Commitment to investment in the health and wellbeing of employees remains high across the manufacturing sector, a recent Make UK report confirms.
With an ageing workforce, challenges around retention and high levels of sickness absence, many across the sector have realised that to thrive and grow, a happy and healthy workforce is key.
One manufacturing business leading the way is ELE Advanced Technologies, which provides complex engineering solutions for some of the largest OEMs in the world. It says that investing more into supporting the needs of its 150-strong workforce offers the potential to completely transform what’s possible for its employees, the business and its customers.
Embedding agility
“Investing in our people is just as important as investing in materials, R&D and tech,” explained ELE Advanced Technologies CEO, David Stanley.
“Yes, we manufacture complex, high-integrity components, but we also provide a service and help to solve challenges for our customers. To do this well a culture of openness, adaptability and agility is needed. And this starts with listening to our customers, supply chain and employees; then acting.”
The business has put into place a wide range of approaches to encourage more openness and inclusiveness; finding out what individuals need on a one-to-one basis and seeking views on how the business does things and how it can drive change.
On a collective basis, activities include focus groups, employee engagement surveys and company-wide business briefings, where employees can literally ask anything – no question is off the table.
Individually, employees are encouraged to speak more openly about wellbeing with colleagues – who, as a result of training provided – are typically well-placed to have such conversations. Managers have received mental health training and dedicated Mental Health First Aiders are in place. Plus, Mental Health Champions from all areas of the business, including the shopfloor, volunteer a listening ear – many of which bringing to the role lived experience.
ELE’s commitment to this approach spans all levels of the organisation, including those at the top.
CEO David recently held a series of Open Door events, where employees were invited to meet with him to discuss anything – business or personal – and David is also proud to be one of the firm’s Mental Health First Aiders.
“Just this morning a member of our team stopped me in the corridor to ask my opinion on something”, said David. “It’s good that people feel comfortable having these conversations.”
However, this hasn’t always been the case. When David first joined the business in 2016, not only was the predominantly male workforce less inclined to discuss wellbeing, individuals were also often less willing to share their knowledge and skills with others.
Recognising value
“We needed to foster a different approach. Back then people were precious over their expertise and felt that if they shared their knowledge, it would reduce their value to the business. Actually, it’s quite the opposite.”
In the case of employees approaching retirement age, ELE recognised the importance of making that transition work well for both the employee and the business.
“Firstly, we help our people identify what a healthy and happy retirement looks like for them. We get them to think about when and how they retire,” added ELE Advanced Technologies’ Head of People and Talent, Pam Pinder. “At the same time, we also need to consider succession and talent planning, in terms of how those concerned can use their time most effectively to train and upskill others. Through this knowledge sharing they feel valued and contribute to the success of the business.”
Pam joined the business in 2020, around the time that ELE, like most manufacturing businesses, became acutely aware of how investment in wellbeing can support increased productivity. Due to the change in working environments and patterns, mental health issues came to light. After immediate adaptations were put into place for the new normal at the time, ELE later progressed on to considering what else could be done to support wellbeing.
Supplying solutions
“Monitoring absence has been a really important element”, explained Pam. “Previously, sick notes did not always help us get to the bottom of what was really going on. It was found that discussing mental health or anxiety was seen as taboo. Now that our managers have the right skills in place to open up communication channels, it’s often easier to put the right support in place for employees much sooner.”
The range of proactive wellbeing initiatives now offered by the business is wide-reaching. It includes a cash plan policy which offers access to counselling services and a virtual GP for same-day appointments, and occupational health support where needed. Employees also have access to a range of apps and support providers, including an around-the-clock Stress Support Hotline and a specialist Menopause Hotline offering the opportunity to talk confidentially to a support network.
“Having a good range of different types of support has had a real impact on absence and performance management,” explained Pam. “The same-day virtual GP appointments, for example, enable us to work with the individual to shorten the amount of time they need to have off work. In some cases, this approach has even enabled people to secure specialist appointments sooner than would have been the case on waiting lists through other routes.”
Health problems commonly associated with manufacturing also receive tailored support through this approach. For example, at ELE employees experiencing bad back syndromes are offered support from an occupational health practitioner, which enables them to then be supported in a phased return to work. As is the case for all different types of sickness, the nature and timing of support offered is unique through a person-centred approach – which for back syndromes could include exploring how physiotherapy support, working pattern alterations or equipment would make the return easier.
Measuring impact
The business impact of the full range of wellbeing support provided is positive, with sickness levels reducing, performance levels improving and employee attrition falling to 14% from 28%.
Employees are seeing the benefit too, feeling more comfortable discussing health and wellness issues with colleagues and being able to access the right support, at the right time, in the right place.
Recognition of the significant impact of investment in wellbeing is likely to fuel continued increased investment by manufacturing businesses such as ELE. The recent Make UK report indicates that the proportion of manufacturers spending between £10,000 and £50,000 per year on health and wellbeing has grown from a third to more than half in under three years.
While ELE’s investment commitment falls comfortably within this bracket, Pam also confirms that there are many additional elements of investment that are less straightforward to measure.
“Yes, we have our training spend, our occupational health spend and our cash plan spend. Plus, we have the number of hours spent training staff which can be measured, and has increased significantly over recent years. However, an additional, very important element, is also the time spent having informal conversations. The listening time. Conversations are happening in a fluid way, and while that may mean they are more difficult to monitor, we certainly want them to continue in that flexible, informal way.”
Carefully tailored wellbeing-focused communications shared across the team help to prompt and steer such conversations. While Pam admits there’s potential to talk about a different awareness week almost every week of the year, she adds that focusing in on a few key selected topics has a real positive impact. “A recent awareness week topic resulted in an employee opening up about a related health issue to their line manager, Whether or not that would have happened anyway – who knows? However, I believe that the way in which we are opening up conversations around taboo subjects is really making a difference.”
Whilst ELE is witnessing more wellbeing-related conversations taking place, and key engagement and retention metrics are on the up, there is also a wider aspect to consider: its attractiveness to the market, as David explained.
Ensuring attractiveness
“It’s a complex space in the UK’s North West region, with many highly skilled companies in our sector operating in the space and competing for talent. Our competitors (which often are our customers) see and hear how good we are and love to poach our people. They know that ELE employees are well trained, adaptable, amenable and have a really positive attitude. Our wellbeing strategy plays a key role in that.”
Given the competition for skills, David understands that some people will invariably leave: “I’m only disappointed if they leave and don’t have a good thing to say about ELE,” he added. “More often than not, I’m proud to say that people remember their experience of working with us as good and how they were treated well. The result being that in many, many cases, people who leave us contact with us again soon after, asking if they can come back.”
While competition for skills clearly exists, there’s also a strong sense of collaboration between HR professionals across the region – both in the manufacturing sector and across the wider business community. Pam links up with other wellbeing professionals as part of the Community and Business Partners Senior Peer Group network and is also a member of local manufacturing and HR Leader Networks – both offering and receiving support.
“As a HR professional, it’s important to reach out for wider help and support when needed. People naturally come to us for help and expect us to have the answers – which we don’t always have. We are there for them, but who is there for us? Wider groups offer that invaluable support network.”
Embracing change
Collaboration with other wellbeing professionals helps to ensure the most appropriate, up-to-date and effective tools and techniques are being applied. ELE is currently exploring the possibility of applying an AI-driven tool to automate employee engagement surveys to make the process more efficient and responsive. “The system has the potential to completely streamline our data analysis – when it comes to understanding what’s going on, data really helps.” explained Pam.
Other ways in which ELE is planning to enhance its wellbeing strategy further include increased focus on equality, diversity and inclusion themes and offering additional support to enable managers to have better ‘how are you?’ conversations.
The business already has an approach that encourages purposeful conversations that take place as part of everyday discussions, and would like to build upon that to increase the number and quality of conversations.
“If someone is having performance issues then we discuss wellbeing as part of the 121 process to understand the factors leading to any performance at work issues. Quite often we have flushed out that mistakes or quality issues etc. have been because of mental health factors,” Pam addec.
“By enhancing this approach further, not only will we start to learn more about what support we need to provide, our people will also feel more valued and invested in, as an individual. It is about understanding each and every person as a whole to get the best out of them, hence why we support them with the resources that are right for them, and don’t just offer a one size fits all service.”
In addition to wellbeing interventions, the business is also looking to launch new initiatives focused on recognising and enabling high-performing individuals. A ‘Rising Star’ Programme will profile and support a wide range of people in the business who have excelled in their area and show great future potential. In conjunction, a new ‘Technology Champions’ programme will encourage and reward technology specialists in the business who actively share their knowledge and expertise with colleagues to promote agility across the team.
“Employee wellbeing is so wide-ranging and critical to success for our employees, and for our business and customers,” explained Pam. “Gone are the days when a policy on sharepoint might have ticked a box. Wellbeing needs to be lived and breathed. And to do that we need to be constantly asking questions, listening to the answers and being creative, to meet the needs of the business.”
“The whole World is changing at such a fast pace. So, it’s more important than ever to build a culture to talk about how we can adapt,” adds David. “We’ve started on our wellbeing journey and will not be stopping because we think we’ve got it. Instead, we will evolve to adapt to what is needed and what is possible. ELE will continue to invest in wellbeing – for our business and our people.”
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