CASE STUDIES: Stephan Spencer

"Work- life balance - taking the office to the beach"

Stephan Spencer goes out of his way to provide flexibility for his staff - he even moved his company from downtown, grid-locked Auckland to Browns Bay, just a block from the beach.

And at the Browns Bay business, there's an open-plan office, breakfast bar and magazine stand, arcade games to help de-stress, a patio area, table and chairs and a barbeque.

He's created a cruisy, laid-back environment that helps a high- powered, high- pressure business succeed.

For Stephan, it's a deliberate philosophy that values lifestyle over a "dilbert" type existence, with people "slogging their guts out."

Stephan moved from Wisconsin five years ago and believes New Zealanders take for granted what they've got. He is amazed how many people he meets who live in Auckland and haven't even visited Waiheke Island or Rangitoto.

His company, Netconcepts Ltd, is a web design business with the majority of clients in the United States. That in itself presents challenges of dealing with time differences, with business operating about 20 hours a day.

Most of the staff are 'creatives', working on cutting edge projects that stretch them mentally. Stephan says it's important they can take five minutes out to clear their heads or go for a walk on the beach at lunch time. He enjoys high retention rates among his staff and when he moved to Browns Bays, many of the staff also shifted. "My primary goal for staff is to protect their CVs and improve their skill sets", he says.

Netconcepts has some exciting opportunities on the horizon, and in response, Stephan plans to take the company to the next level. "We can only make that move and take on that work if we maintain key staff. If we lost them we would lose something special to our business", he says.