News & Events

HR Forum: Building a high performing and valued HR capability

23rd November 2011

Archer Mathieson’s HR Forum was led by Jayne Mee, Group People & Customer Experience Director of Barratt Developments plc at Great Fosters, Egham.

Jayne joined Barratt Developments Plc in 2006 as their first board level, HR Director since 1989 and in her 5 years there she has rebuilt the company’s ‘People strategy’ from scratch.

Her contribution has been recognised by being named HR Director of the Year in 2009 at the Personnel Today awards.

In a thoroughly entertaining and engaging way Jayne outlined the Barratt journey she has been through to ‘build a high performing and valued HR capability’.

The Challenge…..

• Barratt had hired a new CEO October 2006, Mark Clare, who was from outside the house building industry. His brief was to change the business and achieve growth.
• Jayne was brought in as Group HR Director in November 2006 – the first since 1989! As with the new CEO she didn’t have any relevant sector experience.
• The business continued to be profitable despite itself
• A very traditional paternalistic culture existed (top down ‘tell’ management style).
• There was a lack of leadership and engagement.
• Technical competence was king!
• Talent, succession and development were a pipe dream….

The Research…..

• Jayne decided to go on tour for six weeks around the business! She drank ‘builders’ tea and ate bacon butties with everyone from the labourers to Regional MD’s.
• She listened and asked lots of questions.
• She learned the language and translated her established HR terms into language that everyone understood (HR jargon was banned!).
• She tried to build credibility and trust by understanding and empathising.

Creating the HR Strategy…

• Jayne made sure she understood the business and that her plan mirrored the business strategy.
• One step at a time – leading edge wouldn’t work, practical would.
• Only simple language was used.
• Engage with third parties – e.g a need for Site Managers was identified and the Barratt Academy was set up with help from the skills council (assisted by Government grants!).
• Everyone, including the cynics, had to become involved (doing it to them wouldn’t work!).
• The strategy evolved under the following headings:
  • Culture & Engagement
  • Talent Development
  • Reward & Recognition
  • Performance Management
  • Jayne followed some good building principles – it was about ‘laying the foundations’ and getting the basics right!

The Lessons….

• Sponsorship is key – communication and involvement has to be 2 way – use people with potential to help you and involve the cynics. In everything Jayne did she had a senior managers/executives championing and running the working parties, supported by the HR team. They sold it for HR. A great example of this is the Graduate Scheme which is led by a Regional MD and has been for 4 years.

• Show the business the route map and move at the right pace – show them how what you are doing links together and supports what they do. You are here to help and not hinder

• Visibility - Encourage your HR colleagues to be visible and get out into the heart of the business

• Involve the business – the ideas Barratt people had about how they wanted to be developed and what that development should look like enabled workable products to be implemented. Measure success and celebrate it.  Always ask for feedback, there’s often a better way!

• Execute brilliantly – Even when having to reduce the workforce by 40%, it was done exceptionally well with excellent feedback from the business

• Persistence, it’s too easy to give up – when the organisation doesn’t know what it doesn’t know, people offer a view that says things cannot change – they can but it’s a bit like eating an elephant!

• It’s not rocket science. Speak the language and you’ll engage.  Have a business discussion – No buzzwords, no jargon, nothing ‘too pink and fluffy’ because that’s what people think HR is. Show them you are different!

• Personal impact is critical – don’t be afraid of anybody. Be prepared. Get out in the field. Know your facts about the business and be assertive

• Upping the capability of HR – timing is everything

The Success

• Engagement – from engagement surveys it has been proved that Jayne and her HR team have helped improve the engagement of the business up to a score of 69% (the initial engagement survey had a 35% score with only 40% response rate)
• Staff turnover – has dropped from 27% to 12% in the 5 years Jayne has been with them (although there is acceptance that market conditions have helped). Retention levels of 86% of the top 3 levels of performers have been attained.
• HR perception – early on, a fairly cynical Regional Managing Director had some feedback for Jayne ‘she’s HR, but she’s normal’. Jayne realised at that point that she could make a difference and she is now close to achieving her ultimate goal of a high performing HR culture becoming embedded into the Barratt’s culture.

It was an inspiring and stimulating session which achieved a great deal of resonance with everyone who was listening. Thank You Jayne!

The following attended the Forum;

Kelly Anderson, Carnival UK, Assistant Director HR & Development
Laura Burton, SAP, HR Director UK & Ireland
Isabel Howson, Level 3, VP Human Resources EMEA
Jo Hyde, Twinings Ovo Group, HR Manager
Tina Oakley, Gatwick Airport Ltd, HR Director
Anita Tilly, Cap Gemini, HR Director – Outsourcing
Nicola Pattimore, Xafinity Ltd, Head of HR
Martin Percival, Previously Stepstone, Group HR Director
Lee Roberts, Novartis, Global Head of HR
Andrew Scully, United Health Group, Group HR Director EMEA
Geoff Smith, Airwave Solutions Limited, HR Director

Please click here to see a copy of the invitation.

This event is the latest in a series of regular Archer Mathieson HR Forums. Our Forums are intended to be small events where everyone attending has an opportunity to contribute. By facilitating these events we also create a like-minded professional community who are able maintain contact with each other; sharing opinions, experiences, supplier information etc via our web based forum. If you would like any more information on the above or would like to become involved, please contact Emma Webb on 01753 754333 or emma.webb@archermathieson.com

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