| The security industry recognises ADT Fire & Security as a European leader |
ADT’s innovative HR strategy is recognised in the security industry as model for successful employee relations
ADT Fire & Security, Europe’s leading provider of fire and security solutions, has received a prestigious “Inspiration in HR Award” from specialist security recruiters SSR® Personnel at the 2011 Security Excellence Awards. This award commends ADT’s development and implementation of initiatives to improve employee engagement, all within a short-space of time.
Channelling feedback from a company-wide survey conducted in 2010, ADT’s HR team has specifically designed a holistic strategy to engage 3,843 employees nationwide, spanning all positions across the organisation. This ensures ADT’s customer-centric focus remains at the forefront of day-to-day activities.
The HR team drafted a multi-faceted campaign plan, which addressed various internal challenges requiring attention. This swiftly led to the deployment of tailored strategies designed to tackle pain points head on. Such activities included:
o Formation of a corporate engagement steering group addressing key areas and pain points cited by employees
o Formation of local action groups working on local branch challenges
o Pulse survey completed in May to measure progress showing positive improvement scores across every area of the business
o Improvement of management and leadership development programmes – all accredited by Coventry University
o Implementation of engineer focussed customer service programmes aimed at increasing awareness of Net Promoter scores and best practice customer service behaviours
o Implementation of Government funded NVQ Customer Service qualification to all employees so far completed by 935 employees
Significant improvements in overall Employee Engagement scores and also an increase in the average business Net Promoter Scores began to emerge once relevant actions were put into place. These two elements are intrinsically linked and impact on the bottom line business results.
In addition to these internal developments, the HR Team has written a new reward strategy to ensure the business recognises major achievements by individuals or teams that are proactively driving ADT’s message to its customers. This new scheme includes the introduction of a new retail discount initiative which incentivises staff to deliver the highest standards of service day-to-day. ADT is also a frontrunner when investing in health and wellbeing programmes, including the introduction of an Employee Assistance Programme, which increases the number of opportunities available for staff to deal with everyday sources of stress that impact on productivity levels and general wellbeing. An additional success story is the introduction of an absence management programme which has reduced the cost of ‘non productive’ time of the engineering workforce by £1.4 million and reduced the number of average days employees are absent from 9 to 4.
All of these drivers have been put in place during the last 18 months to promote a positive workplace and enhance morale within the organisation. The recent performance appraisal completion figures showcase the success of the HR campaign. For the first time in the organisation’s history the company achieved a 99% completion rate, compared to only 35% in 2010.
“Our employees are our most important assets at ADT, and due to their excellent contributions, our customer-focused mantra has flourished over the years,” said Andy Ellis, Managing Director of ADT UK and Ireland. “We are delighted to receive this award which recognises our efforts to provide the best support nationwide for our teams. Headed up by Hazel Barnett, ADT’s HR Director, we will continue to build on our innovative HR directives pledging utmost support to employees as we grow as a business.”