BIFA Awards
supervisor, we match their courses to the areas that need development – such as leadership skills or communication. And for our new starters we create a pathway, such as air freight, and they do a package of relevant courses.” Appreciating staff Employees who demonstrate particular enthusiasm for learning receive OIA Global’s ‘Level Up’ award. Staff are also recognised and their accomplishments celebrated during the company’s annual Employee Appreciation Week, for which employees can nominate colleagues in categories such as ‘Rising Star’ or ‘Above and Beyond’. Furthermore, each branch receives a budget annually to spend on staff appreciation. This year, the Richmond of fi ce will be running a team-building event, Price said. “In the UK we also ask for ‘good news stories’ every month so that we can highlight positive things and successes,” he added. This emphasis on positivity ties in with OIA Global’s action for mental health, which includes resources like helplines and counselling. Nor does it stop there. Price said: “We did a 17.5-mile sponsored walk from Richmond to the London Eye last year and raised £1,639 for Mind. It was a good team-building exercise – and it is important to keep engagement up on this subject. Being caged during COVID-19 did not do anyone much good.” OIA Global is pulling out all the stops to create a healthy, sociable working environment; its Richmond of fi ce bene fi ts from access to riverside walks and the branch has a pool table, dining area and even a bar. There are also plans to roll out some of the initiatives from Richmond across OIA Global’s network, under the banner ‘Project Purpose’. “Our marketing team at headquarters in the US is designing this,” Price said. “It involves rede fi ning our company culture to include things like social spaces, awards, OIA University and so on. Richmond is a pioneer branch for this. Our culture and values will be re fl ected elsewhere.”
OIA Global nurtures a pioneering culture
OIA Global acknowledges that having strong employees is key to success. Its approach to keeping staff motivated and supported earned it the 2023 BIFA Staff Development Award
S umming up OIA Global’s approach, UK country manager Ben Price said: “Without a good culture and good people, it is hard to exceed your targets.” Therefore, he explained: “We invest in young people at OIA. We see the value of developing them, and giving them the values we feel should run through the company. “We try to give opportunities within the company. For instance, with our supervisor structure, we promote internal candidates who know the business and share our values. Then we bring in new people in lower positions and train them up.” Learning specialist Training takes the form of in- person and online courses, including apprenticeships, certi fi cations, continuing professional development and sponsorship programmes. OIA Global employs a dedicated learning and development specialist, who helps freight forwarding employees navigate technological, industry and
regulatory changes. There are ‘top-down’ initiatives, like the one that saw more than 100 employees advance their CargoWise certi fi cation and resulted in OIA Global being recognised as a CargoWise Certi fi ed Logistics provider. In addition, employees have access to the OIA University online training site and a great deal of input into their learning trajectory. Price outlined: “Some courses [such as GDPR] are mandated by HR, but each employee’s learning programme is tailored following their annual review. “We ask people what they want, so that they engage with it,” he said. “If they want to become a
“ Without a good culture and good people, it is hard to exceed your targets.
BIFA Staff Development Award
Albacore believes that people are a company’s most valuable asset. That is why we are proud to sponsor the Staff Development Award for the 15th year. Albacore supplies and support efficient and reliable IT systems which ensure productive, empowered and satisfied staff.
18 | May 2024
www.bifa.org
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