Mentera is Wales’ leading independent business development company. We help make things happen. Whether grassroots or global, we give businesses the opportunity to be world-standard. With tailored support packages, access to opportunities, and 35 years’ worth of expertise, experience and connections, we’ll make sure your business is the best it can be.

This year, 76% of Mentera’s staff took part in our annual staff survey. As Mentera’s Chief Executive, I am grateful to the team for taking the time to complete the survey and for being honest with their answers. Whilst the results give us plenty of room for optimism and celebration, they also give us priceless feedback on which to build and improve.

Why do an annual survey?

For leaders of any company, the annual staff survey can be a nervous time. But feeling apprehensive about what your team really thinks is no reason not to ask the important questions. Without the insight your results give you, how do you know where to focus your efforts and where you need to improve?

Your survey results give you a vital snapshot of your company culture – and company culture matters as much as any of your other performance indicators. It can make or break your company – get it right and you have high productivity, good morale, engaged teams, and happy employees. Get it wrong, or fail to create the right environment to let the right culture flourish, and it can derail your whole business strategy.

Reasons to celebrate

This survey was undertaken soon after we launched our new strategy – O’r Fro i’r Byd (From Grassroots to Global) – and new name and brand (we were previously Menter a Busnes), so the fact that 91% of the team have said that they understand our purpose, vision and principles is great.

Equally positive is the fact that 90% said they are proud to work here and 87% would recommend it as a good place to work. Word of mouth is so important these days. Good news about your business culture spreads fast; conversely, bad news travels even faster!

In the last 12 months we’ve introduced a hybrid working policy and a new flexible working policy, encouraging more office time to foster closer collaboration while also allowing flexible working to aid with life outside work. So, seeing a 91% approval rate for the flexible working policy and 89% saying they have a good work-life balance is amazing to see and suggests we’re on the right track.

Mentera is all about delivery – and we pride ourselves on a 35-year track record of delivering high-quality services to help businesses in Wales to grow and thrive. So, perhaps the best number of all is that 97% of the team think we offer high-quality services.

No room for complacency

Staff feedback and engagement isn’t a one-off event and I know that there is no room for complacency here. We have to listen to all of the feedback and take action where the results are not where we want them to be.

This year, the team has said that we need to do more to help them reach their career aspirations and to help them grow. 73% think we are doing enough and that they get opportunities to develop their skills, and 63% are aware of the opportunities available to them, down from 70% last year. So, we clearly have to do more on our training package and making sure that people know what’s available to them.

The numbers working unsociable hours several times a week have gone up slightly since last year, from a quarter to a third. While a good proportion of that was individual choice, a lot of it was down to the nature of our work and attending events and so we need to keep a close eye on staff well-being and make sure people take time to recover in quieter times.

We also have work to do on certain aspects of inclusion. While our staff’s view overall is that we are an inclusive place to work for people with protected characteristics, there was a 13% decrease from last year to this year in the number of staff who agree that we are inclusive for disabled people. This is exactly the kind of feedback that makes me want to explore the reasons behind it, and to work to improve our company by making real life changes to how we operate and communicate our commitment to creating an inclusive workplace. We were proud to retain our Gold-standard Committed to Equality (C2E) accreditation this year, but there is always room for improvement.

A bright future

A company depends on its team for success. Mentera employs over 170 people. It is these people who drive hard every day to deliver on our vision and strategy, enabling and empowering Welsh businesses to venture and thrive both locally and globally, to create a prosperous economy.

As we build for the future, I will continue to listen and learn from their feedback in my commitment to excellence and continuous learning in everything we do. We’re committed to taking any steps that will lead to positive change within our company; to make our workplace more effective and efficient. In a year where we have developed and launched a new company strategy, new brand, and new name, I am delighted that the majority of the team is on board and supportive of our direction and ambition.