Paul Rose dives into mysterious black holes in the Bahamas, swims under the ice sheets of the Arctic, and dices with the aggressive Humboldt squid.

Back on dry land, he is the “ideas into action” man for Impact International, a business consultancy which offers him a flexible enough contract to go off adventuring and film his Oceans series for the BBC.

The rest of the 126 employees at the head office in Windermere, Cumbria, might be slightly less adventurous but still take every opportunity to put on their Impact jackets and get out on the road. Last year the company offered opportunities to work on a community action learning project in Paris, take a six-month relocation to Asia-Pacific, or a three-month secondment to work with Save the Children after the cyclone in Burma.

Impact International works with other businesses to make them “sustainable” firms that can change people’s behaviour and develop better leadership.

Charitable work is a logical extension of its own philosophy. The company comes second overall for questions on Giving Something Back, with an 82% positive score. People think the firm puts a lot into the local area (85%), with 53 employees using paid work time to volunteer for learning in the community schemes. Staff say the firm makes a positive impact on the world (92%), and last year it launched a social enterprise, Impact Beyond, to offer its expertise affordably to organisations such as schools and charities.

A relief and development group was set up in 2006 and has worked on humanitarian aid products in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, for the past 13 years, the film has run a free residential holiday for disadvantaged children, funding this with an annual charity dinner and auction.

Employees say that budgetary concerns aren’t the only driving force (85%) at the firm. Staff enjoy 27 days of holiday a year, performance-related pay, childcare vouchers and a noncontributory pension.

The staff turnover is a low 7% and a third of employees have enjoyed a reward for 10 years of service of £900 or 12 extra days off. To celebrate their 25th year at the firm, employees can choose £2,500 or a 25-day holiday, together with a company lunch and a commemorative book on their history with the firm.

There are six-monthly surveys to keep a check on staff feelings, and managers regularly run awaydays such as a trip to one of the firm’s three country house hotels, or a team-building event held in a scenic mountain hut. People find their managers open and honest (91%), and say they care about them as individuals (92%) and how satisfied they are in their job (90%).

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