Naps, DJ sets, a bar and icerink for staff — is this the world’s coolest boss?

HE BUILT his staff an ice-skating rink for Christmas, along with an office bar and nap zone. Is this the world’s coolest boss?

A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE boss has revealed he encourages his staff to play while they are at work — and has even installed an ice rink in the office car park in the run-up to Christmas.

Lawrence Jones has fully-equipped his Manchester company office with a bar, a den where employees can take 30 minute naps, a giant chess table, and a recording studio where staff can take some time out of the working day to make music.

The digital entrepreneur, who launched his cloud company UKFast 16 years ago, has even created an annual festival for his workforce, where they all go away camping together for the weekend.

An ice rink has sprung up in the company car park.

During the summer, fun-loving Lawrence bought 120 tonnes of sand and transformed the office car park into a beach, and prospective employees had their job interviews on deck chairs.

Now, in the run up to Christmas, Lawrence has hired an ice rink where staff can invite their family and friends for a skate after work.

Whenever a blockbuster film is released, Lawrence hosts an exclusive premiere for his employees to attend, and last year he gave away more than $160,520 (£77,000) in prizes at the Christmas party.

Lawrence Jones sits on a foot bridge over a pond in the chill out area of his office.

Lawrence believes his fun-loving attitude contributes to a more productive workforce, and says none of his 255 staff ever take a sick day.

He said: “Our office is fun from the moment you walk in. We have a giant chess table in the reception area, a Japanese waterfall, a recording studio, gym classes and a huge bar. We even have a den where people can sleep for half an hour if they need a nap.

“We are planning to have dog kennels built after Christmas so people can bring their pets to work. I believe a fun working environment makes a much more productive team, and I trust my staff to get the job done while having fun at the same time. No-one ever has a sick day because they are not overworked,” he said.

“Last year we bought a hotel in Switzerland so we can take staff on fun trips away, and they can stay there for free with friends and family.”

Game on: not only are staff allowed to nap at work, but they get to play Mario Kart.

“We have arranged days out to Chester Zoo where we take all the staff and their children — at our last visit there was 700 of us. It’s great for us all to be able to socialise outside of work.

“During the summer we turned the car park into a makeshift beach, and some people even had job interviews on a deck chair drinking a Corona,” Lawrence said.

“I have a committed and dedicated team, and I want them to feel valued at work. If they’re having a bad day they can go home early, if they have a bad phone call I tell them to take some time out and go to the gym.

“We have a yoga instructor who comes in three times a week to do sessions with the staff, it means people are more focused and relaxed.”

Lawrence enjoys a game of chess with staff member Chloe as his young daughter looks on.

New recruits at Lawrence’s company are invited to climb Mount Snowden, in a bid to encourage morale among new employees.

Lawrence said: “I’d definitely say I’m Britain’s most fun boss. There’s no competition. I don’t see work as something that should be overly complex or tough. Work should be enjoyable.”

Lawrence has recently installed a 200 square metre ice rink on the company car park as added fun for the festive season.

Lawrence enjoys a drink at the office bar.

He added: “We’ve installed the ice rink so staff can have some fun over Christmas. We’ve got live bands coming and DJs from the Ministry of Sound.

“Whenever a big film comes out I arrange a premiere at a nearby cinema for all staff and their friends and family, and we’ve even started an annual festival where we all go away camping together.

“I like socialising with my staff and encouraging them to become friends as well as employees — it makes for a much more productive workforce overall.

“The company started in a bedroom and it’s now worth $521 million (£250 million), it just proves that the better you treat staff, the better it is for the business.”

Originally published as Naps, DJ sets, a bar and icerink for staff — is this the world’s coolest boss?