Life Leisure nominated as top Stockport employer

Life Leisure has been named one of best employers in Stockport as part of the Stockport Business Awards.

The not for profit and charitable trust, which manages 13 sports and leisure facilities in and around Stockport and employs over 500 people, is shortlisted in the ‘Employer of the Year’ category. The award recognizes organisations that go the extra mile to engage and support their staff, and can “demonstrate the positive impact this has had on business”.

Having won the category for ‘Best Not for Profit Organisation’ in 2015, Life Leisure CEO Malcolm McPhail is thrilled the organisation has now been shortlisted as a top employer.

Malcolm said: “Over the past 5 years, around 40% of total income has been generated by increasing membership and casual visitor numbers to our gyms. In the leisure sector, while investment in facilities is important, you just can’t achieve that kind of growth without brilliant staff.”

Life Leisure operates a popular apprenticeship scheme and in the past three years has offered over 100 work placements to young people from local schools and colleges. Around 80% of all staff live locally. Entry opportunity is supported by progression routes – over 50% of the management team have been promoted from within the business.

All employees are also encouraged and given the opportunity to take part in community events, charity fundraisers and volunteering schemes.

Life Leisure has also received industry acclaim for its ‘Preferred Behaviours = Personal Best’ programme, an initiative that recognizes and rewards staff that embody Life Leisure’s WATCH principles (Winner, Authenticity, Caring and Happy). Through this scheme any staff member at any level can become a company champion – referred to as Sentinels – and lead steering groups on business development areas. The scheme is also the foundation for annual employee awards.

Malcolm continued: “People come in to work to do a good job – help people do that and the business will benefit. With that in mind we’ve scrapped job descriptions and traditional evaluations to focus on a ‘preferred behaviour model’ that encourages staff to be their ‘personal best’.

“The response has been fantastic. To have achieved what we have during a period of austerity would not have been possible without happy, motivated staff who are always giving that extra per cent. Investing in them has been the best business decision of my career and we are all thrilled that the working environment we’ve created here has caught the attention of the judges.”

Life Leisure will find out if they are the best employer in Stockport at The Stockport Business awards October 13th at Stockport Town Hall.