Employees working for a Staffordshire engineering company have received a helping hand in the midst of the rising cost of living thanks to a £1,000 generously granted by their boss. In total, 86 employees benefited from this bonus. 

“Because of the nature of our work, we are in the fortunate position to have seen some strong growth over the past two years – despite covid. We have taken on 18 new staff since the start of the pandemic because of the demand we have seen from the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors. Everybody has worked really hard,” – managing director Matt Fletcher announced. 

„But we would have had to have been living under a rock to not notice what is going on with the cost of living at the moment. We can’t do anything about rising fuel and gas prices but we can do something to help our employees deal with it […] Our staff are on good wages here because it is skilled work, but the management team decided we wanted to give them something extra to show our appreciation and help with some rising costs. When we told them, the room went silent, then they gave us a standing ovation,” – he recalled. 

„When we were told we would get the money, I was surprised,” Ian Hunt, an employee of the company, told the BBC. „We had a daughter named Amber nine weeks ago and my wife is on maternity leave, so this will really help with the cost of diapers and stuff like that,” he explained.

„I haven’t heard of many companies that have done this, so hats off to Fletcher Moorland – and thank you to the management team,” said John Roe, another employee.

In 2021, the Stoke-on-Trent company marked its 75th year.

Image: Stokeon Trent Live

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen