UK: A staff development program helped Green King to save £2 million in two years

A staff development scheme at pub giant Greene King has saved the company more than £2 million over two years, Personnel Today published October 24.

Greene King, which runs 800 pubs across the UK, focused on promoting more people from within and providing extensive training for staff. This helped boost the company's sales by 4% to £516 million last year.

The company's 'Get Ahead' training programme offers all staff: flexible learning through computer-based training annual, online 360-degree feedback industry qualifications and a tailored leadership programme. Last year, 53% of all new management appointments were filled from within the organisation, with staff turnover falling by 7% to 26%.

Simon Burton, recruitment and training controller at Greene King, said the programme marked a change in the company's commitment to managing staff. "It gives employees a greater understanding of the highly competitive environment in which we operate, as well as providing them with the skills they need to do their jobs well," he said.

The HR department measured the savings through key indicators, including a £1.5 million cut in the use of agency pub managers, a £268,000 drop in recruitment costs and £336,000 fall in cash discrepancies. Burton added that the managers the company had promoted from within had made an £83,000 increase in like-for-like sales on the previous year.

25 October, 2006