| “The process involved in gaining the Standard has given everyone in the business a feel good factor, everyone has had their part to play in this significant achievement.” |
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Company Background
Corus Multiproducts is a division of Corus, the international company formed in 1999 through the merger of British Steel and Koninklijke Hoogovens. It has a workforce of 650 operating from twenty-three sites and eight service centres across the UK.
The Challenge: Consistency Of Approach
The senior management team at Corus Multiproducts was aware that individual business units tended to operate independently, and felt that there were inconsistencies in how communication was handled across the business.
Dan Hutchinson, Senior HR Advisor says: "With a workforce of this size, spread across so many locations, it is vital to have a standard set of processes that add value to the business. This ensures that all communications, from critical health and safety information to local business news, are distributed in the same way to each and every member of staff."
The company received its Investors in People award in December 2006 - just twelve months after taking the decision to work towards the Standard.
Dan comments: "Our Divisional Director wanted to ensure that there was total consistency across all our sites, and that someone joining us in one location would have exactly the same induction experience as at any other."
He continues: "We wanted to use a framework that would support employees from the day they joined us and throughout their career with the company." He states: "We felt that we had a range of effective organisational tools already in place, but they were not all applied and utilised consistently across the business.
As with any business, communications are a key focus, and therefore we decided to undertake the project with help from an experienced Business Advisor from West Midlands Quality Centre."
Dan adds: "Our advisor had a very practical and pragmatic approach - which suited our management style. With her help we established an Investors in People Working Group consisting of staff representatives from across the business within which to identify and develop areas of good practice."
The Results
Dan explains: "The main benefits have been a greater consistency in the application and implementation of all people practices within the business. The Investors in People framework has enabled us to focus on what we do and see how we can improve individual processes.”
He adds: “It has re-emphasised key communication channels, examined the effectiveness of the mechanisms in place and the methods through which we recognise people’s contributions to the business."
Training is most often quoted by new starters as one of the main reasons for joining Corus Multiproducts, and the company aims to give each employee five days of training per year. A number of other communication mechanisms have also been developed, ensuring that information is cascaded from Senior Management through to the staff on the shop floor.
The company has also introduced a monthly recognition scheme - ‘Make a Difference’ - which recognises excellence in individual and group performance, and shares examples of good practice across the Group. Dan sums up the experience: "The process involved in achieving the Standard has given everyone in the business a feel good factor, everyone has had their part to play in this significant achievement."
