Growth Through People campaign: Week 1 round-up
GBCC
We’re one week in to the GBCC’s Growth Through People campaign and it’s been fantastic to see how much interest and enthusiasm our various activities have been met with. This is the first of our weekly campaign roundup blogs.
Events
We kicked off the campaign events calendar at a session run in partnership with the GBLSEP Growth Hub, ACAS, and the CIPD. During the roundtable discussion we considered some of the free resources that SME businesses can use to more effectively manage their employees. Hosted at University College Birmingham’s fantastic McIntyre House campus, the event saw SME delegates discuss the merits of a variety of resources and also consider the key people management challenges that they encounter each day.
On Thursday we were in Sutton Coldfield, at the lovely Harvest Fields Centre, for an incredibly well-attended event that focussed on effective apprentice management. The government’s fast-approaching apprenticeship reforms are an extremely hot topic at the moment so it was great to be able to work with GBCC Patron WSP, and a panel of SME business leaders with experience of working with apprentices, to share practical guidance on how business leaders can create the best structure and environment within which an apprentice can thrive.
On Friday morning the first of our campaign fringe events was delivered by Engage for Success in partnership with GBCC Patron, Squire Patton Boggs. The event, titled ‘Employee Engagement: Inspiring Your Leaders’, involved a vibrant discussion about the merits of, and barriers to, employee engagement. Delegates took part in a novel goldfish-bowl-style conversation which proved extremely effective and engaging.
Growth Through People Blog Posts
Throughout the Growth Through People campaign we will be publishing a series of blog posts written by partners, business leaders, and local experts on a variety of topics related to effective people management. This week we heard from:
Paul Faulkner, Chief Executive at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, marked the beginning of the Growth Through People campaign and outlined the key themes and research underpinning the campaign.
Archy Muir, Partner at Huber Muir, talked about issues of productivity within British businesses and the importance of effective leadership in confronting them. He also extended the offer of a free one-to-one advice session for GBCC members and Growth Through People delegates that wish to discuss the campaign’s themes with organisational experts.
Fiona Anderson, Director at Valuing You, detailed the potential business costs of a disengaged workforce and talked about most effective methods through which business leaders can more effectively engage their employees.
Coming Up
We’ve got another busy campaign week coming up:
On Valentine’s Day (Tuesday 14th) we’re working with the CIPD to deliver an appropriately-themed event entitled Tricky Conversations. This workshop will help business leaders understand how to most effectively approach and conduct difficult conversations with their employees.
On Friday we’re holding the second campaign fringe event in partnership with Engage for Success and Squire Patton Boggs. This seminar session will focus on methods through which executives can drive productivity in their organisations through closer engagement with their workforce.
Next Monday, GBCC Patron Pinsent Masons will be delivering a free Employment Law seminar. The session is designed to cover the different employment law essentials that business leaders need to be aware of when managing their people, from initial recruitment to the ending of a contract.
This week’s blog posts will cover a range of topics including the measurement of business productivity, mental health in the workplace, and a local Managing Director’s thoughts on effective people management.
You’ll want to keep an eye on the GBCC’s e-news, blogs page, and social media accounts to stay up to date with the latest Growth Through People activity.