industry insight
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”
Some GCU readers may have heard of the Rainy Day Trust, some maybe not, but do you know enough about what it does for the industry and how it can help you personally or your business?
store manager affected and said ‘we’re here, we can help all of your people, we can help them re- train, we can help with re-settlement, new jobs, all sorts’… and nobody replied. I wrote to 60 store managers, I wrote to the head office, to the CEO, to the HR director, not one person bothered.” But there are some organisations that realise
just how valuable a resource the charity is. Wyevale Nurseries is one example. Bryan met the management team at their head office and now the Trust helps around a dozen of its staff every year, with a wide range of problems - such as help with heating, replacing white goods, fuel for cars, getting cars fixed, and so on. The list of what the Trust can do really is endless and there is nothing to lose by engaging with the charity, as it won’t cost you anything – it exists purely to support people within the industry, including those people working within your business. The Rainy Day Trust’s mission statement is to
A
lthough the name has changed over the years, Rainy Day Trust has been working since 1843 to aid those who work, or have worked within the home improvement or enhancement industries. That includes the DIY sector, housewares, garden industry and builders’ merchants. Originally set up as a pension fund for
distressed members of the trade and their widows, the organisation now offers a vast array of services from financial support and legal advice, to counselling and apprenticeships. Often the first on hand to offer support and
advice when a round of redundancies has been announced in the industry, the Trust makes a huge difference to a lot of people lives’. However, sadly, the RDT is met with apathy from some major retailers and organisations, who don’t see the benefit of engaging with the charity and who, in turn, don’t make their employees aware of the services and support they are entitled to, should they find themselves in a tough situation. Rainy Day Trust CEO Bryan Clover says: “When
B&Q went through their last batch of closures - and Homebase too actually - I wrote to every
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relieve and assist persons in need, providing financial and other assistance to improve the financial position, dignity and self-esteem of those people. The charity’s vision is that everyone should have the fundamental requirements for a happy life. Another example of an organisation working
closely with the Trust is wholesaler, Stax Trade Centres. Bryan explains: “You speak to someone like [managing director] David Hibbert and he cottoned on very quickly that we can save him a fortune in recruitment costs because we help him retain his staff. He’s doing something good for his people. They feel valued and don’t feel
they have to go somewhere else. He also doesn’t see what we do as a threat or political statement about his pay structure; he sees us making a difference and providing a service Stax can’t.” “Some businesses don’t care and never will,”
sighs Bryan. “Others are simply too busy and we send them out info packs but they go in the bin. Everybody knows that a happy staff member is a productive staff member – it doesn’t matter what they do, if someone doesn’t have stress leaning on them, they will produce more because they won’t be thinking about what’s going on at home. If someone’s spouse is threatening to leave
them, we can offer couples’ counselling. It’s all those things that maybe HR doesn’t want to get involved in but we can step in and provide support.” Any dealings with or applications made to
the charity are anonymous and remain confidential, so employers don’t need to know that anyone within their business has even been helped or the details about what support has been made available. “There is a lot of stoicism with people thinking ‘I’ll muddle through’ but you don’t need to. Other people in the company don’t have to know. It’s completely anonymous, completely confidential. We don’t judge. People make poor decisions in their lives and it’s not our place to ‘say you shouldn’t have done that’. Instead, we say ‘right, we’ll help you; let’s get this sorted’. We will provide any immediate help that is needed and then look at the root cause of the problem and try and provide support with that.”
How can the Rainy Day Trust help your business?
• Improve staff retention and productivity by providing help and support for your workforce • Provide training and e-learning to help develop your team • Support for staff at risk of redundancy or once made redundant • Help your employees feel happy and valued • Support your HR department • Provide a free info pack complete with posters, info cards and any material needed to put up within your business with a number they can call or how to apply for help from the charity
All you need to do is email Bryan Clover for more information
bryan@rainydaytrust.org.uk
GCU June 2019
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