1. Tell me a bit about yourself

I have 2 Miniature Schnauzers that I adore (Winnie and Fern) and love getting out into the countryside walking with them, this is one of the things in my life that keeps me grounded and happy.

2. What’s your top tip for creating a happy and engaged workplace?

Recognise people! I love this quote that our MD found and shared and it’s now something I refer to lots: “Recognition is a privilege, not just another item on your to-do-list. As a leader, you have the privilege of feeding people’s souls and helping them to feel great about themselves. And by feeding their souls, you’ll feed yours in return” (David Novak).

3. Could you give me one example of how people responded to greater trust?

People will do amazing things with the trust and freedom to get on and do it! One example is that our one of our Maintenance Technicians saw an opportunity to bring outsourced services in-house. He was motivated to do all the background work and trained a colleague in how to deliver the service (which supported their development). The outcome was a delighted customer that received a better service at a reduced cost and internally we improved our margin and were able to grow our team.

4. What have you done to create a culture of trust at your organisation?

Communicating more is definitely one of the elements (the good and the bad). Amongst other things, we started to use Yammer to communicate better with employees in a more timely way. We put everything on there, including when someone leaves the organisation so people are not wondering what happened!

5. Could you give me an example of what you’ve done to give staff greater freedom and autonomy?

Focused on outputs and allowing people to find their own way of getting there. It’s much more rewarding for everyone involved.