Prize boss sends staff home

A manager in the City of London who was named today as Britain's best boss has revealed his secret weapon - his two young children.

Ian Barnard, a 36-year-old who works for City financial firm Cogent, was declared the country's best employer by the charity Parents At Work after he decided to stamp out the macho long hours culture in his office, helping company efficiency in the process.

Mr Barnard, who lives with his wife Gill in West Wickham, Kent, explained that becoming a father to William, four, and Ellie, two, made him reassess both the way he worked and how to motivate his staff. He said: "Before I became a father I never thought twice about working long hours.

"It was the ethic that working in finance markets was based on, and I thought that anyone who questioned that was mad. You were in the office to work hard and that was the end of it. Having kids made me realise how much more there is to life than that. After all, as a parent, one of the key reasons that you are working is to give your children a good life. But you can't do that if you never see them.

"Most of the people who work in this office are parents too, and it was clear to me that they would be happier if they could see their children more. If your staff are happy they work better, they're more loyal and they are less likely to leave the company after we have spent a lot of time and money training them."

Mr Barnard has now arranged for his staff to work for only nine days a fortnight, and has made it possible for them to work flexible hours.

He said: "When we first started giving people a day off every fortnight they seemed to feel a bit uneasy about it. They thought that it was too good to be true and that there was something fishy going on.

"But the scheme has been fantastically successful. The time the workers get off is made up for by the extra time they put in on the days that they are working. The flexible hours they work mean that the office is open for longer, providing our clients with a better service but meaning that we don't have to pay so much in overtime.

"It also means that our staff don't want to leave us. One manager told me that every time he gets a call from a recruitment consultant trying to tempt him to other jobs the first thing that he asks is 'do I get fifty days holiday every year?'

"They always say 'no' and he always declines their offer."

David Reed, a 36-year-old who works on Mr Barnard's team, said: "Since the new way of working was introduced 18 months ago not a single person has left. Everyone is happier and the company has benefited too, Ian is a great bloke to work for."

Sarah Jackson is the chief executive of Parents At Work, the charity that organised the best boss competition.

The organisation was set up to help children, working parents and employers find a better balance between responsibilities at home and work.

Ms Jackson believes that many people who work in the City of London want to break out of the long hours working culture.

She said: "Ian has shown that it can be done. The fact that Cogent has also benefited from higher productivity, greater flexibility and lower staff turnover should help to convince other organisations that this is a good way forward for families and employers alike."