Seafield turns to mentoring to address recruitment issues

Citation

Rayner, R. (2009), "Seafield turns to mentoring to address recruitment issues", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 8 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2009.37208aab.005

Seafield turns to mentoring to address recruitment issues

Article Type: HR at work From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 8, Issue 1

Short case studies that demonstrate best practice in HR

Rebekah RaynerRebekah Rayner is group HRD manager at Seafield Logistics.

Seafield Logistics is a third party supply chain, logistics and contract packing specialist, based in Nottinghamshire and with operating centers around the UK. In the past two years we have noticed it becoming more difficult to attract well-qualified staff for vacant positions at the company. Previously we had a pool of candidates to select from, now there were only one or two candidates and often they were lacking in some areas of experience we desired. A large warehouse had opened in a nearby area, increasing employer competition, however, analysis of that site’s employee makeup indicated more positions were being taken by individuals from outside the usual catchment area, in particular from Eastern Europe.

Although this was not a short-term issue it did raise the valid point that should the situation change in Eastern Europe and individuals no longer looked for work in the UK at the current levels, we would find it difficult to fulfill our existing requirements. Our aim is to grow the business by 25 percent over the next five years. To achieve this we need to attract staff at both entry level and for future supervisory positions, to find ways to develop people who may not want vertical promotion, and to offer continued job enrichment for staff to keep them enthusiastic while they wait for promotional opportunities. We need to promote Seafield as a viable long-term career prospect and encourage people to think of logistics and warehousing as more than just a way of paying the bills.

Exploring new recruitment streams

Previously we had offered National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) to staff members and those that were interested had completed them. The staff who hadn’t taken up this offer indicated a lack of desire for career progression as the reason behind their decision, although they did still want to learn new things. In the previous two years we had been approached by employment groups and had undertaken five to six work placements in all areas of the business with varying degrees of success. The work placements enabled us to tap into new recruitment streams, working with longer-term unemployed who were trying out logistics as a potential job role. As they had limited work exposure their skills were sometimes less than we would have liked, but they were comparable with applicants we were attracting to vacancies.

Through the placement schemes they were able to join as additions to our required resourcing, giving them the opportunity to learn at their own pace, make mistakes and hopefully not add any pressure to the operation. Our line managers needed to recognize they were going to take more time to get up to speed and to ensure that more regular reviews were taking place in order to pick up problems as soon as they occurred as, due to a lack of confidence, the participants were less likely to raise issues themselves.

Some candidates had not stayed more than a couple of weeks; others had completed a 13-week period with us and gone on to be offered a short-term contract. Having spoken to the managers and staff involved we identified that those who had been spoken to regularly and felt part of the team had worked with us for longer than those who hadn’t. The line managers admitted that they found the schemes and participants hard work as the increased reviews and support required were eating into their operational time. Far from being a help it was becoming a hindrance.

Overcoming the challenges

As a team we brainstormed how we felt on our first day in new jobs and identified a number of common themes, such as feeling unsure of how to do things, forgetting where things are kept and not wanting to highlight areas where we felt uncertain in case managers took us to be unsuited to the role.

We noted that if you had not been at work for a period of time you were more likely to be unfamiliar with new technology and less secure in your own abilities. We felt these issues could result in a potential employee feeling less likely to achieve company standards in the required time frame. Also, colleagues who were used to working in areas with low turnover were less used to new starters and so were comparing their performance with staff having many more years’ experience.

One of the placements had involved a person who, while in their mid twenties, had never worked before and as a consequence lacked general workplace common sense. Although support was provided this individual required almost constant monitoring and as a result the department to which she was assigned was under pressure and the individual’s confidence was low. At the same time we had a staff member on reception who was looking for ways to enrich her role but was restricted, as she had to spend the majority of her time in the reception area. We assigned the placement person to undertake basic administrative tasks in this area and within a couple of days the improvement was noticeable.

Mentoring emerges as training solution

Having looked at the new starter common themes, we realized that none of the areas identified required a line manager’s input and that a team of well-placed mentors could bridge the gap between line managers and new starters. This was particularly relevant when working with people who were new to the industry or had been unemployed. This could free up managers to concentrate on the operation and give workplace colleagues additional skills and development.

In early 2008 we were approached by representatives from the probation service to enquire if we would be interested in taking on work placements and applicants with an offender background. Providing adequate risk assessments were in place we thought the scheme would be a potential new source of applicants and recognized we needed to develop our staff to support new starters.

We were advised of a government-funded scheme to train workplace mentors. Staff were invited to participate in the scheme and eight team members representing warehousing (two sites), fleet services, central and human resources signed up, with a further three undertaking extra training with the probationary service. We have since been advised that all staff passed the course and gained a qualification in mentoring.

Moving the program forward

The next step is to put the scheme into practice for new starters and newly promoted staff. Those who have completed the pilot mentoring program are leading the project and are coming up with proposals to implement the scheme, initially in two sites but eventually company wide. Although they are supported by a nominated senior manager it is very much their project. Already they have identified the need for a mentoring co-ordinator to oversee the program and arrange the project meetings.

An employee-led project is a new step for Seafield and its managers. The mentors are slowly recognizing they can make a difference to the way the company operates and make suggestions to the management of new starters. There is a definite buzz around the mentors and already we have seen some become more involved with the recruitment process, recommending taking someone on and giving them a chance when the manager might not have done so. As we will need to increase staff numbers for our Christmas period, it is hoped that we will be able to offer positions to longer term unemployed giving them exposure to the industry and to the workplace in a supportive environment. We have also begun to build links with other employers in the area to see if we can offer more structured placement opportunities covering different industries and companies.

It is early days in terms of quantifying the benefits that mentoring will bring to Seafield in addressing recruitment issues. However we have received external recognition as award finalists in the training category for the 2008 UK Warehousing Association and emerging benefits of the mentoring program include:

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  New ways to support employees.

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  Development opportunities for staff not seeking promotion.

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  Input from staff into process and procedure.

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  Recognition that not every task needs to sit with managers – many of our staff members are better skilled to undertake some tasks.

About the author

Rebekah Rayner is group HRD manager at Seafield Logistics. She worked as a shift manager for nine years at McDonalds before moving into HR in 1998 as HR officer at KLM UK. She joined Global Marine in 2002 as HR executive on a one-year interim role, following which she jointed Granta Housing Association as HR manager. In 2005 Rayner joined Seafield Logistics where she oversees the HR strategy for three companies within the group. She can be contacted at: rebekah.rayner@seafield.co.uk