NOT THAT long ago, I treated my little office at home to a makeover. And what a difference it has made to my working environment. I did go a bit over the top with my new chair and would be surprised if even the first minister had one quite like mine, but it really has made a huge difference - no aching back at the end of the day.

Chairs are also important to the 950-plus staff at Kwik-Fit Insurance (KFI). And when the firm embarked on a brain-storming exercise designed to elicit an honest assessment of how staff viewed their working conditions, complaints about broken chairs were near the top the list. Martin Oliver, managing director of the Uddingston-based call centre business, says: "In 2002, we decided to look into some of the reasons why there was such a lot of absenteeism and a high staff turnover - 70% at one stage. We wanted to get to the bottom of the problem. As an employer, you either believe your staff deserve the best or you don't."

Oliver was surprised, however, at some of the feedback from the exercise, entitled "Making KFI a fantastic place to work". Instead of highlighting a poor salary or bonus, staff mainly commented on their working environment. "Their chair was broken, the office was too hot, the canteen food was crap - these were the sort of things people weren't happy about," says Oliver.

"Most of it was easily remedied but we decided to take it further. For example, there were consistent requests for a crèche. Now we have a very successful subsidised crèche called Little Fitters which has also worked to our advantage as a recruitment and retention tool."

Meanwhile, that much-maligned canteen has changed beyond all recognition. These days, staff can choose from a diverse menu offering restaurant-quality cuisine such as fresh sea bass for less than £2, all cooked up in an impressive £600,000 restaurant called Brokers Bistro.

It is not just the opportunity to dine in style that has seen staff turnover drop to less than 30%. Based on staff suggestions and feedback, KFI has invested about £2 million in creating facilities that include a chill-out area with games consoles, fully equipped gym and after-school club for five to 12-year-olds.

But I particularly like this one: how would you like to have someone run all your errands? KFI's in-house concierge service - which costs employees just £7.50 per month - means that you can get your dry-cleaning picked up or have someone pop out to renew your car tax.

Oliver accepts that employment in call centres has a tendency to be transient, although he points out that at KFI there are some long-standing employees. "You can build a good career in a call centre," he explains. "For example, we only promote from within. Once you are here and if we see you have potential for promotion, we put you on our department team leader programme. We then don't have to incur the costs of going to the market to recruit."

Kelly Keegan, 28, from Newarthill, Motherwell, has been with the firm for more than 10 years and is KFI's employee of the year for 2008, receiving a £10,000 bonus. She takes full advantage of the chill-out club and concierge service, and is also a company "guardian angel" which means she mentors new recruits, providing help and advice during their first few months. She says: "It's a great place to work. I receive more than £1000 of flexi benefits each year and there's the profit-share and capital bonds scheme which we get at the end of the year. There's also a quarterly payout for perfect attendance - the list goes on."

Colleague Laura Roche, meanwhile, marks 10 years with the company this year. She joined KFI shortly after the birth of her first daughter, starting part-time in the inbound service and sales department.

"Within months I'd been promoted to team leader," she says. In 2005, she was named the company's first manager of the year.

Roche, 39, has since moved into training and recruitment and this summer will complete her Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development certificate in personnel practice. "My next challenge will be a post-graduate course in HR management - all financed and supported by the business."

KFI is the current holder of the National Business Awards for Scotland employer of the year and continues to feature in the Sunday Times top 100 companies to work for, being named most improved company for 2008