RISING STARS AMY VINCENT
Job title: Organisational Development Manager Company: Local Merchant Group
What’s your role?
I see my role as a representative for our employees, asking at every opportunity “is this the right thing for our people?”, and being a people business, this means I ask this question a lot!
I also have the opportunity to oversee our Customer Development team, who enhance the experience our customers have with us through proactive calling at key stages in our relationship with them.
How did you get into this industry? Like so many others, I got into to the industry by chance! Organisation Development was the type of role I wanted to get into so when I saw the job advertised I applied, but I didn’t know very much about the merchant industry at all. However, I’m so glad I got into it and hope to stay here too!
What might a typical day for you at work be? It’s a bit of a cliché answer but for me, no two days are the same! Generally, I spend my time working on projects to help support our people, but the type of work that I get up to varies hugely depending on what is going on at the time.
What were you doing at work last week? I started last week by working on the development of our Management and Sales apprenticeships. The following day, I attended a regional meeting to train our managers on Change Management. Midweek, I was presenting at our new starter induction and then at the end of the week I was planning our supplier conference and organising recognition for our employees for the hard work they’ve put in over the year.
What are your big challenges in this role? As people are the lifeblood of our business, it means looking at ways to support them covers a vast array of areas, and there will always be more to do. This means having a spin a number of different plates at one time, and switch quickly between the subjects you’re looking at. It keeps me on my toes, but that’s not a bad challenge to have!
What do you love about your role? I love my role for the same reason I find it challenging. The possibilities are endless so I’m always learning something new. I feel really lucky to be able to have interesting and exciting discussions with people across our business about how to make
us a better place to work – and then get back to my desk to help make these things happen.
What do you think has been your biggest achievement so far in your role?
Since my first ever job as a waitress, I’ve always felt a real sense of achievement if I’ve been able to solve a problem to help somebody. In my role now, I feel the same way – whether it’s a large subject that needs a new solution or a phone call where I’m able to support someone with a problem, feeling that I’ve been able to impact a person in a positive way gives me the biggest sense of achievement.
What would you like to achieve next? I’d like to keep increasing the impact I have on our colleagues – in a positive way of course!! There are so many opportunities to get involved in and loads more to learn so I want to make the most of this and get stuck in wherever I can.
What advice would you give someone new to this industry?
There’s a lot to learn – but you don’t have to do it alone! It can be very easy when you start a new job to feel that you need to know everything straight away and that the onus is on yourself to get up to speed. There is so much to absorb about our industry, our products, our customers and how things work.
What would you say to someone who might be thinking about a career/getting a job in the merchant industry?
Go for it! Careers in our industry aren’t the most well-known so it can feel like a leap of faith, but likely one that you won’t regret taking. So many people started in this industry by chance, or with the view of it being short term, and after long and rewarding careers, don’t see themselves leaving!
What are the changes you foresee the industry making in order to survive the future? It’s no secret that as an industry we are aging, but we aren’t attracting enough new blood to be sustainable in the future.
Changing the perception that people have of the industry (if they even know enough about us to have a perception!) will be key to attracting the right people to our businesses.
MANAGER’S VIEW
Seeing her role as a representative for the Local Merchant group’s employees, Amy is always asking ‘what can we do to make this work for our people’.
She makes sure that she is involved in a wide range of projects from reshaping the induction process to improving internal communication and developing inclusion and diversity.
Among the highlights of her career thus far have been the launch of the new driver recognition scheme, designing and running the new starter process and induction to welcome new employees and holding the people forum, which aims to tackle diversity.
Results have included 87% colleague engagement, more than 95% of appraisals completed and the group appearing as 47th in the Best Companies to work for in the West Midlands and in the One to Watch in the Best Companies list.
Other areas Amy has been involved in include developing the internal communications, increasing recognition and sharing of best practice across the group, expanding training and development across the group and improving diversity by tackling ways that the group attracts, retains band develops its people.
Our vision is to be recognised as a market leader and our customers’ preferred ‘Partner in Wall Building’, supplying innovative, sustainable and cost-effective
aircrete building solutions.
Our mission to supply value added aircrete solutions for any wall.
December 2019
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 17
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