I'd like to thank the firm

It’s been a busy year for Memset. Not just launching new products and features, but we’ve also picked up a number of industry awards along the way. For the sixth year running, we’ve picked up PC Pro’s Best Web Host as voted by readers of the magazine. If that wasn’t enough we’ve won the ISPA Best Managed Service award as voted by other ISPA members as well as the BCS UK IT Industry Award for Small IT Supplier of the Year. Memset’s managing director also picked up The Toast of Surrey’s Business Personality of The Year.

Memset has constantly won awards for its services and products in the three years I’ve been working for them. It’s not hard to see why - Memset is a wonderful place to work.

I joined Memset in 2008 having worked for six months at another company on the Surrey Research Park. I, as well as many of my colleagues at my previous employer, had just been made redundant. I had been working in the film and television industry for just over 6 years having previously worked (and started my career) in web hosting. By a complete co-incidence Memset were recruiting at the time and after a good grilling I took on. But what makes Memset such a good employer? They care about their staff. I was given a completely open choice as to what kind of laptop I wanted to use (we all use laptops here rather than bulky desktop machines). With a specific budget, I was able to get the latest white MacBook and spec it out sufficiently that it’s now lasted three years and is still going strong. All staff are given a “gadget pounds” allowance which is refreshed/topped up each year in which we can buy work-related gadgets. Some of us now have iPads, some have replaced their ageing workstations, but it’s a great scheme that allows us to eventually OWN the gadgets after a number of years as the gadgets depreciate in value.

The company also operates a cycle scheme. When I first joined I was given an electric pushbike which I use to cycle to and from work (I live approximately 8 miles from the office). Having not commuted to work by pushbike for a number of years - not since I lived in Norwich - and having to rely on a public transport system that can take up to 2 hours just to travel the same 8 miles, the bike is an absolute joy. It takes me around 32 minutes to get to work and similar length on the way back. As the bike is electric, it soon makes short work of Surrey’s infamous steep hills - of which there are numerous.

We also have a company private health scheme which covers dental, travel and health insurance in a single policy. I’ve never had to claim - despite being knocked off my bike back in 2010 and suffering a cracked rib and a badly sprained foot - but it’s good to know it’s there if it’s needed. Certainly, the dental scheme alone is worth its weight in gold (teeth?).

The company operates a flexible working hours scheme in which we can start work between 8-10am in the morning and leave at 4-6pm in the evening. Even then, it’s not fixed and providing one makes up the requisite number of minimum hours per week it’s pretty handy if you need to leave earlier for personal errands or arrive later likewise.

Our on-call system also rewards those that participate and one can bank “hours” used that can be used for time off in-lieu or paid into the monthly salary.

The company holds an annual summer BBQ at one of the director’s houses and is a great social event.  Similarly, there are the occasional team building outings - the last one took place at Airsoft in Reading, but we’ve also been go-karting in previous years.

Another benefit is that we have our own Miniservers which we can use for personal use - many of us use ours to test and improve our knowledge of new software, systems and infrastructure.  More importantly, Memset is the only employer that I’ve worked to date to actively encourage and offer paid training courses to gain certification in particular products, services or skills. Many of my fellow ops team members have Linux Professional Institute certifications as a consequence of this.

The office environment at Memset is great.  We have a fully equipped kitchen with food, snacks and drinks provided by the company - including a really nice coffee machine that serves up a mean cappuccino. We have a full sized table tennis table and lounge area too.

Memset looks after it’s employees and the results show in the awards that we win and are extremely high retention of customers. I love working for Memset and hope to continue working here for many, many more years to come.