Bookeeping, Accounting and Financial Consulting
Founded: 1988
Employees: 24
Male/Female ratio: 8% – 92%
Bermudian/Non-Bermudian ratio: 92% – 8%
Staff turnover (2017): 10%
To appreciate why ABS Ltd has made the grade in the Top Ten Employers award, one need look no further than the company’s mission statement.
It reads: “To provide opportunity to as many unqualified and qualified Bermudian staff to enjoy a satisfying and rewarding job in a pleasant working environment while generating a better than average return for the shareholders of the company”.
It’s not just the content of this sentence, but also the order of the wording that show that this is a company that puts employees’ interests first.
For ABS, an accounting and bookkeeping services provider based in the AS Cooper Building in Reid Street, Hamilton, customer service is wholly reliant on the quality of staff. So, keeping good employees happy is critical.
ABS practises what it preaches in terms of giving opportunity to Bermudians, with 92 percent of its staff being locals. All employees receive annual cash bonuses of between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on attitude and performance.
Its low turnover rate of 10 percent may be connected to the company’s readiness to help out employees when times are tough. Its response to the Top Ten survey states: “We constantly lend money (usually from $1,000 to $5,000) to long-term staff who have financial difficulties. We have written off loans in situations where staff were unable to repay for genuine reasons”.
In addition, ABS will foot the bill for all continuing education at Bermuda College for any member of staff. Any employee who wants to pursue formal accounting qualifications will also receive financial support.
Add to that the fact that ABS did not make a single redundancy during the island’s economic downturn and it’s easy to understand why many of its staff have worked there for more than a decade.
What employees said:
“ABS Ltd is a company where you can voice your concerns and they are immediately addressed”.
“I have worked for this company for 25 years. I have always been treated with the utmost respect and given every opportunity to grow”.
“Each case is treated individually when anything falls outside the norm”.
