With our people still at the heart of what we do, over the past year we have had to adapt to a new approach of training, development and engagement. We need to be agile in the ever-changing environment. Our focus is to look to the future and adapt our learning to suit both remote and in-house training. To master this, we need to keep a healthy balance between employee well-being and encouraging development. We want to incite confidence that there is still opportunity to progress and develop within their roles. Our Foodies (our term for our people) need to feel safe, supported, but also highly driven, with the endgame of a bright future of progression with us.
How do we achieve this? Engagement is key, communication and continually promoting company culture. Being such a sociable organisation, it cannot simply be about reading an ‘update email’ or logging on to a training portal. We have launched online training sessions with our Senior Team, scheduled virtual meet ups and have constant communication from Chris, our MD. Our people are engaging with one another by sharing videos filmed at home or work showcasing cooking skills, exercise tips and anything they feel their peers could benefit from. We are ‘paying it forward’ by sharing anything that could improve people’s mental and physical health, as well as their development. This allows our people to engage and learn from one another both in and out of their kitchens or units, whether at work or on furlough.
From a training and development perspective, we are focused on being as innovative as possible. Each employee is assigned a new module on our training platform once a week, with a mix of compliance, well-being or practical training (carried out safely). Besides refreshing all legal compliance, we are updating our current workbooks and developing exciting new ones targeted at different levels of progression that fit the current environment but primarily with the future in mind. Training or development goals are highlighted in our regular hangouts (appraisals). We are able to tailor these workbooks to each individual’s training needs or goals. These workbooks are a mix of online, practical and mentor supported training, which aligns with the current situation but without feeling restricted. By allowing a more flexible and tailored approach we instil confidence to progress, and believe this will result in a happier, more confident, and dynamic workforce feeling excited about the future.
We believe that people learn and flourish most from engaging with one another, this is the most valuable training approach, and we are confident that these opportunities will present themselves again very soon. We cannot wait to be back working side by side, being the best people, serving the best food and having the most fun. We will approach the future together and continue to thrive as we always have.
Candice Van Antwerp, Head of People