Page 15 - Fedral Mogul News Collection

Issue 2 - Bradford United News

What You Say

First Local Survey Puts Stake In Ground

FTER A SLIGHTLY SHAKY START, the results of the
Afirst local version of the employee survey are in.
Why shaky? Because up to the first deadline, only 65 people had
responded. After an extension, that had crept up to 76. Still not great – it’s
only just over a 25% returns rate - but, the only measurable approval
standard we’ve got against the category question – benefits,
communications, leadership, morale and skills development.
Of course, apathy
sends its own mes-
sage and it is one that
has been received and
understood. The ac- Ann Wright & Yvonne Whittaker.
tual number of re-
turns says as much
about how people feel Charity Begins
as the ratings and
comments of those
people who were pre- At Home
pared to take the time
to complete the form Teddy Raises
and it will be a meas-
ure of the company’s Money For BEN
progress in this area
if that overall number
of returns increases ith the help of a giant,
as we get deeper into Wwhite teddy bear,
the year.
Because this is the first survey – we cannot compare with the Federal-Mogul receptionist Ann Wright has
corporate survey of last year because that asked different questions – these results raised £100 in support of BEN,
themselves are most useful as a benchmark against which to judge future progress. the occupational charity for
One interesting fact that did emerge was the difference in approval ratings between
departments – which is precisely why we asked people to indicate their department people who work in our motor
and not as an underhand way of identifying individual respondents as some surmised. industry.
European person-
nel stand out as being BEN’s area representative, Yvonne
significantly less Whittaker, who had only recently visited
happy than just about the Legrams Lane site as a guest of
everyone else and that Council to ask the company to consider
is a message which becoming a corporate sponsor of BEN,
has gone to the Euro- was delighted to be asked to return to
pean powers-that-be accept the donation
and is something Altogether, BEN helped around
we’re also trying to 10,000 people during 1999 at a cost of
address on site. The £8 million - and it’s growing - but it
next least happy relies entirely on voluntary donations
bunch are the anony- and fund-raising. A major element of its
mous ones, with every funding comes from corporate
other department, donations from the manufacturing and
more or less hitting the retailing organisations.
average feeling. Previously, both Champion and
Cutting the results T&N have been corporate sponsors of
by categories, the BEN but, with the acquisition by
highest scoring was Federal-Mogul, that commitment has
leadership at 61.5 against the average of 56.5. (from the associated comments, most lapsed and it’s money that BEN can ill-
people were referring here to their immediate bosses) and then morale at 59.4. The afford to lose. If you think your company
lowest scoring category was benefits at 50.9, then communications at 54.3 and skills should actively support BEN, tell your
development at 56.3 – all below the site average. Council representative to lobby the
Overall, the response was one of – guarded – optimism. Things aren’t great but management.
they’re not too bad either with an average approval rating of 56.5% across the site. But don’t just let it stop there, you
But there is absolutely no room for complacency. The survey is no more than a can also elect to support BEN
fairly rough and ready barometer of whether, as a business, we’re succeeding in individually through payroll giving
making employees feel good about working here. The first sign that we’re on the (ask Mark Gordon) or help people
right track is to get more than a 25% return on the next employee survey due in like Ann Wright by supporting 7
May. ❖ fund-raising events. ❖