Is Jo Ashworth Britain's Best Boss?

LONDON - Sept. 7, 2020 - PRLog -- Employees secretly nominated Jo who only found out this had happened when she received an email informing her of her place as a finalist. "I'm beyond excited and proud", she said. "The fact that my Artisan colleagues have done this for me is incredible. It;s always been important to me that my staff feel valued and inspired, as well as praised and rewarded for their successes. I've created a company that is full of personality and a workplace that is fun, lively and energetic. It means a great deal to me that everyone enjoys working with me so much that they've taken the time and trouble to nominate me for this award!"

Debbie Gilbert is the organiser of The Best Business Women Awards. She said: "To be a finalist is a major achievement. The businesswomen selected have been chosen for their business acumen, determination, creativity and tenacity. All our finalists are all shining examples of being successful entrepreneurs who have proved their success to our judges."

Surviving and thriving

As Artisan People specialises in permanent and temporary recruitment for luxury retail and museums, galleries, airports and heritage attractions, it was hit hard by the lockdown. While many of her staff were on furlough, Jo was working even harder than usual to secure the future of the business. "It's been a strange and stressful year and as a company, we had to adapt our working practices extremely quickly in order to survive in the wake of the pandemic. However, we've weathered the storm, and have already implemented ways of improving our service and the quality of our recruits, including new online training courses.

"We have also decided to branch out into the care sector, where we anticipate an upsurge in demand for high quality care staff who will enable older people to continue living independently in their own homes. We'll use our tried and trusted model for attracting and training high quality candidates producing customer service excellence via our new venture, Artisan Aunties. I know that these are uncertain times, but I keep reminding myself that I set up Artisan People in a crowded market and in the middle of a recession. All of my goals and successes could not have been achieved without the support of my fabulous business partner and outstanding team beside me!"

Jo will have to wait until next year to find out if she's a winner. The planned gala dinner and award ceremony has fallen victim to social distancing, and has been postponed until April 2021.