14 June 2006, Oxford, UK - The “forward-thinking” Chief Executive of Oxford based domain name registry Nominet has won a special commendation at the finals of the Working Families/Lloyds TSB Best Boss competition. Lesley Cowley was nominated by Receptionist Jane Jones, who described Lesley as “a lovely boss”, who encourages flexible working where practicable and gives paid time off for family emergencies.

Lesley Cowley said: “We have grown from 28 to 130 employees during the seven years since I joined the company. We have moved from registering 81 domain names a day to 6,800 and the retention of good staff has been key to that. I’ve really appreciated what flexible managers have done for me in the past and I try to apply that to my staff. You need to trust your people and focus on the work that needs to be done and outcomes, rather than presenteeism. The bottom line is that all our business measures, including customer satisfaction, tell us that flexibility is very good for the business.”

The Working Families/Lloyds TSB Best Boss competition was first launched in 2000 to celebrate the unsung local heroes who show other managers how a happy team with balanced lives makes for a ‘win-win’ situation for everyone.

Previous winners – from a wide range of sectors - have demonstrated how individuals really can make a difference. For more information about the competition or case studies of previous winners, go to www.workingfamilies.org.uk

Sarah Jackson, Chief Executive of Working Families said: “We have been very impressed with the entries to the competition this year and these inspiring bosses - from all around the UK and from very different workplaces – have done very well to win through to the finals. Each of their stories shows how individuals can make a real difference, not only to the working lives of the people in their teams, but also to the effectiveness of their organisations.”

Fiona Cannon, Head of Equality and Diversity at Lloyds TSB, said: “Having a good boss can make a huge difference, not only to the success of a business but also to the happiness and wellbeing of those who work for them. I’ve been extremely impressed by the standard of entries to this years competition and Lesley Cowley particularly stood out from the crowd.”

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