Greene & Co

GREENE & CO. RECEIVE SUPERIOR TWO STAR RATING FROM BEST COMPANIES

2nd May 2007

Greene & Co., has received the honour of a superior two star rating by workplace engagement specialists Best Companies Ltd. This year’s research canvassed the views of more than 100,000 UK employees across 434 organisations, of which 273 achieved ‘Star Status’ for 2007. Greene & Co. was the only estate agency in London to receive the superior two star status.

David Pollock, Managing Director, Greene & Co., believes in caring for his staff in order to motivate them to do their best. The company philosophy centres on the idea that staff will not be successful unless they are enjoying their work and feel that they are growing as individuals. Unusually within estate agency Greene & Co. retain high levels of staff loyalty, with 86.5% of staff saying they feel engaged within the business vs. only 70.7% of staff from non-accredited companies.

A variety of initiatives ensure that Greene & Co. staff feel involved in the business and are continually motivated to improve their own skills, including: a staff nominated Colleague Representative to discuss work issues with; fortnightly visits from a life-coach; career counselling; monthly training; £100 incentive to give up smoking; regular one-to-one meetings with the MD; £100 pa to spend on personal growth after three years of employment; a day off for birthdays; and a monthly staff suggestion scheme on how to improve the business. As firm advocates of proper regulation and licensing of estate agencies Greene & Co. also pay for all negotiators to sit for their NAEA exams.

Jonathan Austin, Chief Executive, Best Companies, proclaimed: “Greene & Co.’s 2007 accreditation is an outstanding achievement. It confirms their commitment to the on-going journey of workplace engagement. Our role is to set a rigorous benchmark so that organisations can become even better employers.”

The data from this year’s research reveals big differences in the attitudes of employees working for accredited companies compared to those in organisations that are still striving to engage their staff.

In one of the most significant findings, employers that gain Best Companies accreditation are far more likely to snap up good staff and win the war for talent. More than eight out of 10 (85%) of staff at accredited firms say they would 'strongly recommend' working for the organisation to others - compared to only 64 per cent in non-accredited companies.

To highlight the size of the challenge facing many employers, almost three out of ten employees working for the 161 non-accredited companies say that they would leave tomorrow if they had another job. According to Pete Bradon, head of research at Best Companies: “This statistic is of concern as these companies had been hoping to receive the Best Companies accreditation and we know that they are actually much better employers than the UK national average. Whilst it is healthy for some staff to be thinking about the next step, it is clear that employers have their work cut out if they want to improve retention rates.”

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"From the onset of my contact with this agency and specifically Gideon Gold I was consistently impressed by the professionalism that Gideon showed throughout the process which took approximately six months. His ability to be transparent, honest and clear throughout the stages of the sale was very important and extremly supportive. He clearly has significant people skills and was able to help me navigate through the system, never failing to respond to my calls or answer my queries of which there were many. As is the case in purchasing a property there were many stressful moments, and his tact and ability to de-escalate a situation whilst being clear with me about all the different obstacles was very important to me. This was particularly the case as my property had been on the market for two years with another agent and, as I had done, had in my belief lost interest and did not have any aspiration to sell my property. What was key in the positive experience I had with Greene and Co was the fact that Gideon was consistent with the purchase and sale and never lost the momentum, the regular phone calls were very important and it felt as if everyone was working together to reach the same objective. In summary we are delighted by this move and that at long last it was made a reality despite the current economic climate. I wish you and your agency well for the future I will certainly be recommending you to others. Specific credit must be given to Gideon in his professionalism, in a role he clearly takes seriously, I wish him and your agency along and a successful future."

Nathalie Krivine
Purchaser