Putting Our People First: The Power of Lifetime Leave

October 10, 2024

At William Martin, we believe in the power of people. Everything we do would not be possible without our incredible team, and that’s why we want to make every employee feel valued and cared for. We understand that what happens in our personal lives directly impacts how we perform at work. Therefore, we do anything we can to support our staff and make their lives easier and more enjoyable.

Wellbeing and work are undeniably linked, with healthy employees being 59% more likely to be engaged at work. That’s why we do everything we can to ensure all our people are healthy and happy.

As part of this initiative, we offer lifetime leave to support our team members as they go through different life events. At the end of the day, it’s not about what’s important to us, it’s whatever is important to our people.

Sam’s Story: Making a Stressful Move Simple

“I cannot downplay what a huge difference lifetime leave made for me last year.”

– Sam Estwick, Software Support Specialist, William Martin

Sam has been working at William Martin for 10 years as a Software Support Specialist. Sam has been such an asset to the William Martin team, but recently she came across some personal challenges. So, we decided we needed to step in and help Sam out.

Given that Sam’s husband is in the Army, he often gets posted in different locations. Since Sam has been with the company, she has already moved to Cyprus twice. So, when they were planning to move back to the UK last year, Sam was making to-do lists and trying to get everything in place to take the smallest amount of leave possible for the move.

There were a few main stress factors here for Sam and her husband. When going through the moving process, the Army keep them on their toes with changing flights and even changing houses at the last minute. They are also tasked with cleaning the house, in line with Army standards, despite all their belongings leaving a week or so ahead of them; this means they have to survive without their hoover, steamer, mop and other cleaning supplies.

“So even with my trusty list, a lot of things are out of our hands.” – Sam Estwick, Software Support Specialist, William Martin

Not to mention, once Sam and her husband arrive back in the UK, they have the stress of getting everything unpacked and praying nothing was broken during the move. From setting up all the utilities and getting on the internet, to organising new schools for the kids, to registering at doctors and dentists—the list seems endless.

To help, we were able to offer Sam two weeks of lifetime leave.

Sam booked in her lifetime leave, feeling relaxed and ready to start the move. Sam and her husband packed up their house in Cyprus and went to stay at a local hotel. This meant their house would be empty meaning they could return and clean it over a few days.

“It was July, who wants to leave a gorgeous hotel on the beach to go and clean? So, for the first time ever we booked a ‘March out’ cleaner (to the relief of my husband as I am not known for my cleaning skills).” – Sam Estwick, Software Support Specialist, William Martin

Finally, Sam was able to enter holiday mode. There was no need to stress because time was on her side. So, Sam and her husband drove to see family who they hadn’t seen in two years and picked up their beloved dog who flew back a week before them.

 

With all this extra time, it was easy for Sam to sort all the utilities, doctors, schools and even do a shopping trip to make the new house feel like home.

“There was an ongoing joke with my friends that within those two weeks I didn’t have a single thought in my head, I just happily plodded along.” – Sam Estwick, Software Support Specialist, William Martin

After this relaxing break, Sam then returned to work refreshed and with plenty of leave left for Christmas. According to Sam, “it was the best company benefit” she could ever have asked for.

Our people are always our top priority here at William Martin; we want every staff member to feel valued, appreciated, and supported—we are just happy we could make a positive impact on Sam’s moving journey.

 

Contact

At William Martin, we bring unparalleled health & safety expertise and powerful technology to the table. Whatever your sector and wherever you are, we give you the support you need to keep compliant, strong, and successful.

For all enquiries, please contact us or call our team on 0203 819 8829.

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