Annual report and accounts 2023 - Flipbook - Page 81
Strategic Report
Corporate Governance
Accounts
Key Stakeholder
Form of Engagement
How This Stakeholder Group Influenced Board/Committee Discussions and Decisions
Employees
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A structured plan for workforce engagement is developed
for each year. During the year, this included face-to-face
engagement sessions held by Z.L. Howorth – supported
by the Chair and certain other non-executive directors –
for employees of different roles and levels across different
Company sites, the aim of which was to encourage
participation across the workforce in order to understand
their views on matters which affect them.
During the year the Board received feedback from the workforce engagement director
and from employees through the “Your Voice Matters” employee engagement survey
regarding hybrid working arrangements for office workers and noted employees’
desire for flexible working arrangements, and were supportive of the key decision
to implement and maintain a structured return to work programme following the
relaxation of Covid-related restrictions.
During the early part of the year the high level of engagement
with employees regarding Covid-related matters continued,
through regular communications and briefings and via the
Coronavirus portal on the intranet. The process continued to
be led by the Covid Steering Group, which met weekly until
May 2022 with the aim of managing the crisis as effectively
as possible, with the health and safety of employees being
paramount. The implementation of Covid-related processes
and procedures continued in accordance with the
government’s guidance as a minimum, with regular
communication to employees. A Mental Health Hub was
available on the intranet and various other mental health
activities took place to continue to help support employees
through the crisis. Guidance and support was also provided by
the corporate charity chosen by employees, Mental Health UK.
The Company has a Speaking Up Policy in place, which
complies with the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code,
together with associated procedures, including employee
awareness and training, to ensure that employees are
encouraged to raise any matters of concern in a timely manner.
The Speaking Up Policy is communicated to all employees
through a variety of channels. A designated email address is
available to employees to enable them to raise any matters of
concern. A communications campaign continued during the
year to help raise employee awareness of the Speaking Up
Policy and to encourage employees to come forward if they
want to raise any matters of concern.
In response to employee concerns and feedback on the negative impact of the cost
of living crisis on their health and wellbeing, and in light of the challenging external
economic environment, the Board made the key decisions to support a one-off cost of
living payment to all Group employees with a basic salary below a certain level in August
2022 and a further lump sum payment to all employees except the most senior level
of management in January 2023. These payments were well received by employees.
Employee focus groups were held during the year with a cross-section of employees to
seek their feedback on refreshing Barr Soft Drinks’ purpose, to ensure it is fit for purpose
in the context of a changing workforce.
During the year, an employee consultation process in relation to the proposed closure
of the Barr Direct England Depot at Newcastle concluded; employees’ feedback from
this consultation process directly influenced the Board’s discussions and decision to
close the site from the end of April 2022.
During the year, the Board reviewed and approved the Company’s Workforce
Engagement Terms of Reference.
During the year, the Board reviewed employee ‘speaking up’ data and reviewed and
approved the Company’s Speaking Up Policy and associated procedures.
The Board held two sessions on people and succession planning during the year.
The Board assesses the effectiveness of engagement with
employees through a number of metrics, including the results
of the “Your Voice Matters” employee engagement survey,
turnover and absenteeism data, exit interview data and
employee ‘speaking up’ data.
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