The “unorthodox” approach to business is usually associated with the American west coast tech giants. Think Google, and images of relaxed workers on bean bags coming up with the latest online tool usually spring to mind.
But nestled in an anonymous looking building on a busy Caerphilly trading estate is one such company that would give the search engine behemoth and others a run for its money.
Creditsafe is the multimillion pound financial information company that is proud of putting its employees first with a working culture that doesn’t quite fit the industry mold.
As a B2B, Creditsafe is probably not a household name in its home town, but its impact is far-reaching.
The company, based at Caerphilly Business Park, sells business data for credit check purposes and other uses and holds information on some 320 million companies from around the world.
Despite a UK annual turnover of around £40 million, there is a distinct lack of “corporate suits” at the firm.
Its main salesfloor has the feel of a nightclub with dance music pumped out of speakers and its employees are often rewarded with prizes such as barbecues and hot tubs.
In 2012, the company flew its entire staff on a trip to Majorca and did the same for its 20th anniversary in 2017. This year it implemented a rule where mobile phones, laptops, and other smart devices are banned from meetings.
Staff can also walk out on meetings if they think they are irrelevant.
But for all of the eye-catching initiatives, it is a simple concentration on staff’s individual needs that has seen the company succeed and build for the long-term.
Chris Robertson, 42, started at Creditsafe 16 years ago in sales and is now the UK chief executive.
He said: “One in four employees have been with us for at least a decade and there are some fantastic people here.
“Our staff turnover rate is less than 3% – it’s a place where people want to come to work.
“There are plenty of opportunities and people are always coming through [the ranks].”