Progressive HR drives business change

Article Type: Strategic commentary From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 13, Issue 3

Thought leaders share their views on the HR profession and its direction for the future

I joined Biffa in December 2010 at a time when the business was in turmoil. Ownership had moved from Severn Trent plc, to divestment and public ownership, to private equity within a period of 12 months in 2007/2008. Ian Wakelin took on the role of CEO of waste and recycling company Biffa in 2010, amidst well-documented financial challenges and at a time when staff morale was at an all-time low. His first action was to seek an insightful HR director, someone to "fix morale", and together we began a journey to transform the culture and improve the prospects of the company.

To take people with us on that journey, it has been vital that employees hear about changes within the company directly – achieved through regular communications including Ian Wakelin’s personal blog and telephone updates for anyone in the company to dial into. One of my first impressions of Biffa was that its people had no direction and a lack of understanding about the business, the evolving industry and where Biffa was headed. Together, we introduced values to the business – a vision, strategy and direction to help turn the company around.

Massive culture change

The five pillars of the business plan are equally weighted, and among them is Building Pride in Biffa. Entirely employee-focused, the goal is to actively engage Biffa’s people in understanding our business challenges, to develop their capabilities and motivate them to help achieve our business priorities. In HR we have championed the introduction of performance management and a reward strategy aligned to our business plan, which reflects not only what we want to achieve (and we have some very tough targets) but also how we do it. This is nothing new in most businesses, but from a standing start in 2010 everyone is now measured against their business objectives, leadership and management behaviors and values – a first for Biffa and a massive culture change.

Biffa had no internal communications either. These days we invest a great deal of personal time in face-to-face sessions as well as a whole host of other methods to reach out. After our third year engagement survey our faith in this approach has not wavered. The importance of listening to our people and trying to make everyone’s working lives better should not be underestimated. The business now has Engagement Champions; I attended the training myself, as has Ian Wakelin. All of this means our messages are consistent, and our focus and priorities are shared.

Support from the top

Ian Wakelin is a natural entrepreneur – he thrives on getting feedback and other people’s input. He is a dream for an HR director trying to introduce more progressive HR practices and getting employee engagement at the heart of the business. We launched the Diamond Awards to give recognition to individuals and teams doing an outstanding job. Ian Wakelin writes personalized thank you letters, and invited long-serving employees to Biffa’s recent centenary celebrations. He is even taking his LGV license so he can go out and drive a Biffa truck!

Ian Wakelin is certainly not feint hearted and agreed to appear on Channel 4’s Undercover Boss program last year. It showed that we are by no means a glamorous business and highlighted the enormous hard work and commitment from those doing tough day jobs.

Thriving on people participation

I am positive that Biffa’s people, and their pride in building a great company, are central to its success and we are starting to see the evidence that supports that. Despite notable financial challenges within the company, we have protected the learning and development budget. The company strap line we introduced, "Facing the future with confidence", has caught on, creating enthusiasm for the business plan and Biffa’s future. We have a much stronger financial platform now and a couple of relatively small strategic acquisitions in recent months have built confidence.

By having a commitment to progressive HR, we have created the power to change the company’s fortunes and developed a company that thrives on the participation of its people. In just two years, the employee engagement survey has seen a 62 percent rise in response rate, exceeding the typical national rate. Our employees say that Biffa does an excellent job of keeping people informed of important matters – we saw a 52 percent positive increase in just one year.

But that is not all. Bit by bit improvements are being implemented, and it is starting to pay off. For the first time since its sale in 2008, the green shoots are there. The business is performing to plan across all its divisions. There is a new air of confidence and our people are on board and going the extra mile. Innovation is emerging and we are developing our competitive edge. It has been vital to have the personal belief and conviction to put people at the heart of the business, despite the financial pressures. The turnaround of this business has been a massive challenge, and embracing a people-centered strategy has been absolutely at the heart of this success.

Jane Pateman

Jane Pateman is based at Biffa Waste Services Limited, High Wycombe, UK

About the author

Jane Pateman joined Biffa Waste Services Limited in 2010, as Group HR director and a member of the executive board. She is responsible for people strategy for around 6,500 people across four operating divisions accountable for HR strategy and HR delivery, Learning and Development, Reward, Engagement, Payroll, Pensions and Employee Communications. Pateman has a B.A. in Social Sciences and FCIPD in HR Management, which she gained from De Montfort University in 1996. She enjoyed a long career in Centrica spanning 19 years, undertaking a variety of positions both within the British Gas business and the Group. She left Centrica in 2009 to join Connaught plc as Group HR director, which served to broaden her business acumen, ability to manage in crisis situations and prove her personal resilience. Jane Pateman can be contacted at: jane.pateman@biffa.co.uk