06 Jun
  • By Heidi Merrin
  • Cause in

Putting professional development first for all employees.

Whilst running auctions and sporting events nationwide and internationally, here at Impulse Decisions we are under no illusion that our most valuable asset is our people. We put a strong focus on personal and professional development, to empower our team members to thrive and excel in their roles/careers. 

Personal development 

Even before the challenges companies faced within the pandemic, each member of the Impulse team has been offered and encouraged to undertake 3 hours of professional development every quarter and has been for over four years now. 

We are also allowed fitness hours within work time, encouraging staff to get away from their desk/screens, and have a break from technology and the pressures of the working day. This can be anything from group fitness sessions in the Valley Gardens, to onsite yoga, or even a team walk. 

Our individual target is a total of 75hrs in total per quarter, equating to approx. 2 weeks of work time, and in just Q1 alone this year, the whole team undertook 321.5 hours of professional development in total. For example, Igor Popovych, our Finance Assistant undertook 47 hours of professional development on top of work and home life.  

Luke Last, Experiences and Bookings Assistant – started with Impulse Decisions on the 7th March  

 “One of the main factors that drew me to Impulse Decisions as a company was the focus it has on professional and personal development, whether it be through fitness or education. 

The way the company encourages you to do courses and fitness sessions during working hours is absolutely incredible and something I haven’t ever seen before.  

It makes the company stand out more than any other and gives you a sense that you’re not just working for someone, you’re actually cared about and looked after. Everyone wants me to succeed, learn, evolve and develop as a person which makes you want to come in to work every single day!”  

 

Dannielle Perks Office Manager Here at Impulse Decisions we always encourage growth, its one of our driving factors of the business so we want to same for our team.  

As you well know the world we live in today is forever changing and we want our team to feel they are able to expand their knowledge, adapt and utilise those changes to benefit them inside and outside of the workplace.  

We give the opportunity for each individual to tailor their own development journey this allows them to evaluate themselves and pick something that they feel is suited to their needs and job role. When our team are learning something they have picked for themselves they are engaged and driven as they feel passionate towards the topic. The choices are wide and varied from an Inspirational Leadership programme to Microsoft Excel Time Series Models for Business Forecasting!  

On a personal note its great to be a part of a team that want to develop themselves as much as I do and I feel lucky to be a part of a company that supports this”  

  

 

Team development 

We also place an equal importance on developing ourselves as a team.  We have monthly team activities as well as quarterly social events which range from walks to lunches, and we have even done pottery painting.  All of which enables everyone to get to know each other better, but also to do activities with team members we may not always have daily contact with. 

At the end of last year we also undertook DiSC training for the entire team at Impulse Decisions, which involved DiSc profiling as part of everyone’s professional development. DiSC is a personal assessment tool used by more than one million people every year to help improve teamwork, communication, and productivity in the workplace. Organisations and facilitators use these profiles as tools to help ignite cultural change, inspiring lasting behaviour changes that positively shape their workforce. 

It was a fascinating process to go through and highlighted each person’s strengths and weaknesses, some of which we knew already, but there were also some surprises.  All of this has also help us work more effectively together as a team. 

We also have an employee of the quarter scheme, and last year the four winners went on a ski-ing holiday together – this year they are heading to Barbados! Keep tuned for what they get up to! 

Placing this amount of importance on every team members development is key to how Impulse Decisions wants to invest in its employees and in turn support the business.