A BUSINESS which has taken on 81 staff since the lockdown says it is on course to double its workforce.

Insurance broker Protect Line says staff working from home have helped the business to its most successful quarter since it was founded a decade ago.

The Branksome-based company invested in technology to allow all staff to work from home at a time when many employers were making staff redundant or putting them on furlough.

Co-founder and director David Brewer said: “When the lockdown first happened we had a decision to make, whether we would fight or flight.

“We made the decision to give all our staff the ability to work from the safety of their homes.

“In doing so, our people also became happier and more productive, leading to our most successful quarter since we started the company.”

Recruitment continued during lockdown, with 81 new staff hired and “on-boarded” since March, and the company expects to expand by 15-20 people each month for the next 12 months.

Mr Brewer said: “We provide employment that is secure, that is sustainable and that is growing.

“We’re not offering jobs; we’re offering careers.

“We provide some of the best training and development in the industry,” he added.

The jobs are mostly Branksome-based, although the business says they are likely to be remote roles until the Covid situation changes.

There are also several home-based roles available to anyone in the country.

Protect Line says it offers some of the highest starting salaries in the industry, with sales executives getting a base salary of £30,000 with a “realistic earning potential of £65,000”. No experience is necessary.

Mr Brewer said: “It’s fast-paced, hard work, and it takes a certain kind of person.

“Someone with fire, passion and the ability to motivate themselves to get the best out of every single day, out of every interaction and to do the best for every one of our customers. Someone with resilience, a glass half-full outlook and someone who wants more than just a job,” he added.