A roofing company is on a high after being named among Britain’s best places to work for the 15th year in a row.
Peterborough-based KGM has been named among The Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For.
It follows a survey of employees, which measured factors such as personal growth, wellbeing, leadership and team spirit throughout its parent company, Lindum Group.
During an award ceremony at Battersea Evolution in London, it was revealed the Group had been placed 31st in this year’s Top 100 list.
KGM is a commercial roofing and cladding contractor providing refurbishment, newbuild and maintenance services nationwide. It currently employs 74 people from its base at the Lindum Business Park in Peterborough.
Eighteen employees from across the Lindum Group were joined by two clients at the awards evening and among them was KGM managing director Jason Harvey. He has been working for KGM for 15 years and said he valued working for a company which puts its employees’ wellbeing firmly at the centre of business.
“I was attracted to the Lindum Group because I had heard it was a family business that looked after its employees and the communities in which it worked. During the years I’ve been here, I’ve seen for myself that really is the case,” he said.
“Through initiatives such as the company share scheme and profit-related pay, we have a workforce that is genuinely invested in the business. I have operatives on site across the country and they are the ones giving me advice on how we can save money or do a better job!
“I first joined KGM as an estimator and have moved through a number of roles to become MD. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to progress and I’m keen to ensure this culture remains. Two years ago, we developed a plan to progress people from the tools side to the management side and we’ve recently moved three site operatives into the office-based management team.
“In my experience, once we’ve recruited someone to work for us at KGM, they seem to like what we do, and they tend to stay with us.”
The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For list is compiled based on research from the largest survey of its kind. More than 400 of Lindum’s 660 employees were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire, which is then marked by a team of independent judges from the Sunday Times.
Today Lindum Group director Freddie Chambers said the company firmly believes that its strength lies in its people, which is why it does what it can to retain the skills and experience of its workforce.
“Our primary business is construction, but we know that we can only deliver a good service to our customers if our workforce is on board and want to go the extra mile,” he said.
“We say, ‘the difference is our people’ and, as the majority of our employees are shareholders, we really do hope they feel invested in the success of our work.
“The wellbeing of our employees underpins our business, and as an employer, it is our duty to make work productive and enjoyable.”
Lindum is a construction and maintenance business with offices in Lincoln, York and Peterborough.
The company was founded by John F Chambers in 1956 and his son, David Chambers is the current Chairman.
In 1994 Lindum Group launched a share scheme and currently 410 employees own a stake in the business. Employees refer to the company as the Lindum family business.
Jonathan Austin, CEO & founder of Best Companies, said: “I would like to congratulate Lindum on its achievement. Best Companies have been producing the Accreditation standard since 2006 to acknowledge excellence in the workplace.
“Organisations like Lindum have continued to focus on their employees and have been rewarded with an engaged workforce who tell us that this is a best company to work for.”
