Maintaining company culture during a period of growth “Communication is everything in a business.”

Chris Bellamy, Caxton Group Managing Director tells us how the business has maintained company culture during a period of growth, and why communication is key for high staff retention. 

What growth did you see in 2022?

Caxton Group continued to see a healthy growth in 2022 with a 34% increase in turnover, and we are forecasting further growth in 2023. In saying that, we aren’t a turnover business, we focus on profit. we are known for our service, delivering on time and too budget. We focus on quality,  safety and service levels.

In which area of the market have you seen the biggest growth?

Currently our biggest growth area is Caxton Façades. In comparison to traditional bricklaying, brick slip façades can save time and reduce cost for projects over six floors. They require less scaffolding, mast climbers and cranes, and weigh less compared to traditional bricks. The popularity of this modern method of construction is continually increasing as architects see evidence of its benefits.

Where else have you seen growth within the business?

Caxton Builders has a good reputation and very few contractors do what we do, which is large scale brickwork. We continually provide a high level of service and have a good relationship with our clients which means we benefit from repeat business.

Tell us about the culture at Caxton Group?

Our core values are honesty, respect, passion, commitment, and relationships. The culture within the business is maintained because we are open and honest with our staff and our clients. We treat everyone the same, regardless of their position and value every relationship. We have an open-door policy; we are approachable and listen. Communication is everything in a business.

How do you maintain your company culture?

Number one for me would be to trust your team. We have an excellent senior management team, and we must trust people to manage their own areas. Secondly, I would say communication. We have multiple sites now and we are growing. It is so important for me to get out and speak to people, to talk, listen and ask for feedback. You don’t realise how much it motivates people. Also, to learn you aren’t always right! Listen to other people’s opinions and respect your team’s knowledge and experience.

What do you look for when recruiting new team members?

To me it’s simple, if you enjoy your job, you will work hard. If you hate your job, you won’t work hard and if that’s the case, Caxton isn’t for you.  We all must find something we enjoy so that we take pride in our work. That is what success looks like and if you find it, you will throw yourself into it. When people work hard and take pride in their work, the business will look after you which is why we have such a high staff retention rate.

Q: Why do you think staff retention rate is so high?

We support and respect everyone’s situation, whether that is health, family, home life…If one of our team members needs time off to go to their child’s sports day, we encourage them to take that time out, and not only turn up, but go and win that race! Because if you are happy in your home life, you will perform well at work. We have created an environment where people enjoy coming to work everyday and we are thankful to each individual…that goes a long way. 

How do you encourage progression within the business?

Because we run as a family business, we are very close, and we continually learn from each other. A good example is Tom Mortlock, he started as a joiner for Caxton Builders ten years ago. Through his commitment and working closely with his colleagues he is now a director at Caxton Façades. We fully support the training requirements of our team, and this is a hugely important part of our ethos. Progression is an important part of our business, and many of our team members develop into more senior roles.”