Pertemps retains a family feel despite a decade of expansion

Purpose – This paper aims to describe how UK recruitment company Pertemps has retained its small‐company mentality despite ten years of growth which have seen its employee numbers rise to more than 1,000. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explains how the company prides itself on having a business strategy shaped by opinion and feedback from employees, as well as having staff as shareholders, to maintain the strong family values on which it was built. Findings – The paper details the effects of this company ethos on employee involvement, internal communications, training and development and the ways in which employees are rewarded. Practical implications – The paper reveals that Pertemps was thirty‐second in the 2012 Sunday Times list of the top 100 employers and was named a top employer by the Corporate Research Foundation (CRF). Social implications – The paper highlights the significant advantages that flow from having employees who share in the ownership of the company. Originality/value – The paper explains how a growing company can benefit from retaining the “feel” of a family business.