Annual turnover: 3 million
HR manager: Sarah Bartlett
Incentives are widely thought to be an effective way of retaining staff and minimising absence. Until recently, London-based Angle House Orthodontics relied on such schemes as bonuses for employees with 90% attendance, private medical insurance for long-term staff and training for staff nurses.
But despite these measures, staff turnover still rose by 15% during the past two years prompting the firms HR manager and the owner to try something extra to hang on to their highly skilled workers.
Holistic methods are sometimes treated with scepticism because of the intangible nature of the results, but Angle House picked KiTherapy because of its focus on measuring results and progress. The aim was to introduce a stress-awareness programme, bring in practical measures to tackle stress, boost staff morale, increase productivity and reduce work-related illness.
Assessing the stressors
The first step was to assess the stressors at Angle House and identify any physical symptoms of stress or general illness employees suffered. Based on information from confidential questionnaires, a customised programme of osteopathy, shiatsu and Alexander Technique, to be carried out in half-day sessions, during which individuals were allocated an hours therapy, was provided to alleviate symptoms.
The objective was to empower staff and give them long-term benefits in the future management of their health and well-being. It worked: attrition was cut to zero in just three months. A maintenance programme is now in place.
HR manager Sarah Bartlett says: The programme was introduced to deal with morale and absenteeism. Initially, staff were interviewed and asked questions such as how they feel at the end of a working day, and then a programme of shiatsu and Alexander Technique was offered as it seemed to fit in with their problems. It helped everyone to look at fundamental things such as how they sit and about their posture even small adjustments can make a big difference to performance and could also mean the difference between someone taking a day off through back pain, or not. It boosted morale and was definitely a worthwhile investment from a human resources point of view.
Fewer complaints and a happier environment
Owner and senior principal Hemant Patel adds: In a service business, your staff are your resource. We tried all the usual things such as improving pay and holiday packages and incentives... it was surprising how ineffective it was. Youd get those who would take a day off, and then, because theyd blown the bonus theyd have received for not doing so, would take more days off.
The one thing KiTherapy did do was improve morale because the staff felt cared for. It wasnt a carrot-and-stick situation. What really changed things was that staff believed that this was an unambiguous benefit for them. It wasnt something we were doing to get more out of them for the sake of it that was the biggest advantage to take on board. There are fewer complaints from staff and a happier environment, so we intend to offer it as an ongoing benefit.
