A raft of measures to improve the employee experience was presented to colleagues who work in the Armitage plant earlier this week.
A series of six sessions was held as part of the “You Spoke, We Listened” event at the Hawkesyard Estate following a staff consultation by the New Street Consulting Group.
The aim of the research was to understand perception of the company and to make positive changes to improve the employee experience and staff retention.
It came in the wake of challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase on demand in production from 1m to 1.4m units per annum at the start of 2020.
The findings of the consultation were presented to employees, including factors that motivate and de-motivate colleagues, and what is important to them, before a series of recommendations were discussed.
These included proposed changes to shift patterns, improved communication, more training and more permanent contracts.
Steps taken so far include a monthly production report which was introduced in March, the conversion of temporary to permanent contracts, the offer of funded qualifications and leadership training, and discussions with the GMB Union to develop alternative shift patterns.
HR Director Mike Kelly said: “We now have a much deeper understanding of how people really feel about the Armitage plant.
“People have given strong and honest feedback that we can use to make improvements. Some things can be done quickly, some will take a little longer but are we determined to make improvements based on the feedback.”