Continuing to invest in training could be the key to beating the economic downturn

With 10 divisions, 12 bakeries and 1,400 shops across the UK, Greggs Plc is a major force on the high street – and the company’s commitment to investing in the skills base of its staff is helping it to grow, despite today’s challenging economic conditions.

“Training is a vital element in our business strategy,” comments Holly Hurkett, Regional Training and Development Manager for Greggs’ South East Division. “As a business, our broad aim is expressed in the phrase ‘As One – To Number One’, whereby we work as a single, integrated team to become the leader in our market. Delivering on this aim depends on the commitment of everyone that works in our shops, bakeries and offices.
“Having the best products isn’t enough. The people behind our brand and our products are vital to our business success. Investing in training our people doesn’t just add to their abilities, it also helps to build self-belief, confidence in the product and a desire to succeed – and that’s a very powerful combination.

Make sure your team’s ready for the upturn

“During a recession, when budgets are under pressure, some businesses can panic and fall into the trap of cutting back on all expenditure. Whilst it’s understandable that a downturn will bring a sharper focus on controlling costs, there are activities that still demand ongoing investment. I would even argue that a recession is the very time when investment in training should be increased. If the overall market for your product has decreased, it’s all the more important to ensure your personnel are equipped to win a greater share of that market. If your competitors scale back on their training programmes, your business could stand to benefit.

“Furthermore, during an economic downturn, it’s important to try to do everything to ensure your business is ready for the upturn, when it arrives. If you’ve continued to invest in developing your staff, your business is more likely to be ready to ‘hit the ground running’ and capitalise on new opportunities when there’s an increase in demand.

“Most businesses can subdivide their training needs into compliance/ operational training and performance-based training. Our own training requirements cover every par t of our business – from bakers, to shop workers, to senior management. Naturally, as a food business, we under take
a lot of training around hygiene and food safety. Providing our customers with the freshest possible products is one of our main objectives – so a large number of our products are actually made on-site, in our shops.

Hence, our bakery teams and our retail staff are fully trained in food safety and in the safe operation of ovens and other machinery. In addition, for anyone with a customer-facing role, it’s essential that they’re well versed in how to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations. Whenever one of our shop workers is face-to-face with a customer, they’re the face of Greggs.

Designed to achieve more

“In addition to devising training that is both stimulating and productive, it’s also impor tant to ensure that any training materials contribute to the learning experience. If everything an employee experiences during a course helps to show that the company is passionate about training, that will help to motivate the employee and also stress that the company is committed to excellence in training. Using a designer to help design manuals, workbooks, displays and also guides for the trainers, can be a very
worthwhile investment.

“Good design can emphasise specific messages and make it easier for employees to absorb key information. If the training materials have a quality look and feel, that adds value to the training experience. A design and print team that is able to work within your corporate brand guidelines and also contribute creative ideas on how to make training materials memorable and eye catching, is a real asset.”

Kall Kwik Twickenham has been providing design and print services to Greggs since 2006.

We have a tremendous amount of experience in producing training materials for companies throughout Suffolk and to see how we can help your business why not call Kall Kwik Bury St Edmunds on 01284 752266.