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Reason for cheer as Appetite for Business celebrates its 5th birthday

Reason for cheer as Appetite for Business celebrates its 5th birthday

 

An award-winning Scottish technology consultancy has rewarded staff for their efforts over the past 12 months by giving them all an extra day off.

Coinciding with its fifth birthday, Appetite for Business has gifted each member of its team one day’s paid holiday to be used as lockdown restrictions continue to ease nationwide.

The Aberdeen-based company said the ‘personal wellness’ day would give its team’s collective mental health a welcome boost by allowing them to spend time with friends and family.

Sheryl Newman, founder and CEO of Appetite for Business, said: “The past year has been a difficult, stressful time for many businesses and individuals. I’ve been hugely appreciative of my team and how they have pulled together to support our clients, each other, and me throughout recent months.

“It was our fifth birthday in business in March, while the country was still in lockdown, and I sent a note then to say I wanted to give them a day off when restrictions eased to go to the pub, go shopping to support local businesses or stay in bed – whatever they wanted to do.

“One of my colleagues in England went and picked out a ring for his new fiancée after proposing during lockdown, so that was really special.”

Appetite has offered psychological and emotional coaching, delivered by an external mental health professional, and provided access to an employee wellbeing website to help combat stress and anxiety brought on by the pandemic.

The company has also completed online quizzes and escape room challenges, alongside daily huddles and check-ins, to help boost staff morale and productivity.

Sheryl added: “Our culture has always been important to us, whether it’s little things like giving staff the day off on their birthday or encouraging remote working around people’s personal and family commitments.

“We take immense pride in our culture which forms the way the team works together and is designed to encourage innovation. We have adopted an open working environment with transparency and employee freedom, while our recruitment strategy focuses on hiring those individuals who align with the broader culture and values.

“After a whole year of missing being around people, socialising and collaborating, I couldn’t think of a more fitting birthday gift to thank our team, one that ties in with our ethos of empathy and kindness.

“Going forward, we are looking to introduce a flexible working initiative that best supports the business and individuals as we go through the recovery, whilst still providing the same high level of service to our customers and partners.”

Established in 2016, Appetite is a people-focused technology consultancy that specialises in Microsoft Office 365 and associated applications to support organisations achieve significant cost savings and process improvements through better understanding of how employees engage and interact with technology.

In 2018, Sheryl Newman was named Leader of the Year at the Scottish Women in Technology (SWiT) Awards in recognition of her commitment to inspiring other women into the technology sector. She has won multiple other awards in acknowledgment of her work to promote STEM-related opportunities for women, particularly in the energy sector.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE.

Published: 22-04-2021

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