< PreviousRoyal Mail Graduate Trainees ProgrammeI wanted to forward our thanks. These come not just from me, but from the graduates at Royal Mail and the team at People Create. We all thank you for your efforts and commitment to the process. The programme is innovative and you have been involved at the cutting edge of our people development processes.Again, thank you both, you were amazing.Comments from organisers re. mentoring work done by Linda Willows and Mike Anderson with Royal Mail Graduate Trainees ProgrammeAssociatesInvestors in People Investors in People (IiP) is a well-recognised standard for managing employees. It is based on three key performance areas; Leading, Supporting and Improving people. We first began adopting the IiP framework in 2001, and achieved Gold status in 2014. We are pleased to have been awarded Platinum status in April 2016. In November of 2016, we were named Platinum Employer of the Year. By working to meet the standards, provided us with both structure and direction to support Brother’s Transform 2018 initiative. We have found the benefits have been huge, not only in terms of cultural change but also in the changes we see in our colleagues every day. Seeing how much we have been able to achieve has inspired us to reach out to other organisations going through the same difficult process, and we have now become IiP Champions, using our experience to help others improve.More about the standard can be found at www.investorsinpeople.comWellbeingA key part of IiP is the wellbeing of our colleagues and this is fundamental to them leading happy and productive work lives. We therefore, invest time and effort in ensuring they have access to services that can enhance their lives. Our focus weeks deliver this in a fun format, promoting healthy living, exercise, relaxation techniques and recreational activities. These activities lead us to an additional IiP award for Wellbeing along with our Gold status in 2014.08To succeed in today’s business environment, we recognised that we needed a loyal, engaged and skilled workforce. Only by achieving this can we develop the flexibility we need for our organisation to adapt. This type of culture shift is not easy and so we put several initiatives in place to support the challenges we face.The Brother GroupGlobal CharterWelcome to your job!We welcome new members by sending them a welcome card in advance of their start date. Then on day one, they are given a Brother goodie bag with a Brother essentials kit which we think helps them settle in.As someone who received the welcome card a few weeks before starting in the team – it was great to feel welcomed and see a personal message from every member of the Market Development team. It was confirmation that I’d made the right decision to join Brother and took away some of the anxiety of the first day at a new workplace.David Kelly, Category Development ManagerHaving now turned 60, with 25 years’ service as a senior manager at Brother UK, I am proactively making plans for my retirement. Day to day my work remains the same however, responsibilities have subtly changed and more often I work in a consulting role. An example of this change is having overall responsibility for learning and development, including ensuring key persons are fully trained and ready to take on the challenges involved in my role! In addition, I am using my skill set to actively develop others by facilitating in-house coaching and career development for colleagues. Talent management at Brother UK is not limited to planning future management needs, it is also ensuring skills are transferred optimally.Linda Willows, Head of Legal and Business ManagementLong serviceOur colleagues tend to be extremely loyal, staying with us for many years. 20 year service awards are not uncommon, and our average length of service is 13 years. This is great for consistency, providing a pool of people with a deep understanding of our products, customers and business. What’s more impressive is the way that these colleagues continually adapt, learn and develop. You might think that such a stable workforce could hinder the adoption of new technology and new ways of thinking. However, all existing colleagues are offered continuous development via our Employee Engagement Programme to keep their skills relevant and them engaged in their role. Our recruiting process enables us to actively fill current skills gaps in the business and our Apprenticeship Programme gives us the opportunity to recruit young talent.09ApprenticeshipsApprentices provide us with keen and capable young talent, invigorating departments and broadening the diversity of our workforce. We encourage all of our apprentices to become Apprenticeship Ambassadors, speaking to other young people about the benefits of taking the apprenticeship route. They are obviously good at what they do too; Aaron recently won the “Young Executive of the Year Award” at the European Office Product Awards, and Gemmer was invited to the Houses of Parliament to take over the Commons as part of National Apprentice Week. We’re keen that our apprentices are given responsibility – and some inspiration for their future careers – so each year we hold a job swap and they take on the roles of Directors for the day. The Apprenticeship Programme has also opened our eyes to the opportunities of apprenticeship placements for adults, and we are pleased to say that this year four of our colleagues have committed to the Adult Apprentice Programme as part of their continued development. This sees them undertake formal training outside their normal career path – providing both cross training and upskilling.We also have a team of people acting as Apprenticeship Advocates, talking to other businesses about the benefits of taking on an apprentice. Sam Johnson (Community Engagement Manager) sits on the Stakeholder Committee for Apprenticeships in Tameside, and Louise Marshall (Infrastructure and Shared Services Director) is part of the Prosperous Board for Tameside who approve local apprenticeship grants.Aaron HopkinsonTop Left to Right: Jessica Wilbraham, Courtney Green, Jack Whalley, Bottom Left to Right: Phil Jones MBE, Louise Marshall and Keith HoweSuccession planningWe are also mindful that some of our staff are approaching retirement and we must proactively plan for this. One such example is Linda Willows, who has managed our credit management and commercial functions for over 25 years.In 2014 we committed to achieving5%of our workforce as apprentices10Structured learning and development programmeWe believe that people develop best when they have the flexibility to build their own programme, select their areas of interest and learn in a style that suits them. That’s why we developed our L&D programme. This gives the employee the control to decide the nature of their self-development. There is an employee engagement structure to ensure that activities meet the L&D criteria, and we recently launched an app to allow colleagues to track their own activities and reflect upon what they learnt. Credit is given for all types of development, not just academic learning. Volunteering or providing time and effort is rewarded as much as learning new skills or passing on knowledge. Our grade structure and reward programme is linked into these credits, with each grade tier having different targets for personal development. Joint learning and development, community engagement and commercial projects are now commonplace and help to combat silo thinking, support innovation and the adoption of a ‘one team’ approach. Both individuals and their line managers measure and review performance, working together to optimise development.Level ALevel BLevel CLevel DWhoAll colleaguesAll colleaguesAll colleaguesAll colleaguesPurposeAppraisalMandatoryEnhance current roleDevelop future roleFuture Development – the L&D app will be developed to include other aspects of development such as our appraisals process.Reward and recognition - PRIDEHaving a great team is also about recognising and rewarding a job well done. Our reward and recognition programme is a key part of our PRIDE value and it is run entirely by our colleagues. They nominate peers who have made a “moment in time” difference. This might be going the extra mile, providing encouragement or just having a positive mental attitude in a difficult situation. Also each quarter, a panel of colleagues vote on the nominations via our Red Letter Day programme. With a wide variety of fun activities available, each team found something to suit. 11I joined Brother as a Senior Marketing Executive and in all honesty, I was unsure of what to expect after having spent pretty much all my working life with agencies. The first thing that struck me at Brother was the family feel that existed within the business, where everyone would happily help everyone. Coupled with this family ethos, there was (and still is) a culture of, regardless of job description, if you have an idea for how to make things better then speak up, every suggestion was always welcome. As a result, it’s a place where I immediately felt at home. This culture allowed me the platform to progress quickly within the business. Within the seven years I’ve been here, I’ve held four positions, including my current role of head of the department. It’s a great feeling working for a company that will give you the opportunities to succeed, I don’t think there are many like Brother that will invest so heavily in personal development. I’ve certainly benefited from this approach and I’m forever thankful for the opportunities afforded to me.Mike Anderson, Head of MarketingI’ve been here since July 2012 and I’m the Telesales Team Leader, responsible for five people. My role is about day to day management and strategy - how to get the best out of the team, how to improve them and ensure they meet the business targets set.AHow long have you been at Brother and what do you do there?QMy manager went on a Dale Carnegie course and I couldn’t believe the change in her. She suggested it might be something I’d benefit from, so I plucked up the courage to do it.AWhat made you decide to get involved with the new L&D programme?QIt taught me a lot about me. It helped with my self-confidence and gave me a better sense of self-worth. It also helped me overcome negative thoughts – I used to have lots of them, about by ability, my looks and whether I was good enough, but now I’ve mostly overcome them and handle them differently when they do emerge.AWhat did the course teach you?QI’m much better at coaching and mentoring my team, I’m more confident in my abilities and I’m able to help them more. I’ve delegated a lot more stuff too and that’s not only freed up my time but given my team more responsibility, so they can develop too. I spend a lot less time behind my desk and a lot more time talking to the team, individually or as a group. I’m different at home too. I have a much better work-life balance and I’m generally less stressed and happier. I’d say I’m more relaxed.AWhat do you do differently now?QThey are more productive. Because I can spend time coaching and mentoring, they are developing their own skills. Our call rate is up, but it feels like a more relaxed department. The atmosphere is much better and we’re more cohesive as a team; much more helpful and supportive because we have a better understanding of each other.AHave you noticed any change in your team?QI love my work and I’m so thankful to Brother for investing in me. It’s unusual to work for a company that invests in people to help them develop – not just to do a job better, but to be a better, happier, more fulfilled person. I’m determined to put in the hours to be the best I can be at work and I’m encouraging my team to take full advantage of the development available. I can’t imagine working anywhere else now.AAnd how do you feel about work and about Brother?QQ&AAll of this is well and good, but what does self-development mean to our colleagues? We’d like you to meet Dannii Foster, one of our rising stars, who is making the most of the opportunities offered. She attended a Dale Carnegie course last year and is still buzzing from the experience. Dale Carnegie offer transformational business skills – helping people become fulfilled, motivated individuals. See more at https://new.dalecarnegie.co.uk12Customers are the life blood of any business. Serving our customers well is vitally important to maintaining and growing our sales each year. This is achieved by delivering the best products and services we can. Developing new technology and delivering new offerings have always been part of Brother’s history. This can be seen in our move to Managed Print Service (MPS), the introduction of our video conferencing software OmniJoin and the provision of other print services to enhance our offering to customers. These advances help us to stay relevant in an ever-changing business products landscape.Transform 2018 is about transforming our business as well as our people. Global strategies such as moving to an open interface for our products allows us to develop local solutions – so we can meet customer requirements in a wide range of circumstances and environments. And we’re always happy to go the extra mile, from personalising our product user interface to installing print management solutions.Our customers fall into two groups, the end user who ultimately buys and uses our products and the channel customer who provides the means of getting our products to them. No matter what kind of customer we deal with though, we pride ourselves in providing the best service and support in the business.CustomersThe Brother GroupGlobal CharterCustomer co-investmentSometimes customer support isn’t just about getting a product working, it’s also about facilitating a business idea. LearnLive UK is just one example of this – connecting businesses and schools using our OmniJoin platform. Schools benefit from interactive sessions with business people; learning about careers, employability, moral, social and cultural development. Giving them a foundation for their next career step. The businesses benefit from engagement with communities, fulfilling Corporate Social Responsibility objectives and increasing brand awareness. By using OmniJoin, the solution is low cost – there is no travelling time or disruption and sessions can be recorded for students who couldn’t attend. One business partner spoke to 1,200 sixth form students in just five half hour sessions – many more than they would normally be able to do. Being able to speak to multiple classes at one time is a huge benefit of the system. Learn Live are currently nominated for several awards and we’re wishing them luck! Find out more at www.learnliveuk.comEnd usersOur end users come in all shapes and sizes, from an individual with a labelling machine to major corporates with hundreds of our multi-function products and universities using our Omnijoin software. They all benefit from an award-winning customer support service, accessed online, by email or by phone. In fact, our live chat support service won the LiveHelpNow award six times this year!As a start-up business, the help we received from Brother in getting a technical solution that suited the needs of our business idea was absolutely key. Without their support, especially in the early days, we wouldn’t be in the excellent position we are today.Stuart Heaton, MD, LearnLive UK13Channel customersWe work closely with our channel customers not just to ensure that they are knowledgeable about our products and services and motivated to sell our brand but also to get them passionate about the things we care about too. This ranges from encouraging self-development of their own colleagues, to working with charities and communities across the UK. Customer trainingOur product specialists can frequently be found out on site, providing training and demonstrations to our channel partners and often to their customers too. This training is always bespoke, ensuring that we meet their exact requirements. We provide all our channel partners with various resources through BrotherZone, an online portal containing product information, help and support and marketing materials. We also invest in “funded heads” with our key distributors – we fund a product specialist to work in their business on our behalf, providing training and support to them. Recently, we sponsored our funded head at Ingram Micro, Lee Mulhall, to go on a trip to Bulgaria, visiting Ingram Micro’s Sofia office to work with the sales teams there. Not only did this help sales, but Lee benefited from the development opportunity of working away from home and learning about another culture. Customer relationship buildingRelationships make the business world go round and ours are no exception. We take our relationships seriously and ensure we are regularly working with our partners to raise vital funds for our communities. This year we held a Big Summer Challenge, inviting our key distributer partners to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. The Brother team kicked the challenge off by kayaking the Thames, Midwich sent a team on the Three Peaks Challenge, JGBM did a 35 mile Dartmoor challenge and VOW Europe threw some of their team out of a plane in a skydiving challenge! Others joined in a treasure hunt around the capital and a Guinness World Record attempt. Raising a grand total of £22,909.07.We’ve been selling Brother products since day one, but over the last three years we’ve been working to proactively grow our business together. We’ve been lucky to have been allocated some excellent account managers who have educated and supported our sales teams, worked with our marketing department to take Brother and Bechtle’s propositions to market, and connected us with specialists in areas like managed print services, document management, and public sector. This has helped us bring innovative print and scan solutions to our customersGiles Norris, BechtleWe’re there in the business when it matters too. For Bechtle, who opened a UK office in 1996, we’ve helped them really grown their IT solutions business. 14Business partnersOver the years, we’ve built up a great network of business partnerships. These companies, often local to our head office, provide the expertise, guidance and capabilities that we require. We rely on these businesses and organisations enormously, and they are as much part of our success story as our own colleagues. Here are just a few of them.WhoValpak have provided waste management and recycling services since 2012.ImpactValpak helped us to deliver our aim of Zero Waste to Landfill Certification.BenefitsWe have a shared value of minimising environmental damage and a strong working relationship.How they’ve changed usValpak worked hard to document and change the waste management procedures for our different waste streams. This allowed us to treat the waste streams earlier in the process, ensuring that we could meet our Zero Waste to Landfill aim by 2014. For us to have this certification under a recognised standard is important for many of our customers, who stipulate such environmental conditions in their own purchasing policies.How we’ve changed themWorking with Brother created a need to find new and innovative ways of dealing with their waste streams. Valpak had to find new solutions to help us achieve Zero Waste to Landfill, and these are now available to other clients with similar waste. This process is continuous, with new, more optimal solutions being added each year. Valpak also use Brother as an example of best practice, sharing our process of achieving and maintaining the standard with other clients.MoreFor more information visit www.valpak.co.ukWhoBay Freight – Distribution and WarehousingImpactBay Freight has grown and adapted with us over our 40 year relationship – they’ve gone from just 12 employees in the late 70s to over 70 today, predominantly from the local community. Brother business accounts equates to around 20 of their employees.BenefitsAs a specialist transport and storage provider, Bay Freight deliver us exceptional flexibility and quality of service at a competitive rate. Their role includes nationwide deliveries to customers, shunting goods between our Manchester base and our Lutterworth warehouse, and doing multiple customer drops in a run. Careful load planning and exploiting their close location to our office allows us to manage both costs and efficiency, minimising road miles and emissions. Because of the quality of service, there are negligible loses or mis-deliveries and the right goods arrive with the right customer at the right time, reinforcing the high level of customer service we aim to deliver. Bay Freight are also part of a larger group which gives us access to a greater network of services when we need it.How they’ve changed usBecause of their level of customer service to our customers, Bay Freight have helped us achieve several vendor awards and are fundamental in maintaining close relationships with our customers. In addition, through their network, they have been able to help us find a use for spare storage space at our Manchester headquarters. Using this to ease logistics pressures for some of their own customers, especially for slow moving and seasonal goods.How we’ve changed themBecause of our requirements for storage of high value products, Bay Freight initiated 24-hour security at their site, a factor which has since won them other business. Being able to cite our long-standing relationship to potential new customers also helps – if we’ve been using them for over 40 years in our fast moving and ever changing environment, then they must be doing something right.MoreYou can find out more about our logistics services from a recent article in Print IT Reseller magazine www.printitreseller.uk/logistics-in-action and more about Bay Freight from their website www.Bay Freight.co.ukThe Brother GroupGlobal CharterDawn was our Head of Business Insight and Deployment, but after 17 years with Brother wanted more flexibility to accommodate the increasing needs of her elderly in-laws. She left us in 2013 and set up her own insight business, continuing to provide us with data analysis skills and training services, passing on her vast knowledge of data handling, interpretation and communication. Dawn now consults for other businesses, providing data analytics and research services. She has also become a valued speaker on the topics of data and customer experience, and is currently studying for a doctorate (a lifelong ambition). We now benefit from her wider experience as well as her deep knowledge of our business, and she has the variety and flexibility she desired.Dawn Holmes, Insight Magicians15Agile workingWe embrace agile working in many forms and recently worked with two of our senior colleagues who wanted a much more flexible work-life balance. To facilitate this, we helped them both set up their own businesses. Both now have interesting and diverse business portfolios, and we’re happy to say they still work with us on a regular basis.WhoEngie – Principal building contractor and air conditioning specialist. ImpactEngie have provided air conditioning and building refurbishment services for over 30 years. They know our buildings inside out and this depth of knowledge is beneficial when we plan and implement changes to our complex site.BenefitsUnderstanding our site, which includes Victorian warehouse space, 1960s prefabricated buildings and 1970s office extensions, allows Engie not only to provide their own service, but successfully manage other contractors to deliver complete refurbishment projects. How they’ve changed usBecause Engie share our drive to be environmentally friendly, they have been able to suggest and implement new technologies to make our buildings more efficient and comfortable for employees. This has included ways of bringing fresh air into isolated office areas and modifying lighting systems to use LED lamps.How we’ve changed themWorking so extensively with Brother has allowed Engie to develop their own skills and grow as a business over the past 30 years – from a specialist air conditioning supplier to a national provider of total building and refurbishment projects.MoreVisit http://www.engie.co.uk to see more detailsWhoCitypress – PR consultancy and related services Citypress chief executive Charles Tattersall said: “Our partnership has been mutually successful and we have a one-team approach – tackling challenges and opportunities together using our combined knowledge and expertise. We are hugely proud of the enduring relationship we have with Brother and the results we achieve for them.”ImpactCitypress have provided PR consultancy and related services since 2007. Such long-standing relationships are unusual in marketing agencies, but longevity provides a deeper understanding of marketing and product issues, making our relationship much more efficient.BenefitsAs a locally headquartered but nationally recognised PR company, Citypress have been on hand to help us build our relationship with the media, deliver great news and manage occasional bad news. They share our passion for people in the organisation, and this year Citypress was named the best mid-sized PR agency employer in the UK at the PR Week Best Places to Work Awards.How they’ve changed usCitypress have helped us navigate through new methods of communication with new groups of customers. They’ve supported us in building a social media presence and ensured we’ve stayed relevant as we moved from being a printer vendor to being a solutions partner. They’ve also been able to provide a level of stability to us, and as we’ve changed marketing personnel, they’ve offered continuity and knowledge of previous endeavours. How we’ve changed themWinning the Brother business in 2007 acted as a huge springboard for Citypress who were a regional agency employing about 20 people at the time. Our loyalty and long-standing relationship has provided stability for them, giving them the confidence to expand. They now employ over 80 people in five offices nationally and are still growing.MoreMore on Citypress can be found at www.citypress.co.uk This was very important for me as I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone and at the same time raise lots of money for a very worthy charity. The adrenaline rush I got was something else and I would love to do this again!Rebecca Mitchell, MPS Service Desk Co-ordinator16It is important for us to work with our local community, so we work with schools, developing future talent and with local businesses, offering advice and strategy support via our IiP Champions Programme. This isn’t just about giving money though, for us it’s a collaborative effort with our colleagues. They get involved and for this they receive learning and development credits. It helps to raise our employer brand which supports our aim of being an employer of choice.CommunityThe Brother GroupGlobal CharterMatch funding We encourage colleagues to raise money for their own causes too, matching any funds up to the value of £150. This year, we supported the fund-raising efforts of 23 colleagues by over £3,000, including Rebecca Mitchell left, who went skydiving for Tameside 4 Good. Phil Jones MBE President, Forever Manchester, Trustee, Convoy of Happiness, Board member, Business Advisory Group, Governor, The Apprentice Academy, STEM AmbassadorDebbie Grimshaw Trustee, Convoy of Happiness, Non-Board Director, EPAA Executive and Personal Assistants Association, Manchester PA Network Ambassador (PA of the year 2015)Andy Johnson STEM AmbassadorLinda Willows IiP Champion, IiP Accreditation AdvisorGemmer Crozier Apprentice Ambassador, Greater Manchester Learning Provider NetworkKeith Howe Hallé School IncentivesDBC, TrusteeDCC, Group GovernorVolunteering As part of our Community Engagement Strategy, colleagues can give hours to local causes. This is captured in our TEAM initiative. This might take an academic focus, providing skills and knowledge or it might be more vocational, providing time and effort. Some of our recent volunteer projects are shown below, and this year over 500 hours have been contributed to local causes. Not only does this provide great benefit to the causes we support, it also helps our colleagues to develop. They become more self-confident, feel more valued and gain a wider appreciation for the diverse nature of people of all ages.Forever Manchester (FM) is a charity close to our hearts. They “strengthen communities and enrich local life by inspiring local people to do extraordinary things together”, a sentiment which resonates with our own values. For this reason, we have supported FM since 2012, providing support through our Brother Fund, and offering volunteers for community projects.FM corporate fund Our fund helps local groups organise the things that they want to do, like the Dane Bank residents who wanted to beat loneliness by having a day out and fostering a sense of community. Support through our Brother Fund, and offering volunteers for community projects.FM week And each June we join FM in a dedicated week of activities, providing a further focus to both company and individual fundraising efforts.17Our group would like to say a massive thank you to Brother UK for enabling us to fund our activities by providing funds to pay for coach travel and tickets to shows and meal nights. We would not have been able to do this without them. It also helped bring lonely people together and they have now become more like family too!Jean Rebbitt, Armoury Trust FM events We also take part in fundraising and awareness events organised by FM, and have raised over £28,500 during the 2016-17 financial year. A team of nine colleagues successfully completed the 10k run raising vital funds for Forever Manchester.Next >