CV Issue 1 2018

CORPORATE VISION / Issue 1 2018 49 , Purple Cubed was founded in response to chronic skills shortages and labour turnover within service industries. We spoke to founder, Jane Sunley, to gain an insight into the behind the scenes workwithin the company, as it features in our reputable Corporate Excellence Awards 2017 as Most Outstanding HR Consultancy Firm2017 in the UK. Employee Engagement Expertise + Talent Technology Although established in 2001, Purple Cubed are recognised as a new breed of consultancy and expertise for companies that want to improve business results and growth by attracting, engaging and retaining great talent and/or want to tackle specific people-related business challenges and opportunities. It is widely acknowledged that, today, business success depends on attracting, engaging, developing and retaining great people. That is why creating great places to work is now recognised as one of the top opportunities for leaders around the world to transform business performance and brand differentiation. The firm’s strategy today remains the same as its mission in 2001, to help businesses become amazing places to work resulting in increased profit and growth for them. Jane starts off by telling us about the core beliefs of the firm and what makes it successful, with the whole team looking to produce the best results. She then goes on to explain how the firm distinguishes itself from others, vital in the Human Resources industry. “Here at Purple Cubed, it’s about outputs, not inputs; results not just reports; and all about improving the client’s bottom line. Through our own research, we have established five key aspects that influence employee engagement. These five things in turn, positively impact productivity and loyalty. They are communication, leadership, progression, development and cultural alignment. As such, any innovation we deliver is linked to one of these five areas.” Managing Director, Jo Harley, adds “Essentially, what makes us different from the rest is that we are founder led (it helps that ours is a best-selling author in this area), with pragmatic thinking leaders who have results-led experience and adopt a contemporary approach. The company is non-corporate, flexible, agile, and easy to work with thanks to its boutique nature, meaning we can provide a personal touch to proceedings. Additionally, all our people are authentic, knowledgeable and are business savvy advisers, with our talented experts who get under the skin of businesses to design solutions that deliver and are tailored to our clients’ needs and culture.” Following on from discussing what differentiates the firm from others, Jo explains some of the techniques the team employ in order to stay ahead of any advances that may occur within the industry. “Fundamentally, we have innovated in our approach to employee progression and communication via our multi- award-winning Talent Toolbox software. When it comes to growing leadership capability, we know that traditional learning is now often ineffective, unless it follows a business focused group coaching format towards a collaborative approach to solving real business issues. As an example, one client has 19 general managers working together to reduce their high labour turnover. This has resulted in various creative ideas many of which have been adopted across the organisation. This style teaches people to think and problem solve and is far more effective than the ‘chalk and talk’ learning of old. “We believe that people should drive their own development, though we have applied a creative approach to helping them do it better and in a more contemporary way. For example, shifting budget from traditional learning into more accessible in-house ‘wiki’ type data 1711CV20 repositories with user generated content such as video, podcasts and short punchy ‘how to’ guides. Also, we help them to implement ongoing communication around business and self-improvement such as learning huddles, refreshers, team knowledge exchange – short, sharp and significant, group projects, solving business challenges collaboratively, exchanging knowledge and stories.” Ultimately, there is plenty to be positive about for Purple Cubed, as the company has strong foundations which it can build upon, aided by the fantastic results their clients experience. There is a sense of trust and openness that has developed between the ‘Purple People’ and their clients. The company’s leaders are very committed to ‘practicing what they preach’, and so the internal culture remains strong and employees ensure all customers and their teams are equipped to provide the best possible service to their clients. This means it is highly likely that the company’s services will be retained in the future (some clients have worked with the business for over 10 years for example). There are bright futures ahead for the team members and clients of Purple Cubed.