Bet365 gambles on remote working so it can stick to Stoke-on-Trent
The Stoke-on-Trent based company has hired 30 people through the programme since it was established four months ago and now it's looking to capitalise on the success, according to Alan Reed, head of the systems development team at Bet365.
"It works really well as it offers flexibility on both sides," said Reed, adding he wants to recruit more remote workers.
"The sky is the limit," he said. "We're a company that's based on innovation and you never know when you're going to need additional hands."
Reed said remote working helps Bet365, which boasts 19 million customers across more than 200 countries, to get around not being in London, where 200,000 people now work in the digital technology sector.
"The programme is national, from Lands End to Jon O'Groats, and that allows us to improve our reach," said Reed. "As a company we're not going to leave Stock-on-Trent because we're a family run organisation and there's a lot of investment in the area."
Many of the people on Bet365's remote working programme are highly-skilled in languages like HTML5, C# and Erlang, said Reed. This helps them to build responsive mobile and tablet apps, as well as user-friendly websites, according to Reed.
Those that want to enroll on the programme must complete four weeks of training at Bet365's office in Stock-on-Trent. While on site, they are introduced to the business and informed about the work they'll be doing.
Reed, responsible for overseeing the company's £60 million annual IT budget, said people are attracted to working for Bet365 by the competitive salaries, among other things.
Bet365 employs 2,000 people, including 600 people in IT and 250 people in IT development at its office in Stoke-on-Trent.