roundtable
Simplyhealth has a workforce of around 1,200 people and what struck Debbie Beaven most when she joined the business back in March 2018 was the strong belief in the company’s core purpose of providing everyday healthcare. “It comes across when you talk to employees, irrespective or their role in the business. There is also a strong social conscience with the commitment of 10% of profit going to charitable activities. These two corporate objectives create a powerful and positive culture.”
Ageas Bowl has a mission statement to be ‘beyond first class’ and this drives its culture. Mike Lashmar said: “The Ageas Bowl was a new kid on the block in the world of cricket. What has made the venue successful is thinking differently, going beyond tradition, with some others having to play catch-up. Cricket fans and customers want to be wowed in their leisure time.
“We’ve teamed up with the Hilton Hotel in the management contract to run the hotel and conference centre. Our challenge is that we see ourselves as a family, so maintaining a culture where everyone knows each other and making this a fun place to work is critical to us.”
Offering excellent customer service and having a passion for the natural world are core values at wildlife holidays company Naturetrek. “Everyone mucks in here. But our culture is harder to continue with newer staff – we have to balance core values with things like demand for flexible working. It’s a challenge for us,” said Andy Tucker.
The legal profession traditionally has a hierarchical structure, but big shifts are underway, noted Irwin Mitchell’s Hannah Clipston. “As long as you have the right people and the ambition, you can drive change,” she said. “But if people don’t understand, or believe in, your culture they can be blockers to progress.”
Accountants RSM recruits around 200- 250 trainees a year, with a similar number of lateral hires. Paul Anthony said: “That’s about 500 people coming in to a workforce of around 3,500, which is quite significant. It means we can’t be too prescriptive in saying what is our culture. What we do is driven by our people. Our corporate values are there for guidance, and we give people freedom in how they deliver the levels of service that our clients expect.”
Having the right culture is key to recruiting and retaining people at HSBC. “We have a group vision and strategy, but that only becomes a reality if people live it day to day,” noted Anthony Reed. “Your culture goes a long way in determining the kind of people you can recruit. People chose the type of company they want to work
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2018
with, not work for. One of the biggest challenges is being mindful and inclusive to everyone. It’s jeans and T-shirt versus suit and tie.”
What input do employees have on your culture?
Beaven: “We run quarterly online Vibe employee surveys and have strong employee consultation groups feeding improvement ideas in to management. The Vibe score helps us track how we incrementally improve in all aspects of our business. Like many organisations we are improving our response to and management of stress related issues, many of which are due to external factors.”
Wood: “Three years ago we started Cheervision, a staff-run scheme with a pre-approved annual budget for staff to spend however they want on anything they want. From social events to new office improvements. It has received mix responses – not all the things we’ve done were a success. Some things can create disengagement, as well as engagement. It’s impossible to please all of the people, all of the time. Overall though, it has been a force for positive change.”
Gawthorne agreed that social events help define your culture, but getting the right balance can be tricky. “Not everything is going to work for everyone. One good source of feedback is when senior managers attend social events where people are more likely to speak their mind. I think you have to find what social events work best for your business and to be adaptable, with choices like an evening out drinking as well as family-oriented events, like barbecues.”
Communicating your culture
Brooking: “We are thinking about setting up mentor groups with our operational directors and non-line managers that will focus on making sure everyone understands our culture.”
Irwin Mitchell already does something like this, said Clipston: “We have cross- department, cross-level mentor groups. We also have a coaching scheme and find that monthly one-to-ones work well. A lot has to do with open communications, which makes it easier to identify and sort out problems before they grow.”
Using external experts helped Serocors’ senior management focus on improving how they deliver key messages. Gawthorne said: “We ran facilitated sessions for our group’s managing directors. The facilitator watched behaviours and body language and
Continued overleaf ... Paul Anthony Roger Loveless Andy Tucker
Hannah Clipston
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