Behaviours that build Best Companies

Moulding our own behaviour through effective interventions works too…

I joined Incite in January last year, just before we were recognised as one of The Sunday Times’ Top 100 Small Companies to Work for. A year later and we’re in the list for a second time, now breaking into the top 50.

My preconceptions of Incite – a solution-led agency focused on answering clients’ questions – was not so different from the positioning of lots of research companies across the spectrum; from the big houses to the more niche boutiques. But what I’ve experienced since joining is how this ethos is translated into a way of working that is very different from my experience elsewhere.

I am challenged every day in my thinking.  I benefit from working with people with a depth and breadth of experience that complements my own. And I’m in an environment that encourages me to develop and build my own expertise and skillsets.

But there are specific things that happen at Incite – proposal brainstorms, analysis sessions, best practice sharing sessions, onboarding processes for new joiners – that encourage specific behaviours: critical thinking, active listening and creative working.

But aside from the work, one of the things that sets Incite apart is the community. Everything from casual drinks in the office every Friday to trying to puzzle-solve our way out of an escape-room before the summer party, fosters fun and collaborative relationships that go well beyond just working together.

Since joining I’ve enjoyed more than a few meals celebrating new joiners, birthdays and maternity leave. Someone mentioned ‘the Incite stone’ when I first started and it’s not an exaggeration. We take every (and any) opportunity to come together over food in recognition of our colleagues, whether new or long in tenure, and avoiding the consequences takes some self-control.  But this all contributes to a feeling that we are part of something more than just the work.

As someone relatively new to the company it’s clear why we are one of the UK’s best places to work. And from what I’ve seen, the way we behave at work – prompted and supported by simple frameworks, interventions, activities and the distinctive office environment itself – will help us stay that way in the future.