Sarah Jordan discusses the small adjustments her lab made to promote happiness and wellbeing at work among the team.
Hi! I’m Sarah, one of the partners at Complete Crown & Bridge. We are based in a lovely part of the country, nestled within the Chiltern Hills, which in itself helps with our aim to promote a happy and relaxing working environment. The surrounding views are just stunning!
We spend a large part of the day with our specially selected team. If they are content, then so are we! It is important to us that a working space with a team working in unison needs to be a happy one.
You spend more time at work with colleagues than you do with your loved ones at home, so it’s very important for everyone to feel comfortable. In our opinion, this is the key to building and, more importantly, retaining an amazing team.
Good food, good mood
Technicians are known for their long working hours, and therefore possibly missing meals due to work commitments and deadlines. So, we at Complete Crown & Bridge are here to solve that. We love to eat… I mean, who doesn’t?
We have some amazing cooks among our small but perfectly formed team, and we see it as a challenge every Friday to come up with something bigger, better and tastier than the last week’s offering.
It gives us something to look forward to, not only filling our tummies, but taking time out to have a chat and a laugh about the past week. (Preferably no crying!)
We have created everything from eggs royale and chilli con carne to a full crispy duck and pancakes.
Animal lovers
Not only do we enjoy our food, but we are also a team of animal lovers. We are close to the Hearing Dogs charity which is based roughly five miles away. We are lucky enough to have someone on our business park who volunteers for the charity.
Of course, we were more than willing to give the eight-week-old hearing dog puppies all the cuddles when they popped in to visit – how could we resist?
Calming environment
Complete Crown & Bridge recently moved to bigger premises which gave us the opportunity to decorate and furnish the space to be a welcoming and – hopefully – calming place to work. When visitors come to see us, they aways comment on what a fantastic space and location we are in.
As a lab owner, I tend to be rushing around like a maniac a lot of the time, and on top of the pressures of running the lab, I also have a busy family life with twin girls, so I see the new lab as a bit of a sanctuary for myself.
Lunchbreaks
Along with the cooking ‘challenges’ and the puppy cuddling, we really encourage our employees to take a lunchbreak (I really need to take my own advice on this one). Go for a walk and get some time away from the bench, sit on the sofa and read a book, or wander round the business park and have a chat – anything to take you away from teeth for a while.
We love a good laugh and most of our conversations end with talking rubbish or googling whether ‘that guy off the telly from the 70’s’ is still alive. It sounds basic, but these are a few of the things we encourage to keep the team motivated and stress-free.
Yes, we are here to make teeth at the end of the day, but we must also ensure that our wellbeing is looked after. We have a high standard and consistent work output, and we put a lot of this down to the highly talented team and our working ethics.
Mental health awareness is huge in society, and by making just a few small adjustments at work, we can achieve a pleasant environment for all.
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