Is this Brighton and Hove's best company to work for?

If they hit that target, the reward is an all-paid trip to Las Vegas.

Should staff fall short of that target, they have monthly incentives, which include trips to West End shows, Michelin star restaurants and weekend trips to some of the best destinations in Europe.

The man driving the recruitment and consultancy company is Steve Kerassitis, who picked up the Brighton and Hove Business Awards' Best Place to Work award this month.

Mr Kerassitis has been managing director for five years having previously worked on the floor for three years.

He said: “It’s a people business and that’s our number one priority.

“We try to have a combination of incentives which include health related things to keep stress levels down such as the stand up desks, we have balls we sit on, a roof terrace to get more natural light in and so that the staff can take in Brighton views on a sunny day.”

He was behind the incentives and he said productivity has gone through the roof since he introduced them.

He said: “Everybody pulls together and there is rarely competition against each other.

“Obviously people are striving to be the best, but generally everyone is there to pull their teammates along.

“It’s a competitive business we’re in and it’s a hard job where people work long hours, so the incentives are a conscious effort to keep them happy and motivated.

“It’s a tough job. We have some great people here and we want to give them something back.

“If someone wants to come in here and moan and be negative, it’s probably not going to work out, we like positivity.

“We spend a lot of time at work, and if we can make people enjoy their time at work, then everyone’s a winner.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the monthly and annual treats have made the 41-year-old a popular boss.

Business unit head Anna Pak Poy, 33, originally from Adelaide, was one of the lucky bunch to receive the trip to Sin City, having made the trip a number of times before.

She said: “I’ve been here five years and have worked in some excellent places before then and I can honestly say it’s the best place I’ve ever worked.

“Everyone is just so supportive of each other.

“We work long hours and although it’s really satisfying it can be quite a stressful job, so the incentives help with that and more.

“It really brings out the best in us and it means we end up enjoying what we are doing.

“One of the funny things is that usually in recruitment it can be pretty cut-throat, but that’s not the environment here.

“The support we all show each other is pretty incredible.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m a competitive person, but there is an atmosphere here where everybody wants everybody else to be their best.

“In some places, you’ll get people wanting their colleagues to do badly so that their figures look better.

“That’s so far from the case here.”

And talking of Mr Kerassitis, she added: “He’s fantastic. Such a great boss.

“He gives people lots of autonomy and a lot of support and when someone you respect puts their faith in you, it puts faith in yourself – without sounding too deep.”

Another one of the happy globetrotters this year was Michelle Jackson, who is also a business unit head.

She said flying across the pond was like going away with friends, not colleagues.

The 33-year-old has worked with Mr Kerassitis since 2004 and joined up with him at Stelfox in 2008.

She said: “We’re all quite different here and everyone likes their own things.

“It’s a really diverse team in terms of ages and interests, but we all get along really well.

“The incentives are really motivating, but the best part of it is more the environment and everybody cheering each other on to reach their targets so they can get on those trips.”

But what happens if a member of staff does not hit their monthly targets and miss out on the monthly trips?

Michelle explained: “It happened to me once when a big project came in from a client and I had to stay in that weekend and work on it while I waved everyone else off to Berlin.

“But within a day I got messages saying “We miss you”, so that was really nice.

“Sometimes it does happen when people don’t hit the target and end up not going, but the beauty is the following month you have another chance and you’re even more determined to make that one.

“Everybody here has been on a trip and there’s a massive push to try and get everyone on them.”

She also spoke glowingly of her boss and said: “It’s hard to put it into words really.

“He’s just so supportive, he has a really natural way of bringing the best out of someone and usually that person doesn’t even realise it’s happening.

“We’re very lucky to have him.”