Strategic Report Our People
Following the disruption to working practices because of the pandemic and the labour shortages in 2021, particularly in the logistics sector, we are pleased that the labour market has now stabilised. We put in place a number of initiatives to attract new talent including a dedicated Head of Recruitment to ensure we have an efficient recruitment process; the Whistl Driving Academy to train drivers for our fleet; alongside enhanced salaries reflecting the market trends. The increase in the ratio of permanent employees and investment in existing employees has delivered benefits to the business. For example, 93% of drivers are now directly employed and 84% of the hours worked in our DSA business are now by permanent employees. In our Fulfilment operations, we still require the ability to scale up with additional resource to deal with peak working, but we are looking to smooth this out through more efficient processes and automation. Whistl is a people business, and we believe it is crucial to invest in our employees to ensure that we provide the best possible service to our customers. We are passionate about helping develop the careers of our employees, investing time and money.
LEAP, our internal career development and leadership programme, provides a formal development framework and individual plan for everyone. Some of these programmes are now delivered by a third party partner as they have been evolved into formal apprenticeship programmes. We believe Apprenticeships play a key role in the development of entry level employees making sure the skills they develop are recognised in a formal accreditation. In 2022, 15 employees based at Whistl depots in Bolton, Bedford and Bristol embarked on the new Level 2 Sortation Hub Apprenticeship that was developed in association with the Institute of Couriers. Whistl was one of the ‘employer trailblazers’ that helped develop the standards for the new apprenticeship which was approved this year. Funding for the apprenticeship comes from the Apprenticeship Levy with any remaining funds donated as pledges to support small organisations in the early years or caring professions. Employee engagement and two-way communication is encouraged across the business. During 2022 we increased the visibility of the Executive Board across all the sites with bi-annual face to face team briefings with dedicated Board sponsors at each site. This was in addition to the regular CEO updates broadcast across the business.
93% OF OUR DRIVERS ARE DIRECTLY EMPLOYED
Whistl is a people business, and we believe it is crucial to invest in our employees to ensure that we provide the best possible service to our customers.
14
Whistl Annual Report 2022
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator