Richmond Ice Cream
Organisation Size: 350
Sector: Food and Drink Manufacturing
Organisation Location: Yorkshire and Humberside
"Investors in People gives a sign to customers that we are committed to making the best products we possibly can."
"We aim to be the best in the business, Investors in People is one of the benchmarking tools that helps us to achieve this."
HR Director, Peter Pickthall
Richmond Ice Cream realised that one of the ways to boost the productivity and profitability of its business was to value its employees and give them the skills and confidence to develop themselves.
The Organisation
Founded in 1984, Richmond Ice Cream prides itself on being very task and customer-oriented, which means always striving for total customer satisfaction. That's why its client base includes the major supermarkets such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrison's, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose and many others.
The Strategy
Investors in People plays a key role in ensuring we achieve our business and quality goals. At the Northallerton site, for example, the Standard shapes all appraisal systems and job descriptions. More than this, the achievements of each department over a 24 hour period are measured daily against key performance indicators, enabling us to focus on any issues not meeting the targets set. This helps us to continually improve what we are doing.
According to Peter Pickthall, Investors in People has provided the focus for Richmond to cascade appraisals and people development to all levels in the business, linked clearly to the business needs and goals.
Linking training, performance and profitability
Richmond Ice Cream also believes that it can make a direct connection between Investors in People and its bottom line performance, which is why its annual bonus payments to employees are linked to profitability. "We believe that everyone can make a meaningful contribution, so we reward people according to the profitability of the company."
The company also links its skill and vocational training programmes into its pay ladders. Every employee knows there will be a regular review of training achieved against a set programme, if the employee has achieved the required competence, which may include a qualification such as NVQ Level 1, a pay rise will automatically follow.
Linking leadership and management performance to staff satisfaction
The company believes that leadership performance is essential to staff management. As one of only a few organisations nationwide that have achieved recognition under the Leadership and Management model, this is confirmation for the business that they are ahead of the competition when it comes to their ability to communicate clear vision, motivate their staff to deliver it, identify the managers needed in a few years time and in supporting their development.
HR Director, Peter Pickthall comments "Richmond is a company that believes that people flourish when given responsibility with support and provides real opportunities for progression"
The Result
Being accredited as an Investor in People has had a major impact on the business and has led to increased customer satisfaction. Our customers recognise that Richmond is passionate about its products and the service it provides. The Investors in People Standard provides us with the focused framework and a benchmark which can be used on an on going basis to ensure we continue to meet the standards we are aiming for. Being accredited also means that our customers can be confident that we operate as a quality business.
"The employees have bought into Investors in People wholesale," adds Peter Pickthall. "In fact, we look to provide an on going process of development for all our staff linked to both the needs of the business and their career aims. With some people this will focus on job competence, others will move onto degree programmes. People development in the business used to be ad hoc and took place only in quiet periods but it's now part of the everyday life of the business. Appraisal is linked to key performance indicators and training needs analysis and that feeds into the overall training plan."
A significant change since embracing Investors in People includes a greater understanding among the workforce of the reasons for training. Employees now realise that gaining new skills benefits them too - both in terms of personal development and financial reward - and is not just a means of helping the company to grow. For many employees, says Peter, the sky is the limit when it comes to their professional development.