There is a great deal of speculation about what The Labour Party’s Make Work Pay will mean in practice to us all.  There are some obvious influences from the Trade Union movement and the party’s stated aspiration to redress the balance of power in favour of the employee.  Equally the party has been courting business leaders in order to boost economic growth, listening to their ideas and suggestions to allow businesses to grow and flourish.

James Timpson has recently been appointed Minister of state for Prisons, Parole and Probation and clearly has connections and presumably some influence, not least because of the strategies that his business has followed in support of those in the prison communities.  Timpsons is well known as an innovative employer and perhaps there are elements of their employment offering that we can from.

  • Personalised benefits like time off for birthdays, pet bereavement days, £100 in your pay packet if you get married and the offer of the company limousine, and free holidays in the company’s cabins
  • Upside down management style giving colleagues the freedom to make decisions and excel at customer service
  • Simple straight forward instructions – look the part and put money in the till
  • Opportunities for all regardless of background or history – very straight forward recruitment process that focuses on great personalities
  • Training and development key to bring people on board and promoting from within

They put the service delivery team members first and the rest of the business is there to support them – the upside down management.  They open their doors to everyone and make recruitment decisions based on great personalities and then train and develop the skills and aptitudes making them inclusive to all.  Benefits recognise individuals and their life’s journey.

Could these strategies work in your business?  Keeping it simple.  Opening your doors to those who align with your values and giving people a chance.  There is change coming and now is a good time to start thinking about how to embrace and benefit.  If you would welcome a chat about some of these or other ideas to include in your strategy to be a great employer BOOK A CALL here and we will be pleased to talk through with you.