Go into a Beaverbrooks shop and you’ll leave with an extra bit of sparkle in your life. And it’s not just down to the dazzling jewellery.

By offering the weary shopper a cup of tea, a comfortable seat, a few minutes of chat and detailed advice about the products on offer, the company’s 803 staff are doing all they can to boost the buying experience, and put a smile on the face of shoppers.

“It’s about the difference we can make to their day. If someone comes into the shop in a bad mood, that doesn’t mean they have to leave in a bad mood,” says Louise Sinclair, assistant manager at the Watford store. Staff agree that the company is run on strong principles, giving a 90% positive score, which ranks Beaverbrooks second on our list.

“Our main focus is always making our customer happy. It is all about enriching their lives. It’s not forced or false. It’s genuinely what we want to do here,” Sinclair says.

It is also what Mark Adlestone, managing director of the Lytham St Anne’s-based jewellery chain, wants to do for his staff. “Consultative paternalism is how I describe the way we run the business,” he says. “We look after people as if we were a family. We really do listen to our people.”

Founded by three Adlestone brothers in 1919, Mark is proud that Beaverbrooks remains a family business. People are inspired by the managing director, who earns a top score of 87%, and have a great deal of faith in him (90%).

Beaverbrooks staff are also the most content in the country, topping our list for the first time this year at the sixth time of asking.

People don’t believe that profit is the only thing driving the company (85%, a top score) and feel that managers care about them as individuals (85%, ranking second).

“Sometimes you end up selling something less valuable in monetary terms, but it’s more suited to the customer’s needs,” says Kamran Afzal, a retail sales associate. “Money is important, but it’s not the reason we are here. Ethics are one of the main things which drive this company.”

Training focuses on developing every aspect of the employee. Staff feel the job is of great personal benefit to them (81%) and is good for their personal growth (85%).

“The person you are outside work is the person you are in work. The behaviours you exhibit are the same,” says Adlestone. This holistic approach gives staff transferable life skills, instead of job-specific training. “It’s a powerful thing that goes beyond making them better salespeople. People aren’t machines. Everything has a knock-on effect and we recognise that.”

This ethos lies at the heart of Beaverbrooks, and is communicated from the day someone joins the organisation. Two weeks after starting work with the firm, Sinclair discovered she was pregnant. Her manager, Andy Williamson, and her colleagues, went out of their way to support her, so she could attend hospital appointments without any worry. More than that, the company allowed Sinclair to have the maternity benefits she didn’t yet qualify for because of the short time she had been in her job.

“Being a mum is scary enough, but knowing people at work really care about you takes a load off your mind,” she says.

People feel a strong sense of family in their teams, and managers care about their job satisfaction (both 82% scores). Beaverbrooks’ ethics extend further than customers and staff — the workforce is confident that the firm’s support of worthy causes is not driven by a desire for good publicity, giving a top score of 75%.

Since 2000 Beaverbrooks has donated £4m to charity. Every year, the company gives 20% of post-tax profits to charity, and staff choose which cause to support. The Watford team donated its money — a total of £1,000 — to the local Peace hospice last year.

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