . The firm has also taken on a second office at its Stockton base in Fusion Hive .
But as the physical expansion continues , the emphasis on company culture will remain .
Laura added : “ It ’ s not just a box-ticking exercise – these are the cultures we want , and it ’ s proven that they work because the business is flying .
“ We ’ ve had no staff turnover , we ’ re doing well financially and we ’ re winning awards for the software we ’ re developing .
“ Fitfactory is something people want to be a part of . To an extent , it doesn ’ t matter what number financially you want to throw at somebody – you want people to come and work in an environment they enjoy .”
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