Happy teams produce happy customers and lead to business growth, more opportunities and even happier teams, Caspian Insurance has found. The UK's No 1 life insurance broker believes the strategy is behind its success, bagging industry awards and almost two million views for its social media videos.

Founded in Manchester in 2016, Caspian treats staff members like family and the leadership team is always on hand for a chat. During the coronavirus pandemic the company's priority was employees' physical and mental wellbeing. Managers kept in close contact with staff, especially those who lived alone or began to struggle, and created opportunities over multiple channels to ensure that teams stayed connected.

One successful innovation in February was the Caspian Steps Challenge, rewarding team members at the top of the leaderboard with an Apple watch and exercise gear. People working from home received hiking routes, healthy recipes and tips for switching off and teams got together online for quizzes and games to boost morale.

Caspian has found small day-to-day gestures most effective to recognise good work – and has kept the rewards coming over the past year with shout-outs on team chats, handwritten thank-you cards, chocolates or Prosecco. Caspian also show their appreciation all year round with an early finish on Fridays and a day off for team members on their birthday.