Mark Duguid on why Carrier has just been named as one of The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For.

It is exactly one year since I wrote an Aspire column, titled ‘Why travel agents are more valuable than ever’, and I am pleased to say that much of what I hoped for has come to pass. Agents have gone from being portrayed as outdated to openly lauded!

As we enter a period of recovery, I believe it is motivated agents (or in my case, employees) who are the key to success. The topic struck me while completing a profile on Carrier’s performance during the pandemic. All questions focused on product launches or sales activity, with no mention of my staff. Surely the employees were the most critical factor in our resilience through Covid?

A search through the vast library of TED Talks on the subject confirms that the engaged-employees-equal-better-service theory is hardly new, but this last year has magnified its importance to me. Although usually optimistic, I found my personal motivation flagging during the long winter months of the third lockdown and I was far from alone. The sole traders in particular really had to dig deep to keep their spirits buoyant.

Alongside well-used motivational tactics including virtual socialising, I found the most important areas to keep my team galvanised were actually quite simple: workload and work-life balance.

With workload, it is a fine balance between feeling productive and overwhelmed or, conversely, under-used. The former causes pressure and stress, the latter boredom and frustration.

For business owners and managers it has been tough to look out for these peaks and troughs as we all gave up trying to predict government announcements, and anticipated demand, a long time ago. Plus, for all the benefits of homeworking and the latest technology, nothing replaces the support of a colleague at the next desk.

At Carrier, with a predominantly female workforce, juggling home-schooling and work was an intense pressure point for many and allowing employees to choose their own working hours during that period was the sensible and right thing to do.

It’s no coincidence that we were just named as one of The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies To Work For. I see many other great examples in our industry of employers going the extra mile for their staff. So, as we begin to rebuild, those that bounce back the strongest will be the businesses that genuinely supported their people to ensure they were buoyant and engaged during the tough times.