About People 1st

The company launched a new way of working in February 2012, with six ‘project streams’ agreed by the senior management team to guide the direction of work at People 1st. Prior to an event called the ‘Industry Leaders event’, which launched this new approach to working and areas of focus for the sector the organisation represents, their CEO Brian Wisdom held a dial-in conference. The conference was attended by head office-based employees, and people working remotely or in the devolved nations were able to dial-in. The conference served to explain the new direction of the company, following the merger with sector skills council GoSkills and successful bids for funding. Staff members attending the 'Industry Leaders event' were briefed about the company’s objectives for the evening and the messages that People 1st were hoping to convey to their guests. The conference created a dialogue for the entire company to ask questions, offer suggestions, and clarify the elements of the new project streams that were relevant to their department and nation.

In January 2012, People 1st hosted a belated Christmas celebration in Northern Ireland. The trip coincided with the launch of the organisation’s customer service training programme, WorldHost, in Northern Ireland. This provided an opportunity not only to give all their teams the chance to see the shape of the market in one of the devolved nations, but also to celebrate the challenges and changes met by the organisation during 2011. People 1st flew all employees to Belfast and all flights and overnight accommodation in Belfast were paid for by the company. The celebration was organised by their Northern Ireland team and included a drinks reception at the hotel, a live comedy performance by award-winning Belfast comedienne Nuala McKeever, followed by a three-course dinner. While the Christmas celebration was an extremely social and enjoyable occasion, it presented many opportunities for learning and networking. Members of the senior management team and department representatives participated in the launch of WorldHost, and all other staff members were able to learn about the programme in the context of the market in Northern Ireland.

The Ministry of Innovation (MOI) is a group of representatives from across the company that meets every six weeks to empower employees to discuss issues and ways to make the company a better place to work. The MOI receives feedback and ideas from around the company, as well as Best Companies survey results, and develops initiatives to improve areas including staff well-being and engagement, office look and feel, social events and the overall employee experience. Last year, it focused particularly on well-being, leading to the introduction of the Summertime Working Scheme and Giving Something Back, and conducted focus groups with other staff members on both topics. One resulting initiative was the promotion of their 'Charitable Chums', where staff members promote the work or activities they undertake to peers and colleagues. Social events and activities organised by the MOI at the quarterly learning and information days have ensured that People 1st's family ethic has remained strong throughout the changes they have faced. Each MOI meeting is attended by the CEO/COO to ensure decision makers are informed and that proposed initiatives have both the support of employees and senior management. It also gives employees an opportunity to ask questions to the organisation’s leaders, which are then fed back to wider teams.