Guest

Learning and Development should not be curtailed in tough economic times

2012-05-16T15:32:14Z

HR, Learning and Development and Employee Engagement professionals agree that it is more important to carry out learning and development during difficult economic times than in times of prosperity, according to the findings of a poll carried out among clients of business services company, Grass Roots, recently.

Ensuring the retention of people and skills development, together with the delivery of great customer service, were some of the reasons cited by respondents for maintaining learning and development in today’s climate.

Learning and Development Challenges

Employee Engagement came out on top as the highest priority in terms of learning and development challenges currently facing organisations. The other key priorities were:

Customer Service and Sales Skills
Management and Leadership Development
Product Knowledge training
Compliance

Resource
When asked how learning and development requirements would be sourced in 2012/2013, the majority of respondents stated that their organisations would use a combination of internal and external resource. Training Delivery and Face to Face Workshops would predominantly be delivered by a combination approach, whereas Coaching, Training Design and Learning Subject Matter Expertise would more likely be sourced internally and eLearning and Learning Management Systems remain more likely to be sourced externally.

Learning Partnerships

When looking at factors that influence the decision to choose a partner for Learning services, two thirds of respondents would look for a supplier who could provide both ready made and bespoke solutions. Other major factors influencing an organisation’s choice of partner were product offering and previous partnership with a provider (of equal importance), then price and referral / research next in terms of importance.

The poll also established that clients would be delighted to be involved in the shaping of future learning solutions, to participate in learning forums, or to send members of their team along to participate in activities, particularly with a focus on management and leadership development, change management and sales and customer service skills.

Diana Jackson, Learning Solutions Specialist, Grass Roots commented: “It is very encouraging that there was an overwhelming agreement on the importance of carrying out Learning and Development in difficult times, as we at Grass Roots understand the
strong link between personal growth and employee engagement.”

Customer Loyalty: Spicing up Loyalty & Reward

2012-05-16T11:55:12Z

Most customers are swayed by loyalty offers and rewards, and are willing to submit personal details in exchange for better deals. So why are so many retailers failing to make the most out of loyalty? Anthony Monger, Digital Marketing Consultant at Grass Roots, takes a 'Spice Girl- themed' look at how loyalty programmes can deliver more than just extra value for customers. Published on Netimperative.com May 14, 2012.

Grass Roots recently carried out a survey of customers from one of the largest UK mobile network operators to find out what they thought was most important from a loyalty programme, and here’s what we uncovered:

92% said rewards and offers had an influence on purchase, with 43% agreeing they have a great influence
96% said that reward choice is key to a loyalty programme, and 62% said being able to share reward with friends and family was important
97% said they would either consider or be happy to give companies more information on their ‘likes and dislikes’ in return for better, more relevant rewards (a salutary lesson in always letting the customer know why you are asking them to give you data!)

“If you want my future…”

We spend a great deal of time talking to clients about what they will get out of a loyalty programme: increased tenure, market analysis, higher spend, greater advocacy and so on. Yet unless the programme actually hits the spot with the customer, it won’t have the power to drive the right activities and behaviours to bring a return on your programme investment.

Creating the right loyalty contract (the ‘give-get’ balance) is key to success. And even if you think you have all the answers now, it’s essential to keep asking the questions, looking at the data and analysing trends, because wants and needs are constantly evolving.

Of course, achieving the right balance between ‘give and get’ for both you and your customers isn’t just a matter of ‘What’ the reward is, it’s also a blend of why they are going to get it, how they go about claiming it, when will they receive it – and sometimes even who the reward is for. Sharing rewards helps extend the feeling to a wider audience, spreading the positive brand experience to friends and family. As well as sharing with friends and family, and traditional charitable giving, there are now many community-based programmes, as pioneered on a grand scale by Tesco’s Computers for Schools programme, which dates back to the mid 90s. This approach has been adopted and adapted in many ways since.

“Get your act together, we could be just fine”

As well as the obvious features (base level of reward, facility to spend or save, reward choices), your loyalty programme should ideally have some kind of surprise element that delights the customer. O2’s highly successful Top-Up Surprises programme is an obvious and excellent example of this; but the ‘surprise’ could simply be an additional bonus level, or perhaps an additional exclusive offer. For example, Barclays Premier regularly offers members the opportunity to win tickets to events, over and above their expected rewards.

Your programme should also be able to accommodate short term tacticals to drive customer behaviours at key points in the marketing calendar, such as supporting product launches, driving sales during traditionally slow periods, and keeping up with – and ahead of - competitor activities. This responsiveness has become more than a luxury – in this keep-up world it’s pretty much an essential (does the term ‘Double points!’ sound familiar?!).

And of course, if you’re going to make the next communication or offer hit the right spot, you need data. The right data, used the right way at the right time. Segmentation needs to be dynamic, so that your customer’s profile is continually updated, based on their experiences with you over time.

“If you really bug me, then I’ll say goodbye”

Data analysis is also crucial to reducing churn. By accurately mapping the customer journey and experience over time (by collecting actionable data, and by looking at all potential influences and variables), it becomes possible to predict the most likely churn or drop-off points. When are your customers most likely to become restless, bored or dissatisfied? When are they most likely to look for a replacement service or product? How long is it since they last heard from you? When do you need to show you care, and are thinking about their needs? Regular, relevant and personalised contact through your loyalty programme goes a long way to preventing defection to other brands, and to increasing the lifetime value of each individual customer.

“Make it last forever”

So what’s your staying power like? The ‘halo effect’ is that lovely warm, fuzzy feeling we get when we join a great scheme, sign up to an attractive service or receive our first reward; but eventually it wears off. What can you do to keep your scheme fresh and appealing to the customer? While we don’t recommend chopping and changing regularly, it’s wise to incorporate those tacticals, surprises and extras into your long-term programmes to prevent your offering appearing stale and inflexible.

Finally, loyalty programmes need to be right from start to finish, from the initial offer to doorstep delivery. An increasing number of brands are opting for end-to-end service delivery, leveraging their supplier’s commitment, knowledge and expertise for each stage of their programme. It also makes your life a great deal easier if you’re only dealing with one supplier. From signing up online to signing for real for a surprise package, your customer should be impressed and delighted with their experience. Get all this right, and you’ll be finding and keeping friends for life.

Customer Loyalty: No-one expects the Digital Inquisition! Or do they?

2012-05-16T11:26:58Z

Chris Ford, Business Development Director, Grass Roots Digital Marketing & Loyalty, shares some experiences of "Fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency" in the world of digital marketing in The WiseMarketer.com on 3 May, 2012.

Monty Python made famous the exclamation 'no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!', and here Chris Ford of Grass Roots explains how the world of digital marketing is ruled by the same characteristics of fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency: it seems that no-one expects the Digital Inquisition, either.

In today's digital age consumers are simply being asked too many questions, too soon, and for no apparent good reason. So why do so many companies gather reams of data about their prospects and customers, and then clearly never use it? And how often are we still being asked to fill in some kind of online form simply to find out more about a product or service? This practice should be consigned to the history books, without delay.

FEAR! Asking for swathes of information before a customer or prospect is permitted to inspect your wares is about as far from the ideal experience as you can create. It generates fear and concern over personal privacy, frustration at the barrier to entry, and (worst of all) can result in many of us immediately flipping from interest to disenfranchisement, backtracking hastily, never to darken your online doorstep again.

If being asked for too much, too soon is off-putting, what happens afterwards can be just as damaging. Too often there's a massive disconnect between the data we give and the experience we receive in return.

I recently went to an automotive manufacturer's website, just in case there was anything I might be interested in to replace my current car. I duly filled in all the usual content details, only to find yet more mandatory fields ahead of me before I could get to their e-brochure: What car do I drive? How old is it? When would I change? What model am I interested in? How many miles do I drive a year? How many cars are there in my family? How old am I? How much do I earn?

I confess, the only reason I filled this little lot in was because I was fascinated to see what it would lead to. So I diligently completed the entire online form, sat back, and waited. And waited. The following day, I received the e-brochure, and discovered that the model I was interested in would cost far too much money to run anyway, so it was duly filed in the recycle bin. A week later, and I had almost forgotten all about it, when I - at last - received a call from the local dealership. Here's how the conversation went, more or less.

"Mr Ford?" - A good start: personal and friendly.

"I have been passed your contact details following your recent brochure request, and was following up with you to see if I could be of further assistance with the choice of vehicle you would like to consider from our range" - Still alright, not too pushy, and offering his assistance. "Sorry, I can't remember requesting a brochure, I'm afraid."

"Our records show that you received it via email." - Ah, good! Some knowledge of my contact method and what I asked for. "Oh yes, I remember now, I did receive it via email, but in the end there weren't any models that were of interest to me."

"That's a shame - so what do you drive at the moment?" - Actually I've already passed this information on. "I drive an Audi."

"Nice car. You realise that we compare extremely favourably against Audis with our range don't you?" - Yes, which is why I considered them in the first place.

"Why don't you come along and try a few cars at our showroom? You sound like the type of client that likes to drive the car before making a decision as to what one you would like to buy." - Good grief, even I can spot sales tactics at work. "Well as I have said I don't think you have what I want."

"When are you thinking of changing your car?" - Internal sigh - I told them this already. "Honestly I don't think I have the time to spare to come along unless I am extremely confident you will have what I want."

"Come along, you wont know until you have tried a car of ours whether it's right for you. Got a family?" ... and so on.

You get the idea.

Lesson 1
If you collect lots of data at the outset (assuming you actually haven't already turned people off just by asking - drop-offs need to be measured here!) then make sure you use what you've learned throughout the process to delight the enquirer. In this case, that would be immediately sending an e-brochure with a personalised message, before an informed and useful conversation with my local dealer.

SURPRISE! Something quite different happened a while back when I was checking out some top-end flooring online (with due encouragement from my wife). Unsurprisingly, I was asked for my name postcode, email address and mobile number, but in this case, I was told why and what would happen to my enquiry.

Any potential scepticism was pleasantly dispelled when within 15 minutes of hitting the enter key, the flooring brochure landed in my inbox. So far so good - and even better, the covering email included my name, details on the products I was most interested in, and further information on my nearest reseller, with a promise that they would contact me within 24 hours.

Sure enough, that afternoon the local specialist called and asked how they could help me. During the conversation I was asked a number of questions about the house I lived in and my personal circumstances (such as if I had young children at home). I arranged to visit the showroom, we chose some flooring, and it was fitted the following week. All good.

Fast forward a year or so, and - with bathrooms on my mind - I called back into the showroom. I explained that I'd bought kitchen flooring before and that I was just browsing. I gave my name, and to my utter amazement, the sales assistant reappeared wielding an iPad showing photos of how various flooring combinations could work within a house with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. So, that would be a house just like mine.

My surprise must have shown, as she explained that the person who I had dealt with previously had made a note of my details, and that she'd matched these ideas with what I'd bought before. How cool is that? The result was two bathrooms and the utility room are now beautifully re-floored, and I'm happily recommending this particular retailer to admiring friends.

Lesson 2

Collect what is needed to delight the client at the appropriate time in the engagement process, then add to this data when the time is right in a connected, non-intrusive manner. Use this knowledge to maximise engagement in the future, online and offline.

RUTHLESS EFFICIENCY! We all know that loyalty programmes are a great way to gather data. To take part, we're used to filling in mandatory fields to get what we want. This scheme - from a well-known restaurant brand - wanted me to complete some extra optional fields: date of birth, number of children, food preferences, likely frequency of return. Apparently, this information would entitle me to extra offers as a result.

"Okay," I thought, "Let's give it a go," so - like the data geek and loyalty points junkie that I am - I completed all the details and waited to see what happened next. Instantly, I'd received a personalised and highly relevant email which did more than just deliver warm and fuzzy feelings, it also explained clearly and concisely what I should expect from the scheme and included personalised offers based on the additional information I'd given. For example, if I used my local restaurant (based on my postcode), in March (the month of my birthday) and dined with a party of more than four people (my family has 4 members) I would be entitled to free desserts for all. And if I used my loyalty card - which would arrive in the post within 48 hours - I could collect triple points as a birthday gift from them. A shiny new card arrived two days later with a printed copy of my offer. A week later, I received an email to say the local restaurant looked forward to seeing me.

So, when my birthday came around, my whole family (me, my wife, my children, and the grandparents) ate at our local restaurant and took full advantage of the restaurant's generosity. The element of 'delight' came with the bill, when the waitress also brought my very own birthday cake. And I now have enough loyalty points for a free bottle of wine next time I take my wife out for dinner there.

Lesson 3

If you ask for lots of data at the outset, make sure you explain what you're offering in return, and that the information is used in ongoing communications to demonstrate your attention to detail and to delight your clientele.

There are five key questions necessary for designing a successful contact data strategy:

What data do we need to create a quality experience for the prospect/customer?
What data is essential now, and what can we glean over time?
How will we use this rich data to engage with the prospect or customer on an ongoing basis?
What do we plan to use that data for to perpetuate a quality experience?
How do we intend to maintain, store and update this information over time?

There are many ways to collect and use personal data (including recommendations through social networks - another topic in its own right). Yet there are still only very few companies that truly recognise the value of this data and deploy it as a valuable business asset across both the customer and employee domains - both offline and online. Even the most fabulous online relationship can be completely destroyed if your people cannot replicate this attention to detail when a customer eventually encounters your brand in person.

No-one expects a Digital Inquisition. But on the other hand, we all expect companies to remember what we tell them. It's not so much to ask, after all.

Measurement: I'm Listening

2012-05-11T14:14:41Z

Jamie Thorpe, Head of Relationship and Commercial, Grass Roots Measurement discusses how maintaining response rates to online surveys can still be achieved by doing it right, in the Online Panel of MRWeb, 10 May 2012.

Maintaining response rates by doing it right.

In the past few years the social shift in technology and online usage has been quite remarkable. I have certainly been (and continue to be) in awe of how technology, multimedia connectivity and ‘web power’ has impacted our day-to-day lives. What started as primarily a social environment has now made the inevitable transition to a powerful commercial tool, which continues to grow and develop at an astounding pace.

Social media is very much the ‘buzz’ phrase and one can no longer go to a conference or event without a guru talking about its impact and how it is changing the world. They are of course right, but what effect is it having on customer experience measurement and online research?

Social media is fundamentally a means for social engagement via the internet. In the past five years social media websites have become ubiquitous by giving users a way to interact with each other ‘on the go’. Individuals have grown accustomed to accessing various avenues of social media on a regular basis; it has become part of their daily routine. The primary reasons for ‘joining up’ to these social media sites are to share thoughts with the world (or indeed a closed group), network, provide a personal update and, indeed, keep-up-to-date. This free flowing and constant exchange of ideas has led to a mass of data and therefore potential insight floating around the web.

In commercial terms this presents business at large with a significant opportunity. Brands are keen to be seen as part of this continued evolution and are committing significant time, energy and resource to the cause. They recognise the opportunity to develop stronger relationships with consumers and gain feedback that they can use for performance improvement. In this context these newer forms of surveying present many opportunities - often in a more cost-effective way than traditional customer research methods.

Insight gained from these online and multimedia methodologies can be driven by events and can be collected from the customer more conveniently than previous survey tools. Brands are recognising that, for example, standing a researcher outside their store to conduct ‘exit’ interviews, is not only failing to deliver a true representation of performance (as stores will naturally raise their game), but is also costly and not necessarily convenient for the consumer. Engaging in other ways allows the brand to gain more insight/data at a lower cost whilst learning more about its customer base – what is there not to like?

There was however always going to be a ‘but’, and here it is. As we move forward we need to be mindful that all this online and multimedia activity may actually deter customers from engaging.

Maintaining response rates

To this point I often see surveys that are poorly constructed (lacking the tone and content to engage the customer) and questionnaires that have have been designed without the requisite research input. Others are broadcast without context (a scatter gun approach that is not linked to an event or interaction), and may not be customer focused (a single channel approach that does not offer customer convenience). When surveys are designed and deployed correctly, these shortcomings can be avoided helping to maximise the experience, value and response rate.

When choosing the correct partner for deploying surveys, research expertise should come as standard. In terms of best practice recommendations, ‘channel of choice’, for me, remains one of the single biggest wins for brands seeking to positively engage customers to elicit feedback. Whether we openly recognise it or not, we all have our preferred channels. Some people love to text, others insist on talking to a human being. Either way, to offer a single channel is immediately disenfranchising a proportion of the customer base - to use an old analogy - square peg, round hole. The technology and capability now exists to say to the customer ‘Hey we really want to know what you think, so what’s the most convenient way for you to tell us?” To a consumer this demonstrates true customer centricity. We have seen notable uplifts in the customer’s propensity to engage when the choice is offered.

Maintaining an effective customer relationship management (CRM) system has long been recognised as a key to knowing, and getting the most from, your customer base. One of the hardest things to do, however, is to maintain the accuracy of the information held. The best in class brands are using their research programmes to link directly into their CRM system to help achieve success in this area. Online interaction presents a great opportunity for customers to keep you up-to-date in their own time and at their own pace. Clearly not everybody will, but we have seen a good proportion elect to do so. Additionally the online, and to a degree, multimedia environments allow you to direct customers at suitable junctures throughout the survey. The opportunity exists to direct to special offers, websites or, in some cases, customer rooms/virtual communities. A well maintained CRM system also enables segmentation (audiences), message personalisation (based on purchase history) and lifecycle/event management (birthday offers, upgrades, new sales) – communications that help to strengthen customer relationships.

And finally, don’t just focus on the customer! True performance improvement is reached by ensuring all stakeholders, who hold the key to a brand’s success are engaged, have a clear understanding of the business priorities/direction and have the tools to achieve success. At Grass Roots, we recommend that the techniques that are used to engage customers also be embraced to seek employee feedback. Encourage your people to use social media, embrace the fact that they have an online presence and harness the power of this to mutual benefit.

When engaging with your audiences, however, it is important to demonstrate your ‘listening skills’. Customers are more likely to become advocates of your brand if they see that you have taken steps to improve the functionality of online shopping portal or enhance the in-store shopping experience, for example, based on their feedback. Likewise, employee engagement levels will be helped if personal development training is offered and communication improved as a result of employee opinions.

When considering online surveys it could be argued that a diminishing response rate has been seen in some areas. Conversely you could argue that as the technology becomes more accessible, the user base (and therefore potential respondents) grows and usage is more prevalent, and, therefore, naturally the proportion of respondents will be comparatively lower. Whatever your view – it cannot be denied that in our culture online and multimedia surveying is rapidly changing impacting the way we interact with one another – and, in spite of competition, it is here to stay.

Grass Roots appointed to deliver 'The Big Bang Fair' for the next three years

2012-05-11T08:16:24Z

Following the success of the UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair, known as

‘The Big Bang Fair’ at the NEC, Birmingham in March, Grass Roots has been appointed to manage the visitor registration and live production processes for a further three years.

The Big Bang show is the UK’s biggest celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers, aimed at exciting young people about future career choices and sustain and grow vital skill-levels within the country’s STEM community. Around 56,000 visitors, including 800 schools, came to this year’s show which was delivered by over 170 organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Led by EngineeringUK in partnership with the British Science Association, the Institute of Physics, the Science Council, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Young Engineers, the event is supported by The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as well as numerous sponsors from industry.

Event Director Jeremy Buckle commented: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with Grass Roots as we continue to grow and develop The Big Bang Fair over the next three years. From a client’s perspective I have a high comfort level with their ability to manage a complex registration matrix, and have been impressed by the innovation and high quality of production that they have brought to the show”.

Giselle Ripken, Managing Director of Grass Roots Delegate Management Services is also looking forward to building on the success of previous years: “It’s hard to think of a more rewarding show to be involved with. We are helping to open the eyes of young people to career opportunities in STEM community and that is immensely satisfying. This event continues to push our developers to innovate with our technology solutions to provide seamless attendee management and reporting”.

Grass Roots embraces Learning at Work Day

2012-05-02T09:37:02Z

Business services company, Grass Roots, is planning to put learning in the spotlight

on 17 May, 2012 by celebrating Learning at Work Day. With this year’s theme of ‘Learning for Growth’, the firm is organising a fun day to give employees the opportunity to see and take part in activities around personal development and learning enrichment.

The Learning arm of Grass Roots has put together a range of activities and materials including quizzes, problem solving sessions, presentation skills workshops and job shadowing. All employees are being encouraged to participate and understand how learning can help with both job performance and career development.

Learning at Work Day is an annual awareness campaign that has been organised by the Campaign for Learning since 1999. It is designed to promote and support workplace learning events across the country, drawing attention to the importance of workplace learning skills.

Andy Lister, Managing Director of Grass Roots, commented: “Learning at Work Day provides us with an interesting vehicle to promote our learning expertise within the business and remind our colleagues of the growth opportunities that exist for them.”

Tamie Hutchins, Head of People Development at Grass Roots commented: “Learning at Work Day is a great opportunity to put learning in the spotlight. Our fun packed day at Grass Roots will include on-line quizzes, ‘drop-in’ speaker sessions, 45 minute competitive problem solving sessions, job shadowing opportunities and lots more.”

Earlier this year, Grass Roots was listed at 56th in the Sunday Times list of top 100 mid-sized companies to work for and it see ‘Learning at Work Day’ as a good chance to engage in a fun way with its employees.

Cautious optimism for continued uplift in events for H2 2012

2012-05-15T07:29:53Z

Grass Roots’ latest Meetings Industry Report (MIR) indicates the outlook for the meetings industry in the UK remains positive for the second half of 2012, with like-for-like meeting spend in 2012 so far up 4% compared to the same time last year. The report highlights that much of the meetings growth is expected to come from training, with the average UK 24 hour rate expected to reach £230 + vat by the end of 2012.

Now in its sixth year, the MIR offers in-depth analysis and insight into the global meetings industry, as well outlining findings from the Grass Roots strategic meetings management client survey. For the first time, the report is available via an App, which will provide users with regular updates on rate movements, new hotel openings and meeting trends, as well as key industry news. The Grass Roots Meetings Industry Report is now available as an App and downloadable on iPad and Android devices. To download a FREE copy of the 2012 App, complete the online form to receive the App registration passkey.

The Grass Roots client survey¹ reveals respondents say the biggest challenge facing their companies is cost reduction. Securing delegate attendance was ranked second and securing internal meeting space third.

With offices in New York, London and Singapore, Grass Roots offers clients a truly international strategic meetings management service. It currently services over 7,000 client enquiries globally per year and has a spending power of over £200 million.

While the UK has an established events industry marketplace, Grass Roots predicts the US is hot on its heels and that it is likely to see key trends filtering across the Atlantic. Asia has been slow to take a strategic approach to managing meetings, but is now beginning to examine event spend.

Des McLaughlin, managing director, Grass Roots Strategic Meetings Management, comments, “2011 proved to be a much stronger year for the meetings and event sector than many predicted. The first half of 2012 has been solid, if not as spectacular as 2011 and we would hope for similar patterns to continue in the second half of the year. Given the fragile global economy however, a further downtown would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the meetings industry.”

He added: “The Jubilee and Olympics are very much double edged swords for the meetings industry. Whilst these events further enhance London’s reputation as a leading meetings destination, and will undoubtedly generate business in the mid to long term; in the short-term we are seeing companies avoiding holding meetings in the capital whilst these events are taking place.”

Summary figures include:

Total client meetings spend increase by 14% in 2011 compared to the previous year; despite research in late 2010 indicating that companies thought spend levels would remain static at best.
The number of international meetings booked increased by 5% in 2011 suggesting the ‘green agenda’ has yet to really filter through and influence the meetings industry.
Consolidation of meetings spend remains a strong theme, with clients continuing to focus their spending with fewer suppliers in 2011 than in 2010.
Training centres continue to be a popular choice, with bookings increasing by almost a third (27%); the training centre product offering, coupled with highly competitive pricing, seems to perfectly meet with the current corporate sentiment.
Graduate training programmes are one of the few areas to have bucked recent trends with the average programme value falling 18% in 2011 and is projected to fall a further 10% in 2012. The fall can be explained by a number of factors, including lower recruitment levels, shorter programmes and more internal training.

The Grass Roots Meeting Industry Report App is available to download via a downloadable mac-compatible or android app,

¹ Conducted online with amongst over 100 events, training and procurement professionals in Q4 2011

Banks that fail to serve will lose more than their customers

2012-04-30T13:42:29Z

The day is fast approaching when it is as easy to change your primary bank account as it is to switch your mobile phone service. In light of the results of its latest ‘Are You Being Served?’ survey, performance measurement specialist, Grass Roots, says banks still have a lot to do if they are to keep customer-switching behaviour to a minimum. The survey conducted earlier this year shows that in the UK:

54% of customers would switch their bank if tempted today
Customers are three times more likely to leave if basic service is not received
Customers are six times more likely to buy additional products if service is rated very good instead of poor

According to the survey findings, service is more important to consumers than brand, products or great rates. Grass Roots conducted an online survey of over 5,000 banking customers of the main UK banks. Other key findings include:

Customer loyalty is more strongly linked to service than to product or brand – those customers experiencing staff who are unable to handle a basic query are three times more likely to change provider
Service performance appears to directly impact upon sales growth - UK customers who receive very good service are six times more likely to buy additional products/services than those being given poor service.

The survey also looked at the emotions experienced by respondents. On the positive side, banks are generally considered as trustworthy, with helpful and friendly local staff. However, on the whole, the lack of preferential deals (only 37% felt these were offered to existing customers) and competitive interest rates, is viewed negatively.

The European picture

Interestingly, despite Spanish customers experiencing lower levels of customer satisfaction with service than their European counterparts, they are more likely to go to their existing bank for additional products. 73% of Spanish respondents would go to their current bank as first choice versus 62% of those surveyed in France and the UK, with Germany the least likely at 53%.

Nigel Cover, Executive Board Director at Grass Roots, commented: “It is really interesting that 54% of UK customers would switch their bank if tempted, particularly considering that over three quarters of those surveyed have been with their current bank for more than six years. So, they have remained loyal through the last few turbulent years in retail banking – yet they desire better service. There’s clearly an opportunity here for the leading financial service providers to train and motivate their staff to deliver operational excellence to ensure their customer base is satisfied, remains loyal and grows in the future.”

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

5,135 UK, 2,291 French, 1,077 Spanish and 866 German consumers were surveyed online in January/February 2012.

Diversity: Is diversity thriving in British boardrooms?

2012-05-11T12:52:05Z

Alick Miskin, Head of Diversity Services debates the above question in Management Today, 23 April 2012.

We’ve come a long way from the eighties, says Alick Miskin. But until we start measuring all elements of diversity, from sexual orientation to mental health, we will never know for sure.

It’s a proven fact that women are still under-represented at board level and it’s an issue that has rumbled on for many years. Now, with the European Commission threatening to introduce tough quotas to increase the number of women in boardrooms, the subject of equality is as current as ever before.

In February last year Lord Davies published a report recommending all UK FTSE 100 companies aim for at least 25% female board member representation by 2015. While this is a step in the right direction, women remain under-represented at senior level. Only 15.6% of the FTSE 100 companies have any female directors according to the Cranfield School of Management's March 2012 report. And while there are directorships held by women, overwhelmingly they appear as non-executives. In politics, there’s also quite a gender gap. Although the number of women MPs increased after the election to 145, they still represent only 22% of the total.

Equal pay claims with Employment Tribunals are up 500% over the last four years. And with women doing better than men in higher education and moves afoot to allow couples to share maternity leave, gender equality inching ever closer. Yet, while there are many initiatives to improve aspects of equality and diversity in organisations, relatively few are explicitly targeted at improving boardroom diversity. Where there are, they seem to focus predominantly on gender equality.

Like gender, age stands out as something that is constantly measured and reported on; every company’s annual report has its key directors, usually standing, looking positive with their ages prominently displayed. The subliminal message is that at the most senior level, a certain ‘maturity’ is required, although interestingly, FDs are typically 10 years younger than CEOs and 15 years younger than chairmen.

Data or visibility of directors’ ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or disability is more difficult to come by, largely because people are less keen to disclose these characteristics. Where it’s obvious, it can be measured; so we know, according to a 2008 CBI report, that just 4.1% of directors in FTSE 100 companies come from ethnic minority backgrounds and that Parliament has 27 black or Asian MPs. But we don’t know for either group who might have backgrounds other than ‘white, British’, unless they chose to disclose this.

With disability, this lack of visibility is even more apparent. Of all disabilities, dyslexia is the one most publicly acknowledged, with business leaders such as Richard Branson and IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad all demonstrating it is no bar to boardroom success. But mental health conditions, until very recently, remain virtually unknown. Likewise sexual orientation and religion fall into the same category; for most people they are private affairs.

It could be that diversity in the workplace is thriving if not always visible, but in order to know for sure, we need to encourage it at all levels. The population of the UK is diverse and we must ensure that it is well represented in the upper echelons of our largest and most successful organisations.

Employee engagement - overcoming six challenges

2012-04-18T09:30:34Z

Francis Goss, Head of Employee Engagement writes for HRZone.

Employee engagement is not a result – it's a means to help fulfil the corporate vision and achieve business success.

It is essential to translate the concept of employee engagement into specifics for your organisation. What will the engaged employee experience be? What behaviours will you see as a result? How will performance be improved? What will customers experience as a result? Once you have defined your desired outcomes it becomes much easier to design, initiate and measure your employee engagement programmes.

Who’s responsible for making employee engagement happen?

Some organisations make employee engagement a management responsibility; others believe that employees should be responsible for their own engagement. In fact, we are all responsible - the buck should not stop with any individual or team.

Management and employees need guidance and tools to follow and use. Having a manual is not enough: to embed employee engagement into your organisation it needs to be kept ‘front of mind’ at all levels and best practices adopted and maintained (just like health and safety, or diversity). If you want your employees to own and act on engagement issues, it is important to let them know that it’s ok to get involved, and encourage them to take an active interest in the wider business. Schemes like ‘The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For’ create opportunities for employees to take ownership of engagement issues. By sharing employee survey results (as a company and by team), employees and managers can work together to resolve issues and come up with ideas to improve future scores.

Reaching diverse audiences

In the customer relationship management environment, it is the norm to identify ‘customer lifetime value’ and plot customer lifecycles. These principles also apply to your relationship with employees throughout their time with you. For excellence in engagement, it’s essential to identify and understand the needs of individuals and teams at different points in their lifecycle within your organisation, from recruitment to retirement. Changes in needs, attitudes and priorities at each stage of the individual’s journey can be used to influence their benefits, training and, most of all, communication. Being able to accurately segment your audience means you can get the combination of content, voice and targeting right, so that your employees receive messages that are immediately relevant and interesting to them as individuals.

Mystery shopping and CSI scores show if the customer experience is falling short of expectations, but what about the employee experience? This is where an open communication culture is important – employees need to have a feedback structure through which they can share issues and know that they will be listened to and key points acted upon.

Getting employees to care about what you do as an organisation

When employees have an understanding of, and passion for, what your brand is about, they can also make decisions about what this means for themselves in their day-to-day roles. A clear line of sight and understanding of the organisation’s vision, business strategy and performance creates resilience, and bolsters confidence and loyalty.

Look for gaps between what the organisation aspires to be and the reality the employee perceives. Are your company values aligned to your customer charter? Are your internal and external brands aligned?
Allowing everyone, at every level, to play some part in shaping the way service can be delivered makes each individual employee feel involved. If your staff feel valued and understand how they are helping the customer, then they will be more inclined to do so effectively.

Getting the message through, and past, line managers

In some organisations people are trained for management before they are actually promoted. There may not be a position immediately available for them, but the employee is ready for when the time comes (and in the meantime making an enhanced contribution to their team). This approach promotes strong succession planning and encourages individuals to develop and aspire to progress. However, in many other organisations, development happens after promotion, potentially weakening engagement and slowing down the effectiveness of their team.

Line managers need to inspire trust and model positive behaviours and attitudes for their teams to follow. Rather than seeing line managers as a barrier between leadership and workforce, we should be developing, equipping and empowering them with suitable tools to translate corporate vision into day-to-day business practices - helping individuals understand the value of their role in achieving organisational goals.

Ensuring leaders engage with with employees

Part of ongoing management development is assuming the traits and behaviours of leadership, in the knowledge that those at the top are role models for employees throughout the business. Effective leaders are seen out and about: talking to employees, asking questions and listening attentively to the answers. Some organisations have had success by building this kind of activity into objectives, such as spending time with a number of employees who are not direct reports every month.

Building a business case

There is plenty of evidence to support the case for employee engagement: the government’s BIS report ‘Engaging for Success’ by David MacLeod and Nita Clarke is packed with documented case studies. However, industry and peer-related statistics and case studies will better support an individual business case: your marketing and customer service executives are the first port of call for identifying the case for internal communications and branding, and demonstrating the value of cross-functional impact.

Internal surveys may already show that some areas in your organisation have higher engagement rates than others – these can be compared and contrasted in performance terms. An employee engagement healthcheck/audit will identify key areas for improvement, and you can use pilot studies to establish the effectiveness of an engagement programme before an organisation-wide roll-out.

Employee engagement is not a goal in itself – it’s the means to fulfilling corporate vision and achieving business success. So perhaps the strongest business case of all is what would happen if there was little or no engagement within an organisation – what would be the outcomes then?

Grass Roots expands events and communications sales team

2012-04-18T09:31:26Z

Grass Roots EventCom has boosted its sales team in Marlow with two new recruits, Michelle Banks and Dominic Marder.

Banks joins Grass Roots after running her own event management company in Ireland (MSB Events) before selling it and moving to London in March this year. Previously she worked for Leinster Rugby for over 5 years as sponsorship manager and prior to that with Engineers Ireland and Conference partners, as sponsorship and event manager.

Marder returns to Grass Roots bringing with him over 20 years experience of event and communications supporting both national and international brands. He leaves his current position as Managing Director at the award winning DriveSense organisation (a division of The Osbourne Purdie Group).

Jonathan Shilling, Co-Director of Grass Roots EventCom said: “These appointments reflect the confidence we have in our business and our exciting plans for growth. Both Michelle and Dominic have immense experience in the events and communications industry across multiple sectors and we are delighted they have chosen to join our team in Marlow”.

Beefeater Grill launches loyalty programme

2012-04-18T09:32:07Z

Grass Roots has helped one of Britain’s best known and long established restaurant chains, Beefeater Grill, launch a new loyalty programme.

When using the new 'Reward Club' card customers will be able to claim five points for every £1 they spend on food and drink. Once guests have collected 500 points, they will be able to exchange the points online either for money off vouchers or special food and drink vouchers to be redeemed in Beefeater Grill restaurants.

Customers can pick up their loyalty cards from any of the 135 Beefeater Grill restaurants nationwide, which they can then activate online or over the phone.

Amanda Barnett, marketing manager for Beefeater Grill said; "We are really excited for the launch of 'The Reward Club' card at Beefeater Grill which we see as a really innovative concept for the eating out industry. As well as offering our customers vouchers which they can redeem in our restaurants we will also be giving them exclusive, personal offers which they can claim throughout the year including on their birthday."

The launch will be supported in-house via point of sale promotion, on the Beefeater Grill website, via regular email communication with customers and external communications including PR.

The programme was conceived in partnership with Grass Roots. “It’s been a massive team effort led by the client, with involvement from our consulting, creative and technology teams”, commented Account Director, Emma Liddle. “We were also delighted to be involved with the training out of the programme to the restaurant managers. The time from green light to deployment, including design, build and testing has taken less than four months; a remarkable achievement for a programme of this size”.

New role for Francis

2012-03-29T07:48:45Z

Francis Goss has been appointed to a new role at Grass Roots: Head of Employee Engagement. Goss joined Grass Roots in 2006 and has been involved in designing and delivering performance improvement initiatives across a number of key accounts including O2, Shell and Centrica. More recently he had led the Grass Roots involvement with the government’s Employee Engagement taskforce, headed by David Macleod. His new role involves working with colleagues across Grass Roots to promote a range of engagement tools and solutions to new and existing clients, as well as championing engagement internally.

Grass Roots was recently listed at 56 in the Sunday Times list of top 100 mid-sized companies to work for.

International: From Crayfish to Kalashnikovs...

2012-03-27T15:25:16Z

Adam Sidbury, Executive Director at Grass Roots discusses the challenges of incentive programmes across the world in the February issue of Incentive and Motivation magazine.

From Crayfish to Kalashnikovs – does a one size fits all incentive programme ever really work?

Increasing numbers of multinational organisations are trying to centralise a larger proportion of what they do locally, either into regional hubs or into a global HQ. Not only can this lead to cost savings and efficiencies, but it also means that organisations can ensure a consistent approach in line with company culture, without having to reinvent the wheel many times over.

However, the challenge many companies will face is how to successfully manage an overarching policy and how to ensure that the central plan will be effectively realised in each locality. It’s a tricky task that can cause companies to lose sales, staff or go out of business.

Using local language and dialect can go a long way in helping to build strong relationships, However, a number of employers fail to see the value and often try and ‘get away’ with all-staff communications in English. The pitfalls of this method are illustrated well with companies that sell through distribution channels. This is because human nature is such that you will always get a better response if your communication is well crafted and in the local language. The only time that you can confidently rely on English is a corporate message to high-ranking country managers.

Understanding the importance of locality goes much further than dialect. Instead, companies must also bear in mind the cultural attitudes of different areas. To illustrate the difference, let’s take two extremes: The United States of America and The People’s Republic of China. Recently in the US, a Florida-based provider of merchant card services ran an incentive programme to recruit new retailers to take its card services packages. The company’s “No Merchant Victims” campaign included enhanced card security features and medical cover, as well as a voucher that retailers could take to a local gun shop and exchange for an AK-47 assault rifle! Whereas in China, a more culturally relevant incentive might be to offer a jade pendant with the shape of Maître Buddha, to help “avoid evil spirits”.

Ensuring rewards and incentives remain ‘local’ is also the key to successfully implementing employee recognition schemes globally. Many organisations have schemes such as these in place, allowing members of staff or a manager to nominate colleagues who have gone beyond the call of duty at work. However, increasingly, multi-nationals want to roll these out globally to allow teams working together in different countries to participate and to talk about economies and efficiencies. While the system and process can be consistent, to be effective rewards should be culturally relevant.

One size fits all is a dream and long may it remain so. The world would be boring if everything worked the same way from Seattle to Sydney.

Grass Roots named in Sunday Times best companies to work for list

2012-03-30T13:25:25Z

For the fifth time in six years, business services company, Grass Roots, has been included in the Sunday Times list of 100 best mid-sized UK companies to work for. Part of Grass Roots Group, which focuses on providing ideas, systems and services to 65 of the global top brands and a raft of the biggest companies in the UK, Grass Roots is also one of fewer than 200 companies to be accredited with a 2 star (outstanding) status, from more than 1,000 entrants.

The latest survey confirms that 83% of employees are proud to work for Grass Roots, 79% love the company and 86% believe it is doing much to protect its environment. The company’s capacity for ‘Giving Something Back’, with its 25-year record of working with local sports clubs, schools, the arts and charities, achieved one of the best scores in the country.

The survey aims to recognise businesses for their skill, energy and dedication in making employment a worthwhile experience. The results are the output of the confidential scoring of an organisation by its employees who rate their own company on a series of key factors, including leadership, the company, my team and wellbeing.

“It’s so refreshing to work for a company that looks out for its neighbours and tries to make a positive contribution to society”, commented one recent recruit. Another recent joiner through the apprentice scheme said: “It’s such a positive environment; people have gone out of their way to help me settle in.”

The survey commended David Evans MBE, Founder and Chairman, and Andy Lister, MD, for the strong moral principles on which they run the company.

For Evans, the survey and the consistency of the accolade are particularly pleasing: “I created Grass Roots from an idea in 1980. It has been a long road, but by sticking to the strong principles of the business and applying them consistently, we seem to have achieved a social and financially successful model, in which all share in its achievements.”

Grass Roots Research: Sales profession faces perception challenges

2012-03-20T09:57:07Z

Research results drive debate at Grass Roots’ Fit For The Future industry event.

New research from business services company, Grass Roots, reveals one in three (35%) consumers has a negative view of the sales profession, compared to just 18% with a positive view. The research also shows that ‘knowledge’ is ranked as the most important attribute of a salesperson, followed by ‘helpfulness’ and ‘professionalism’. The findings provide insight into how the profession is perceived and can help in the development of training, measurement and suitable reward programmes for salespeople.

The research was revealed at Fit For The Future: Sales Through The Looking Glass, an industry event jointly hosted by Grass Roots, The Institute of Sales & Marketing and Aston Business School. The event focused on the public’s perceptions of sellers, how these can be influenced and what organisations can do to differentiate their salespeople.

Other research findings include the specific factors that most influence the decision to buy. Two thirds of respondents (66%) said price combined with value for money had the greatest impact, while 31% felt the quality of a product was most important. Meanwhile, 60% of those surveyed said that good product knowledge was the single most important factor to them as a customer in terms of the salesperson’s input. 25% said trustworthiness and 12% cited a good rapport.

The key discussion points centred around the different perspectives from which organisations approach the customer experience, depending on whether they are sales- or service-led, the role of commission and incentives in the sales profession and the tensions between online and store sales that are facing many retailers today.

Louise Hutchins, Service Experience and Quality Manager at Marks and Spencer, remarked: “It has been insightful to learn how other industries/retailers drive ‘sales’ and what we can learn from each other. I would have liked the session to be longer.”

Ian Luxford, Learning Services Director, Grass Roots, commented, “In partnering with Aston Business School and the ISMM to carry out the research, we had three main objectives. Firstly, it was an opportunity to find clarity among the myths, especially those about the role of salespeople in the buying process. Second it was a chance to inform and enhance successful selling. Lastly, it could give us a mechanism to improve the standing of the profession. Our results provide valuable insights into the areas where salespeople can make a big impact on performance by just being a little more in tune with customers’ real needs.”

Stephen Wright, Commercial Director, The Institute of Sales & Marketing, commented, “The research reveals a very strong customer voice – more than 3,000 people – telling us that salespeople are not majoring on what they could do best. It was very encouraging to have such a cross-section of industries attending the event. Delegates responsible for sales, operations, service quality, learning and development and the customer experience shared their experiences and debated how the sales profession could improve in the future.”

Dr. Nick Lee, Professor of Marketing and Organisational Research, Aston Business School, commented, “Overall, we in the sales community should be concerned about the research findings – it is in everyone’s interest to want sales to be viewed as being more professional and there is much we can do to achieve this. Our survey provides an indication of where we need to improve perceptions of our profession.”

Learning: Sales through the Looking Glass

2012-04-24T15:36:03Z

Ian Luxford, Learning Services Director, and Nick Lee, Professor of Marketing and Organisational Research at Aston Business School consider how the public really sees the sales profession in Winning Edge, January/ February issue 2012

Just what do people who buy things – and that means pretty much anyone - think about people who sell things? Do buyers have a stereotypical view of sellers? If so, what is that stereotype? Good or bad? In fact, does it even matter what they think?

Recently, the ISMM approached Grass Roots and Professor Nick Lee of Aston Business School, with the idea of conducting a survey that held a mirror to the entire UK sales profession to show how it was perceived. We had three main objectives in this research:

First, it was an opportunity to find clarity among the myths, especially those about the role of salespeople in the buying process. Do people – as we so - often hear - really buy from people? If so, what are they actually buying? How much influence does a salesperson have on the final decision to buy? We hear many truisms about the nature of the sales relationship, but what do buyers really think?

Secondly, it was a chance to inform and enhance successful selling. If we understand more about what is important to people during the sales process, we can respond better to their needs.

Finally, it could give us a mechanism to improve the standing of the profession. If people do have a poor opinion of salespeople, knowing more about the reason for this might tell us what the profession can do to address the issue.

The survey

So we undertook a survey, using the expert resources of Grass Roots Measurement, to secure a robust, valid and independent view of the opinions of the buying public.

A total of 3,100 people were surveyed, representing a very broad cross-section of the UK adult population. The sample included some people who sell for a living themselves, and also many who purchase as part of their work. All of them, of course, make purchases as consumers.

What we found was more dramatic than we had expected, and our results provide some very valuable insights into the areas where salespeople can make a big impact on performance by just being a little more in tune with customers’ real needs.

The findings

The research gave us a new perspective on that time-honoured idea that ‘people buy from people’.

In general, 18% of the population thinks well of salespeople and nearly twice as many think badly. Just under half are neutral. The wealth of verbatim comments in our survey explain this very clearly – people’s perceptions are coloured much more by bad experiences than good ones. In other words, people remember, and are affected by, the bad sales calls far more than the good ones.

Remember, these are just perceptions – but as we know, people’s perceptions definitely impact on how they respond to salespeople and therefore how effective salespeople are able to be.

How people view the sales profession

When asked to rate salespeople on some specific qualities, it became clear where the public feel their strengths lie.

Here you see a comparison between overall findings and what the salespeople thought – there is an identical pattern but salespeople always rate themselves slightly higher. While this might be expected, it does show that the public does not think of salespeople as well as salespeople think of themselves. This mismatch suggests that a reality check is a useful exercise.

Qualities associated with salespeople

In a positive sense, it is acknowledged that salespeople know their stuff – and this is really important to customers in adding value. But they rate poorly in terms of ethics and trust – also important qualities to the idea that ‘people buy from people’. If salespeople are so important to long-term buying relationships, surely they must demonstrate high standards of ethics and trust-building behaviours?

Unfortunately, when comparing salespeople with other professions, the respondents generally put sales at the bottom of the pile, alongside journalists. In the light of recent journalistic scandals, this result looks even more depressing for sales.

Ratings of different professions

However, not all types of salespeople were rated equally by our sample. Those who try and persuade us to switch utility companies rate the lowest. Remember, these are perceptions – the relative honesty and integrity of these groups has not been assessed – it is what people think of them.

Ratings of types of sales people (honesty & integrity)

Perhaps the most enlightening findings, however, were in the responses to our questions concerning the factors that most influenced people to buy.

66% of respondents said that ‘price/value’ for money was most important
31% felt ‘quality of product’ was most important
And only 2% responded that it was ‘salesperson’s’ input.

If you are still convinced that ‘people buy from people’ that might be a huge surprise. When we asked our respondents to think purely about the salesperson's input and tell us which aspects of it were most important to them as customers:

60% said good product knowledge
25% cited trustworthiness
12% felt it was good rapport.

In reality, we know that buying is rarely as rational as this – even in a business-to-business environment the need to feel secure and comfortable in the decision is important. It’s also important to remember that these results cover a wide variety of consumer and business selling situations, and our future work will investigate this more closely to see whether, for example, in a business-to-business context the salesperson plays a stronger role.

But, regardless of the above, this is what customers think – and it is important because it colours their views of the experience they have with sellers. They claim not to be influenced by salespeople but when they acknowledge that in fact they are, such influences can make a big difference.

Interpreting the findings

What this tells us is that buyers want their buying process to be supported – not controlled - by someone who can be trusted to give expert advice and show genuine interest in them and their needs.

A customer does not need to have anything in common with the person you are buying from except an interest in the product or service. If a salesperson can facilitate their exploration of that product or service, they are meeting their needs.

Customers say they are not influenced by being ‘asked for’ the sale or being followed up. Of course, customers are likely to discount the importance of this, while in reality, most salespeople do regard these things as important potential influencers. Perhaps our findings show that what is more important is that the customer feels in control.

We see three very significant themes here:

Knowledge – the value that customers recognise already in their transactions with salespeople.
Trust – a key factor in the sales relationship, but something we clearly need to work harder at.
Genuine interest – another thing that customers clearly value, and something that few feel they are getting. Just a little goes a long way.

There is a mismatch between what customers say matters and what salespeople think is important. Of course, in reality the gulf is unlikely to be as wide as this survey suggests, but, critically, these findings indicate what we can do about it.

Customers’ needs can be summarised in two words – authenticity and augmentation.

Authenticity is caring for the customer or, at the very least not making it obvious that one is ‘pretending to care’. Many customers feel that the interest shown in them is a shallow tool, used only to influence their decision and not to guide the advice they are given on the real benefits they will get from the purchase. When the interest shown in them is seen to be authentic, customers engage more with the salesperson. When it is not, they disengage.

Augmentation is the recognition that the customer is following their own process, not being driven through a process mapped out for them by the salesperson or the selling organisation. Customers want to see the role of the salesperson as supporting or augmenting their process, providing the information, guidance and other support mechanisms that allow them not merely to make a decision, but to feel that it is still their own decision.

The more a salesperson seeks to understand the customer’s process and where they want it to be supported, the better they are at augmenting and allowing the customer to feel at their centre of their purchase and in control of it.

Conclusion

The research reveals a very strong customer voice – more than 3,000 people - telling us that salespeople are not majoring on what they could do best. If people buy from people, they do so because they feel that those people do the right thing for them.

Of course, you may say that these are only perceptions, but it’s important to realise that perceptions affect what people expect of us and how they feel about working with us. They should not be ignored. If we are feeling competitive, this represents a great opportunity – being even little better than the perceived norm could be very good for business.

But overall, we in the sales community should be concerned about these findings – it is in everyone’s interest to want sales to be viewed as being more professional and there is much we can do to achieve this. Our survey provides an indication of where we need to improve perceptions of our profession. There is more to come, but this must represent a starting point for all of us.

Big Bang win for Grass Roots at the IVCA LiveCom awards

2012-02-02T08:47:09Z

The events and communications division of Grass Roots won the Learning Experience category at the IVCA LIveCom 2011 Awards held on 27 January for its Big Bang event, the UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair 2011. The LiveCom awards recognise the creativity, innovation and skill that can be found across all aspects the live events and experiential marketing industry.

The Big Bang is the UK’s biggest celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers. Taking place at ExCeL’s International Convention Centre, London in March 2011, the event aimed to excite young people about future career choices and sustain and grow vital skill-levels within the country’s STEM community. 2011’s task was to increase visitor numbers whilst maintaining the stimulating experience.

Charles Moyle, Managing Director at Grass Roots Live, said: “It was great to be asked to manage this live experiential learning event for Big Bang Education CIC. The content and environment design needed to encourage a journey of discovery for school children aged 7-19 years, so we were very pleased to see an increase of 70% in delegate numbers over 2010. It is a tremendous achievement to win considering the other organisations that were shortlisted.”

Grass Roots’ work on the Danone Baby Nutrition Company Conference 2011 was also highly commended in the UK – Internal Experience category.

Grass Roots strengthens its Learning team with the appointment of a new Business Development Manager

2012-01-24T11:31:54Z

Business services company, Grass Roots, has announced a new appointment to its Learning team. Diana Jackson joins the team as Business Development Manager responsible for growing its client base.

Diana’s previous position was Head of Client Services for the Grass Roots Asia Pacific office in Singapore, where she worked for over two years. In the Learning team, Diana will be responsible for acquiring and growing business across the portfolio of Learning services, which include Customer Service & Sales Skills training, Management Development and Organisational Behaviour Change.

Diana, who joined Grass Roots in 2006, will be based at Grass Roots’ office in Tring, Herts., commented: ‘It’s great to be back in the UK and to be given this exciting opportunity with the Learning arm of Grass Roots. I look forward to bringing my experience and expertise to this new role.’

Vicky Edwards, Head of Learning, replied: ‘We are very happy to have Diana on board. With her expertise in managing client relationships, I’m confident that Diana will strengthen our business and be a valuable member of the team.’

Diversity: Is homophobia still an issue in the workplace?

2012-04-24T15:37:43Z

Alick Miskin, Head of Diversity Services, discusses this question in HRZone

When discrimination at work against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people was finally outlawed in the UK in 2003, few predicted how rapidly full LGBT rights would come to be seen as the norm.

Even in 2007 when discrimination outside the workplace was likewise banned, homophobia and transphobia still seemed very live issues.

This situation was highlighted by several vicious hate crime incidents at the time, such as that against Jody Dobrowski, whose killers attacked him so severely that he was unrecognisable to his own family and he had to be formally identified by his fingerprints.

It is easy to forget that the Civil Partnership and the Gender Recognition Acts, as well as the right of same sex couples to adopt children, have all been with us less than seven years. But the UK Government has now also committed itself to changing the law to allow same sex couples to marry.

UK passport forms are likewise set to change so that same sex couples who are parents, can opt for ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2’ instead of ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’. There are also plans to reform the strict male/female passport option to meet the needs of trans people.

So, does this mean that homophobia and transphobia are yesterday's prejudices? Or are Government actions running ahead of popular opinion and risking a possible backlash from certain sections of the community?

Interestingly, even among those areas of society you might expect to be most opposed to such moves, like faith communities, people seem to be generally supportive, particularly if the question focuses on ‘rights’ rather than sexual practices.

According to the 26th ‘British Social Attitudes Report’, which was published in 2010, half of those with a religious belief feel that homosexual sex is ‘always’ or ‘almost always wrong’ compared with one in five of unreligious people. But a huge 83% also do not believe that gay people should be discriminated against when accessing health and care services.

Employers of choice

People with religious convictions are also well represented and among the 89% of Britons who say they would support the introduction of laws against inciting hatred towards gay people.

In the workplace, meanwhile, there is strong competition not only to be viewed as unprejudiced to LGBT people, but to be an employer of choice for the community. Accountancy firm Ernst & Young, for example, took top slot on charity Stonewall’s 2012 Top 100 Employers for LGB staff list in early January.

The Home Office came in second, with Barclays Bank following in third. Management consultancy Accenture also won Employee Network Group of the Year, while the Department of Energy and Climate Change was named Most Improved Employer.

But sectors such as retail and media remained under-represented, while employers in the oil and gas, construction, mining, industrial goods and services, automobile and telecoms industries were virtually non-existent.

Although perhaps not noteworthy in and of itself, the fact that these firms are much more likely to take on apprentices than the more graduate-focused employers who make up the bulk of Stonewall’s Top 100 may be a cause for future concern.

A Department for Education report that was published in November 2011, for instance, showed that larger private sector companies outside London were more likely to take on apprentices, while construction companies were the most likely to do so of all.

When correlated with the known problem of homophobic bullying in secondary schools, this section of the workforce may be an area where ‘more effort’ is needed.

According to ‘The Teachers Report’: Homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools’, which was published by Stonewall in 2009, homophobia is the second most frequent reason behind bullying and it happens ‘very often’ or ‘often’. In fact, it is three times more common than bullying due to religion or ethnicity.

Posting staff overseas

On a more positive side, however, we have noticed a big up-swing in diversity training requests lately aimed both at apprentices and those who work with them from training providers such as A4e.

The other area of real concern, and over which HR directors have much less control, is the culture of specific countries to which staff might be posted. When considering whether to promote or relocate staff overseas, considering LGBT issues can sometimes be critical.

This is particularly true in companies that don’t have explicit policies and support mechanisms for LGTBT workers and where, perhaps, not all LGB staff are open about their sexuality.

Almost all of Africa’s 54 countries, for example, prohibit homosexuality, with only South Africa protecting the rights of LGBT people and recognising same sex marriages. Homosexuality carries the death penalty in Sudan, Mauritania, the northern part of Nigeria and parts of Somalia, however.

In Sierra Leone, the rest of Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia, the minimum sentence is 11 years, while people who are ‘found’ to be gay or lesbian in all remaining African countries are either imprisoned for shorter periods or given unknown or indeterminate sentences.

Iran, while rarely admitting executing prisoners just because of their sexuality, executed three men in August explicitly for the crime of ‘intercourse between men’.

But it is not just this immediate threat to life or liberty that is of concern as the experience of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has shown.

The Government department realised that, if gay diplomats posed a security risk due to the threat of blackmail, it wasn’t the simple fact of their being gay that made them vulnerable. It was instead the fear of being discovered and the impact that such revelations would have on their careers.

A potential opportunity

But by encouraging staff to be open about their sexuality, the FCO turned the threat into opportunity. They found that LGB staff, freed from the worry of colleagues or diplomatic contacts finding out, made far more effective employees.

But it didn’t happen at the press of a switch. The FCO had to work hard and change more than HR policies. Setting up the Foreign Office Lesbian and Gay Group or FLAGG, for example, was a crucial step as it enabled LGB members to advocate for the wider interests of LGB staff and to identify and help remove the barriers that they faced.

The FCO now provides full information for LGB staff when considering foreign postings and works to ensure that sexual orientation is not a barrier to career progression.

Indeed, groups such as FLAGG and Barclay’s Spectrum can play a vital role in providing staff with the necessary support and confidence to be themselves at work as well as advising on business-critical initiatives. They can also act as a springboard for more global activity.

In a very deliberate policy initiative, for instance, President Obama has instructed officials across government to “ensure that US diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, and transgender persons” around the world.

Following up on this statement, Hillary Clinton called discrimination against LGBT people“ one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time … it is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished.”

Given the reaction her speech engendered (a senior adviser to Uganda’s President Museveni, said this view would be “anathema” to most African nations, “I don’t like her tone, at all”), it is salutary to recall that homophobia and transphobia are still very prescient concerns in many parts of the world.

It wasn’t so long ago that they were very vivid prejudices in the UK, but thanks to the work of many campaigners and of organisations such as Stonewall, the situation has now been turned dramatically and rapidly around.