Human resources

Issue 6:

Your business is only as good as the people you employ, and your brand has a significant role to play in recruiting and retaining your team.

I was reading recently about a manufacturing business that provided housing for employees, as well as year-round activities for their children. In 2024, in a post-Covid economy, these benefits might not seem unusual. But this was all happening in 1879!

In 1879, Cadbury began building Bournville, 'the factory in a garden’. With business booming, the Cadbury brothers needed to build a new factory, but wanted a different kind of industrial site. They wanted somewhere workers could live healthily alongside the factory.

They found a site south of Birmingham, 14.5 acres with a stream, The Bourn. As well as housing and green space for employees, their children could enjoy a new playground, country outings and summer camps. In 1902, 30% of Cadbury’s capital expenditure was spent on workers’ welfare.

In an age when how, where, and even why, we work is constantly questioned, it’s interesting to look at an example of a company that understood the concept of work-life balance, before the concept even existed. (The term was first used in 1986.) As some - often very large - companies continue to struggle with building their post-Pandemic company culture, we can see that introducing an employee-focused culture is not a new idea.

Building an entire suburb to house your staff is probably unnecessary, and impractical, for most SMEs. But thinking about what you can offer your team, to help them balance the demands of life in 2024, is probably a good step forward. Especially if you want to recruit and retain the best talent in your sector.

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If you’d like to read more about creating the right culture in your business, take a look at page 71 of Brand in the Boardroom. You can find a copy here.

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If you would like to have a chat about what we have discussed in this post, please do get in touch.