While Explore Learning has rapidly grown in size over the last 15 years, we have worked really hard to ensure that we still have the feel of a smaller, entrepreneurial and incredibly ambitious organisation. So much of that is captured in our culture. We host two events every year that bring the teams together, including centre managers and head office employees. Our Summer Party takes on the form of a festival and usually entails fancy dress, bell tents, BBQ food and, of course, 500 amazing employees enjoying themselves.
Our other event is Black Tie and a number of awards get presented to employees who are best embodying our vision and values. While these events are a great excuse to get together, they are much more than that. With the geographical spread of our centres across the country, they allow the organisation to come together and have a joint sense of purpose.
We know that millennials are ambitious and target driven, so we also put quarterly performance competitions in place. All 132 centres across the country take part and have the opportunity to win trips for themselves and their team to incredible places. Recent winners have jetted off as a reward to the likes of Miami, New York and Iceland for breaks together.
Recent graduates have had to pay such high tuition fees and want to see a return on their investment in their career. But finding the right job can create initial expense or even relocating. If an employee is moving to get their career kick started, then we make the whole process as smooth and easy as possible. We can even grant loans to help,for first month deposit payments or for buying cars if commuting is a challenge. We then set up repayments at an affordable rate interest free straight from their pay cheque.
Natalie Riddick is head of HR at tuition organisation Explore Learning