Regular readers of our blog will appreciate how much we value our people here at Excel Vending.  It may sound clichéd, but we genuinely believe our success over the past 26 years is largely due to the quality of the people who work with us – employees, suppliers and clients alike.  However, of these, our employees are the ones who have truly assisted our growth over the years. 

We were recently asked for some statistics about the workforce and the results of our research amazed us and reminded us why they are an integral part of the ongoing success of the business.  Almost 30% (28% to be precise) have been with Excel Vending for more than ten years, and if we look at 5+ years, the figure rises to an amazing 40%.  Considering we are a growing business that creates new employment opportunities every year, we believe these are impressive numbers.

Further examination of the statistics also revealed a high number of people who have joined us as a referral or recommendation from an existing employee; currently, 8 of our employees were hired on the recommendation of someone already working with us – even the dog walker has recommended someone!

Much has been written about millennials and their desire to move from job to job; recent findings suggest that as many as 43% plan to leave their current jobs within the next two years.  Again, we think we are faring better than this in staff retention because those in the company with more than 2 year’s service represent 60% of the current workforce.

It is gratifying to see the numbers which demonstrate that we do have a loyal workforce.  Of course, above average staff retention doesn’t happen by accident; investment in our people has always been high on our list of priorities.  We invest in personal development and, whenever possible, we recruit and promote from within the company. 

Likewise, we reward hard work and we appreciate that everyone needs to make a living wage.  In that respect we have gone further, Excel Vending are a ‘Living Wage’ employer which means we have elected to pay the ‘Real Living Wage’ rather than the lower ‘Minimum Living Wage’.

All of these things are contributory factors, but we believe it is the way we respect and communicate with our staff that ultimately results in a happy workplace.  Staff are encouraged to bring new ideas to the table, many of which have been adopted over the years and have improved the processes and ultimately the service we offer our clients.  So, clichéd as it may be, we truly believe our people are our biggest asset.