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Gloucestershire's 100 Biggest Employers 2019

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Gloucestershire's 100 Biggest Employers 2019

National | Local Business | May 2019

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Punchline’s next issue, gloucester renaissance will be published in july

Want to be part of it? email [email protected] or telephone 01452 308781

Small steps to success

As an ex-chef I was taught that you are only as good as your last meal. Since being in marketing for over 25 years and creating and publishing Punchline for over 12, I’ve always used the same ethos – that we are only as good as our last client campaign or our last magazine. I was very proud of last year's top 100, but this latest edition of the magazine I believe has topped that again. It is one of our biggest and most ambitious to date and is a combination of dogged determination and great team effort from everyone here at Moose Marketing and PR – the publishers of Punchline. A big thanks to them and all the companies that have kindly given us their employee numbers. We contacted more than 300 businesses and if we missed you out, please get in touch with Beth@moosemarketingandpr. co.uk as we’d like to include you in next year’s issue. As this magazine has got bigger so has our website www.punchline-gloucester.com Since the start of the year, our readership has grown to between 80,000 – 100,000 unique visitors per month with more than a million pages viewed in April alone. This month (May) we launched Punchline Daily – our new-look daily e-newsletters that keeps subscribers up-to-date with all the latest Gloucestershire business news and links back to our website.

If there is news of a deal being done, a senior appointment being made or something in the county that could affect

your business, then our aim is you hear it from us first. You can subscribe FREE at www.punchline-gloucester. com/subscribe or follow us on one of our many social media platforms that now have a combined reach of over 45,000. We might not be quite on the same level as the Top 100 companies listed in these pages, but it has been tremendously rewarding to grow the way we have, organically, step by step, laying down firm foundations that I hope will bring us future success. So, a BIG thank you to you all. Bon appetit. Thanks for reading l

Mark Owen

Call us on 01452 308781

@moosepr @markmooseowen @punchlineglos

punchline.gloucester

Punchline Magazine is published by Moose Partnership Limited, based at The Old Fire Station, Barbican Road, Gloucester, GL1 2JF. Reproduction of any material, in the whole or part, is strictly forbidden without the prior written consent of the publishers.All material is sent at the owners risk and whilst every care is taken, Moose Partnership Limited will not accept liability for loss or damage. Dates, information and prices quoted are believed to be correct at the time of going to press but are subject to change and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. Moose Partnership Limited does not accept responsibility for any material submitted, whether photographic or otherwise.All rights reserved ©2019

May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 3

Nintendo makes play for Gloucestershire gamer

School teachers who ask youngsters what they most want to do for a living are apparently inundated with job titles like ‘gamer’ or ‘YouTuber’.

computer, which required him to write the code for each game into the machine himself. One of his early creations, inspired by what he describes as a movie “some people think is the worst ever” -

MANOS: The Hands of Fate (just so you know, if you are ever invited to watch it) - won him an approach from a publisher. “I think they liked the retro feel of it,” recalled Mr Beddoes, now 33. “I worked for them for a while. “Around this time there was a character around called the Angry Video Game Nerd. I had this idea to make a game based on him and I pitched the idea.” He had studied graphic design at Gloucestershire College, but never felt it was a job that got the respect it deserved. As his sideline prospered, it became easy to step across into a new role. A cult hit, Angry Video Game Nerd, led to‘high times’.There was enough money to ‘move to Cheltenham’, he said, tongue in cheek.

Smirk or despair if you want, but Sam Beddoes will tell you one thing – do not rubbish their dreams, they can come true.At least being a game designer can. “Youngsters will tell people that is what they want to be and they will be treated the same as if they said they had wanted to become a Hollywood actor or a footballer,” said Mr Beddoes, who has just returned from Boston, promoting a game he designed which will soon be on the Nintendo Switch. The handheld console is used by more than 10 million gamers currently. His own games are no Fortnite – the current Epic Games online super hit across all platforms. His thrive in the niche world of retro games. It is a market which still requires huge arenas for its shows – like the one he just returned from in the USA, where you rub shoulders with

Sam Beddoes and Nick Gregory, developer of “Eagle Island”

His first hard lesson in business was when he banked on the requested follow up toAngryVideo Game Nerd being a hit. The publisher was suddenly taken over and the idea sidelined. “A lot of people will want to get into game development and want to go for the pipedream straight away. But there is more to it than that. It is a business. “Don’t go straight away for the big one.Work your way up. Start on something smaller,” said Mr Beddoes. The industry’s appetite is insatiable. Which is why he was in Boston – promoting the long- awaitedAngryVideoGameNerd II,published by Screenwave Media. It seems the idea was too good to ignore l For more information visit www.freakzonegames.com

Sam Beddoes,Tony (writer for AngryVideo Game Nerd), James Rolfe (AVGN)

other game designers, fans, publishers and YouTube stars. Speaking to Punchline from Stroud, where he runs his successful game design company, FreakZone Games, Mr Beddoes said: “I develop games. Generally, I come up with the idea then pitch it to publicists who then finance it. I then take revenue after they have recouped what they put in to pay for it. It is like an advance. I have been doing that since 2012. “Before that, I was running a business doing graphic design. I did not think you could get into gaming. That was always something of a hobby.” While school friends played on the latest Sega Megadrive, Mr Beddoes was wrestling with an old Acorn

4 | May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

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May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 5

Your company can be the talk of the county

Mark Cummings has worked in radio for 35 years and can’t remember something that has had such a positive reaction from listeners. Participants from up and down the county have spoken in glowing terms about what it’s done for their company and the morale of the workforce. And even the good folk here at Moose Marketing and PR, the publishers of Punchline-Gloucester.com will not say a bad word about it – if only because we’re currently top of the pile. What is this morale-generating, company-promoting spectacle? It’s the Cummings County Quiz – a feature and now a fixture of Mark Cummings BBC Radio Gloucestershire Breakfast Show. In the middle of March, the Punchline-Gloucester.com team took on the challenge and put our heads on the block. For five mornings we battled against Cummings’ quizzical mind, answering devious questions: Some about our line of work, but most about glorious Gloucestershire. We didn’t do too badly, even if we do say so ourselves, scoring 46 points out of a possible 50, a figure that drew us level at the top of the table at the time.

Our crown has slipped since, as our friends from Lister Unified Communications managed to drop only two points over the course of their week in the hotseat – albeit it was their second go! Just like us here at Punchline, Lister are now basking in the knowledge of having the smartest staff in the county, for a while at least. But just like we did when we took the mantle, our Stonehouse-based chums will only be able to truly celebrate when they know they have taken on and beaten all comers. And that’s why Cummings is laying down a challenge and asking your company to get involved. He’s has been in the Breakfast hotseat at the Gloucestershire branch of the BBC for 14 years. But even someone with a radio career dating three decades or more has been surprised about how well the quiz has gone down, with businesses and listeners alike. He said: “With the Cummings County Quiz I wanted to create a ‘must listen’ moment the whole county could look forward to every day. “One of the key elements of my show, and a huge passion of mine, is learning something new, fresh or intriguing about Gloucestershire, so the questions are all about the county.

6 | May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

“I always customise the questions towards the nature of the team taking part, so they have a good chance of a decent score and an enjoyable experience. “It’s been running for a year and I can’t remember anything I’ve done in 30 years on the radio that gets such a reaction. Everywhere I go people mention the quiz." That point seems to ring true with the teams who pit their wits against him. It was certainly the case for the Moose Marketing and PR team during our March run. “We had a real laugh each morning,” said Mark Owen, MD of Moose Marketing and PR and the editor of Punchline-Gloucester.com. “It was great for morale here in the office, especially on the days when we got 10 out of 10. “The response we received from clients and friends in the business community was brilliant. We would recommend every company doing it, it’s a great way to kick off the day. The quiz starts at around 8.30am and is finished by the time most of you click your PCs into gear at 9am – and even though it’s on the BBC, it’s a pretty good way to promote yourselves. More important, though, is the chance to build morale in the office and bring your team closer together, a point emphasised by Jason Smith, chief executive of Marketing Gloucester. “It was an excellent team building exercise and is always a hot topic when we meet others who have competed across the county,” he said. “It’s definitely a section we all avidly listen to, especially as we still learn something new every week about the place we live in and love.” Bringing together staff from all ages and backgrounds was something of a feature across the board, thankfully some of the Punchline-Gloucester.com team are a little

less advanced in years than others. If us old timers didn’t know who is in concert at Kingsholm this summer or weren’t able to name the tune from the first bars of Lionel Ritchie’s Dancing on the Ceiling, the youngsters were. And that view was shared by Sue Waters and Mike Goode of recruitment consultants GB Solutions, who drew on the entire age-range of their team for help. “The Cummings County Quiz was a revelation to us,” Waters said. “It got our whole team together, from the youngest to the oldest pitching in with their knowledge of the area.” Goode added: “The highlight was probably the calls from folk in other businesses calling in to tell us the answer to the mystery voice. It’s a great competition.” The feedback the BBC team get from listeners has been as encouraging as that received from the participants. “I love the fact the teams taking part really love the experience,” Cummings added. “They tell me it’s a great team building experience, they learn things about each other they didn’t know and they have fun. “It’s also a brilliant way of letting the whole county know your business and the personalities working within the office. “The added bonus is the fun to be had each day on social media as the banter kicks off amongst the business community. “All we need is at least four or five people – although more can take part if you want – to be by the phone for 10 minutes from 8.40-8.50am for a week from Monday to Friday. “It’s a brilliant way to promote your business and have some fun at the same time. All you need to do is e-mail me at [email protected]” l

Can you complete the challenge?

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May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 7

In April, Gloucestershire Constabulary was urging businesses to be proactive with their policies and training to protect staff from stalking and harassment. The statistics they shared were surprising - and worrying. Even more concerning was the number of staff who reported being undertrained and ill-informed when it came to guidelines and policies. The HR Review reports that occurrences at work can have a negative impact on employee wellbeing. And employers can be held vicariously responsible for actions of their workers under Section 3 of the 1997 Protection form Harassment Act if a court finds ‘they have not dealt appropriately with incidents’. National Stalking Advocacy Service Paladin published key facts and figures about stalking, with one alarming study revealing 75 per cent of domestic violence stalkers will also show up at work.

Gloucestershire locals will remember the high-profile case of Hollie Gazzard, who was killed in her place of work in 2014 by her ex-boyfriend. The Hollie Gazzard Trust, set up in memory of her, will work with businesses and organisations to help educate them about what can be done to help tackle stalking. So, what can be done to ensure employees feel safe and comfortable when they leave their homes and come into the workplace? Guidance suggests one simple but effective management skill is to listen and be aware of any red flags. The Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP) lists a number of warning signs that could indicate harassment or stalking at work. These include: nuisance telephone calls, making false complaints to employers, repeatedly sending emails, abuse of networking sites and computer hacking. But it’s not just within the workplace that employees can be targeted.

Protecting your staff from stalkers

8 | May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

Cathy O’Donogue Stalking AwarenessWeek – Viewpoint from theWorkplace

In the age of social media, finding information about where someone works, and even when they will be at work, is easily available. Platforms such as LinkedIn and WhatsApp encourage employees to engage with each other in and out of work. They can be highly useful for sharing credentials, work history, and time sheets, but it’s important to be clear about codes of conduct when using these sites under the company’s name. Policies do not have to be limited to the physical work environment. It’s also important to know the law and follow it. The Health and Safety Work Act 1974 states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to prepare and as often as may be appropriate revise a written statement of his general policy with respect to the health and safety at work of his employees”. Check policies are up to date, preferably visible in the workplace, and acknowledged by every member of staff – either via training courses, one-on-one discussions followed by employee signatures, or through regular staff meetings. Cathy O’Donogue, HR Champions’ managing director, has provided detailed advice for Punchline readers to help guarantee a happy and safe workforce.

In all situations, employers must remember that they have a duty of care towards their employees and this includes the provision of a safe and comfortable working environment. Stalking would be classed as harassment and/or sexual harassment, so if an employee is being stalked by a colleague then action can and should be taken against the offender if their identity is known. Stalking is likely to be a serious enough offence to warrant disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, but each case should be dealt with individually. If an employee is stalking someone outside of their own workplace and found to be using company resources such as email or a company mobile phone, then ‘misuse of company equipment’ could also be an offence of gross misconduct and worthy of dismissal. If the offending employee is using their own equipment, but is stalking via your company internet connection and IP address, there is a risk of the business being associated with the stalker’s actions, thereby bringing into disrepute; again this could be a sackable offence. Potential offences and their consequences should be set out in the company staff handbook within the bullying and harassment policy. More importantly though, employees need to understand what is and isn’t classed as unacceptable language and behaviour. To avoid a charge of culpability, an employer might be asked to prove that he or she had taken reasonable steps to ensure a safe and harassment free workplace if a case ever reached tribunal. Our “Dignity at Work” training programme is an ideal solution for this. Don’t forget that stalking can be pan-sexual so individuals of all genders and sexual orientations can be the target of stalking as well as the perpetrators of it. The victim of a stalker is also likely to become quite distressed and anxious about the situation, thereby affecting their mental health. Our Mental Health First Aider course will equip members of your team to spot the signs of colleagues who are experiencing stress and anxiety l

May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 9

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May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 11

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12 | May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

Welcome to the 2019 edition of Gloucestershire’s 100 Biggest Employers

This is no list plucked from Companies House – we built it ourselves with the help of the county’s business community. What makes this year’s edition special is this – hidden is the following pages are some signposts to more than 450 jobs, and that is a conservative estimate. That’s not including the NHS intake or the other 100 plus mentioned within this article. That is because this year we also asked whether firms thought they would recruit this year - whether they

currently looking for six new electricians. Huffkins , the Cotswold-based quintessentially English cafe and cake maker which already has 70 staff, is looking to employ 70 more in the county as it expands. Simplicity , in Mitcheldean, already employs 75 staff and is looking to take on more. Printwaste , which has 75 staff, hopes to recruit "for several roles". Avon Metals Group , which has 76 staff, said it could be looking to take on staff, as is Stonehouse-based Xograph Group , which has 78 staff. Procurri UK Ltd , which employs 92 in Cirencester, is looking to increase headcount by 10 to 15 per cent. Cheltenham-headquartered SoHo Coffee took on 40 new staff between May and December last year, and "estimation is that this figure will be around the same for 2019". Gloucester Cathedral will continue its apprentice intake. GET (Gloucestershire Engineering Training), ERMIN, Quattro Design Architects all said they too would be taking on staff. Forge Motorsport, Severn Controls Ltd (and Severn Rewinds Division) and Severn Rewinds Division DKM Sheet Metal , Stonehouse, could all take on staff. As are Intamarque Ltd, Mekufa (UK) Ltd, Brunsdon Financial, GCSD Accountants, Cass Stephens and Hydraproducts . Severn & Wye Smokery Ltd , with 123 staff, came in too late to be included. How we did it: We asked businesses and organisations to confirm their headcounts, promoted this on our daily email newsletter, tweeted and shouted about it on social media. And made lots of phone calls. If you want to be involved next year, please email us [email protected] l

would create jobs or apprenticeships. “Seventy five per cent of firms in our Top 100 said they would be taking on more staff this year. Another seven per cent said they could not rule it out,” said Mark Owen, the editor of Punchline- Gloucester.com. “We had companies declaring some major recruitment drives of 10, 20, 30 or 40 staff and many confirming their commitment to apprenticeships and a graduate intake. “This was across sectors – from manufacturing and engineering to finance, retail, food, education, health, logistics and packing and construction. BIGGESTEMPLOYERS

BIGGESTEMPLOYERS

“Even going by a conservative estimate, the Top 100 firms declared a possible 450 jobs should be created this year. And then there are another 150-plus roles in those firms which did not make the list.” Shurdington-based accountants and business experts Randall & Payne LLP , with 55 staff currently, said it remained committed to its training programmes, which includes school-leavers. Allcooper , with 71 staff, declared it would be looking for up to 10 service and installation engineers. Tanner Bennett said it would continue to take on between three and five apprentices annually and was

May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 13

Think engineering, community, careers.

Think Renishaw.

To find out more or to join us visit www.renishaw.com Since our formation in 1973 we have become Gloucestershire’s largest business employer (with 2,500 staff locally), and have enjoyed being a part of the success of the local community, both as an employer and as a supporter of community projects.

Renishaw plc New Mills, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 8JR United Kingdom T +44 (0)1453 524524 F +44 (0)1453 524901 E [email protected] www.renishaw.com

14 | May 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

GLOUCESTERSHIRE'S 100 BIGGEST EMPLOYERS

2 3

GCHQ Cheltenham STAFF: 5,988 EMPLOYING: Yes Perhaps the really interesting question is what could we say about the Government spy base if only we were allowed? The intelligence, security and cyber agency with a mission to help keep the UK safe and whose best friends are the likes of MI5 and MI6 l

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Cheltenham

STAFF: 7,900 EMPLOYING: Yes Where would we be without it? The trust runs Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Gloucester, which serves western and southern Gloucestershire and parts of Herefordshire. It also looks after Stroud Maternity Hospital, midwifery services across the Forest of Dean and Cotswolds and its specialist clinics countywide l

Gloucestershire County Council Gloucester

STAFF: 3,730 EMPLOYING: Yes

The headcount above (3,730) covers off the council staff, and includes the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service. This mighty organisation looks after our social services, roads, libraries and schools. Indeed, if you also include those employed the education authority that’s an extra 6,314 staff - taking the total to 10,044. Continues to champion apprenticeships too l Gloucestershire Constabulary Gloucester STAFF: 2,019 EMPLOYING: Unclear Otherwise known as the police force for the county of Gloucestershire. Indispensable – and one of our biggest employers. Its staff battle to keep everyone in Gloucestershire safe – online as well l 5

Renishaw Wotton-under-Edge

STAFF: 2,600 EMPLOYING: Yes

An engineering firm par excellence leading developments in an array of sectors. A profits warning in March has not deterred it from its never-ending investment in people, innovation and quest for excellence. Apprenticeship and graduate programmes continue apace. One of Punchline’s 25 Gloucestershire Apprenticeship Champions l