PAUL UK LTD

We first started the Investors in People journey in late 2007 and wanted to benchmark HR Strategy for all aspects of people development against a recognised standard to see if what we were setting in place was above industry standard. We have since achieved accreditation and now have a benchmark to understand what a great work environment we have which will augment and grow our business and underpin our HR and business strategies. Esther OHalloran, HR Director
BACKGROUND Size: Sector: Location: Status: 401 people Retail Food London achieved Investors in People recognition February 2009

38% of current shop management starting as team members. Reduced sickness/absence to below 2% 90% team members feel theyre trained to do their job well and 80% of managers feel there are opportunities to develop.

THE ORGANISATION PAUL UK is a well established French bakery and patisserie, founded in 1889. Launching in the UK in 2001, they have since expanded to over 20 shops, with plans for growth of more new shops each year. 120 years on they are still a family owned company, which proudly retains its links to their history and French heritage. PAUL people are bread and patisserie lovers who are passionate about customer service and never compromise on quality.

Pauls French President recognised how prestigious Investors in People accreditation was perceived in France, and to that end wanted to pursue The Standard for his business here in the UK and in time France. He believes it demonstrates care for employees and commitment to working towards the best environment for their people to work in. This belief is reflected in some key achievements since gaining Investors in People: PAUL UK have won 5 HR industry awards and have been highly commended in another in 2008. Staff retention has improved from 29.1% in 2006 to 37.8% in 2007 to 48% at the end of 2008. Annual staff culture survey has shown improvements year on year.

THE RESULTS
Since starting on their work towards Investors in People they have reaped some significant benefits across their business and feel they have achieved a more than favourable return on investment. The Investors in People principals are now aligned to their HR strategy and they use it as a basis for all they do. They have also adopted some of the key headlines from The Standard directly into their strategic planning giving them a true focus. The previous training provided was basic and not aligned to any career path development or pay and there were insufficient tools to support managers with training. Through Investors in People they have created a clear career path, with appropriate training at each level, which is accessible to all allowing staff to develop through Paul. This training has now seen the implementation of a succession planning process, which has seen 38% of current shop management starting as team members. Also 100% of supervisors developed internally has increased perception of how they feel about the business and created a I can do it too! ethos. Other key metrics are as follows; Introduced and improved KPI measures, through teams and individuals. Increased staff retention to 48% from 37%. Staff turnover reduced 30% through redefined recruitment processes and improved benefits. Reduced sickness/absence to below 2% through raising awareness, improved overall morale and motivation of employees through career development, leadership, communication, involvement measured by satisfaction surveys. 90% team members felt theyre trained to do their job well. 80% of managers felt there were opportunities to develop. 100% proud to work at Paul.

THE CHALLENGE
As a relatively small growing business they faced challenges with high staff turnover and only basic training, not aligned to career development or pay. This was something they wanted to address and believed that the Investors in People framework could assist them in doing so. Being a small company they had put in place HR systems from an internal perspective only with no outside input. They wanted to really focus on and understand that what they had put together not only worked but that they had produced a strong proposition and it was good enough to make the business and its people strong and dynamic. Additionally there were many questions as to why they were doing it and it was really about getting everyone signed up to participate and understand the benefits outweighing any doubts. There was a real apprehension and almost suspicion as to why so many questions were needed to be answered. So deconstructing the language and educating the general management team meant this could then be cascaded down.

THE STRATEGY
With the backing of their CEO prior to them embarking on Investors in People Esther OHalloran, their HR Director gave presentations company-wide and even additionally went across to France. Esther had previous experience at her last company and was tuned into the benefits of cultural change and working benefits that Investors in People could achieve. She conveyed a strong message to all, emphasising how it made common and business sense to participate. This was because the more content your employees are, they indicatively care more and work harder for the business. Also during a recession, as we are in presently, you need the company to be performing to its most efficient. Due to the hard work undertaken by Esther the company certainly warmed to the idea of working towards, and being recognised as Investors in People organisation. It was also felt that working with The Standard would enable and inspire the business to be continuously positive and pro-active. They realised that not only does Investors in People make the organisation more attractive to those on the outside but also to those working within

There have been other advantages from working with The Standard, theres an increased motivation from graduated Rising Stars and appreciation of improved benefits. Employees have a clear published career path available to all, showing equal pay rates aligned to development. This ensures employees are fully aware of opportunities and requirements so they can progress and has lead to an increase in requests to progress. A training calendar is produced annually, and updated monthly which means more people are aware of what is available to improve their skills. All these attributes have been enhanced by Investors in People and clearly are reflected in the positive metrics above. In addition due to their work they have now won 5 HR industry awards and they would now like to continue their journey by facilitating an Investors in People programme for PAUL France.

www.investorsinpeople.co.uk