Off-the-wall office
WORKING OUT: Table tennis and go karts are all part of the furniture at a company that helps staff work, rest and play. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by Gary Longbottom.
T’S not unusual to see the managing director of Labman sliding down a fireman’s pole to get from first to ground floor.
“It’s an enjoyable way to travel and it’s quicker than the stairs,” says Andrew Whitwell, who heads up the robotics company.
Down on the shop floor, staff often take impromptu breaks to play a game of table tennis or pool, or if they feel the need to burn off more energy, they’ll don a hard hat and tackle the full-size climbing wall. If anyone fancies a blast of fresh air, then a spin round the go-kart track or flying the remote-controlled helicopters outside usually does the trick.
Relaxing is also encouraged. Gaming on the firm’s PlayStations and putting your feet up in front of the telly in the contemporary refectory are both good options.
This unconventional approach to employee welfare sounds more Silicon Valley than an industrial estate in Seamer, near Stokesley, where Labman is based. Like some of America’s best-known hightech companies, it sees the value of helping its employees to work, rest and play. Studies show that this makes people more productive, creative and happier.
YouTube’s offices have a swimming pool, putting green, free food and a slide, while Facebook has a nine-acre park on its roof. However, Andrew insists he has not been influenced by the US.
Many of Labman’s extra-curricular ideas, he reveals, come from its workforce and he just makes them happen when funds are available.
The incentive is known as “Play dough”, not the plasticine but cash to spend on fun things.
“We work very hard and when we finish a good contract we’ll spend a bit of the money on making this a great place to work.
“We want people to like being here. Plus I want somewhere that’s nice to be. I spend half my life here,” says Andrew, who adds