WE LET 14 TEENAGERS RUN LOOSE IN OUR OFFICE. Not on the stairs though, safety first. Obviously. Last year, we teamed up with a local school to give Year 10 students a 5-day work experience as part of our Ignite Stars programme. We wanted to give them a glimpse into the world of FMCG, innocent, and where they might see themselves in the future. They had one task. Create a brand new innocent drink to grow our revenue. Without any previous experience, they learned all about finance, packaging design, market insights, product development, and selling their product to a panel of strangers. Not sure any of our lot could pull that off, to be honest. We think work experience doesn't have to stop at making a cup of tea in your uncle's office. It's a great chance for both the students and our people to learn. After all, how well do you really know your stuff until you've explained it to a 16 year-old? So, as you're getting back in the groove of things this January, have a look down below at some new ideas that you may or may not be seeing on shelves in the future.
Here at innocent, being natural is one of the values we hold nearest and dearest. Our drinks and people wouldn't be the same without it. So, every year we come together on what we call our 'Nature Day', to learn about fruit and veg, and to say thank you for all the hard work that goes into getting us to a billion more portions of the stuff by 2030. This year, we sent them off to Fruit Camp. Think Scouts, but with fewer bears, fancy dress, and some questionable pictures in the group chat. Don't think our nan would be pleased. Check out the video to see what our UK and Ireland bunch got up to:
It's Autumn and that means one thing. Getting comfy with a cup of tea and pretending to do some work while reading our latest Q&A. This month we've got one of the brilliant minds and taste buds behind some of your favourite smoothies, our Rachel. So good at her job that when life gives her lemons, she adds apples, pears and a couple cucumbers and calls it a job well done. When she's not working her smoothie-making magic, she's inspiring her team, or co-leading our run club, Kensal Strides. Check out life at innocent in the article below. It might be one of your recipes that we'll be picking out the fridge next year.
Turns out working in HR is just as fun as it sounds. Who'd have thought. Our Mayuri works hard to bring great people to Fruit Towers, our London home. Have a look at what she gets up to in the video, and let her know your thoughts on a cream cheese and Sriracha crumpet combo in the comments. Click the link to watch it over on LinkedIn.
THREE THINGS WE ALL WANT TO SKIP: The line at Alton Towers. A perfectly round pebble at the seafront. The interview for our dream job. Everyone's different, and for some (probably most) people interviews can cause a bit of stress and anxiety. And while we love true crime dramas as much as anyone, we don't fancy interrogating you lot. So it's every interviewer's job to make people's lives a little easier. The small things have a big impact. So one small change we've made is to give everyone sensory toys to fidget with in interviews. So you can focus more on the answers, and less on the being nervous bit. We also give people the chance to speak to members of our affinity groups to ask about the things that matter to them. That could be our parental policy, culture, or what snacks our Maisie puts in the snack cupboard. It's up to you, and always top-secret. The majority of our case studies are sent ahead of time too. We'd rather leave surprises for your birthday, and make sure you have plenty of time to prepare for your assessment. Much like you would on the job. Like we said, it’s the little things. But when you interview with us, we want it to be a two-way street, so if there's any reasonable adjustments you need then let your Talent Partner know. After all, an interview is just a chance to shout about how great you are. As a bonus, have a look below and see if there's any sensory toys that look a little out of place.
In the limelight this month, our Werdah. Someone so passionate about living well, she's co-founded a triathlon charity to help others do the same. Now we're no couch potatoes, but the only triathlons we can finish have a starter, main, and dessert. Which is why we're extra proud of Werdah in getting to run across France with a certain flame in her hand. It's a pretty big deal if you ask us. If you want to know more about how she got there, her role at innocent, and top tips for carrying open flames, then have a read down below:
Some people say money makes the world go around. We might say it's fruit and veg. But most people would agree that parents deserve a mention too. Well, it was Parent's Day yesterday. So we thought we'd shout about all the great work our wonderful PEARent's and Carer's Affinity Group have done. All to make sure that parents at innocent get the best deal possible and focus on what really matters. Mushing veg, changing nappies, and learning all about Peppa. Check out the LinkedIn post for the full update.
If you haven’t had an unusually heightened sense of anxiety and the sudden feeling you’re sitting inside an oven with itchy skin, you might not realise these are all symptoms of perimenopause. And we don’t blame you. It turns out lots of companies have a bit of work to do to understand what people experiencing menopause are going through, and how to support them. Us being one of those companies. We’ve always been about making sure our people feel supported both inside and outside of work. Considering that lots of people who have worked here, currently work here and will one day work here will go through something as major as the menopause, we know it’s something we need to learn more about. We realised we didn’t have anything in place to support people experiencing it, and we knew we had to change that. That’s why we’ve proudly pinched and tweaked menopause policies and guidance from loads of organisations to write our own. Don’t worry, we asked for their permission first. LinkedIn would be a weird way for them to find out if we hadn’t. We’re hoping it’s a helpful guide for those who are experiencing it, and just as importantly, for those who aren’t. Check out the full guide on our LinkedIn page.
The sun’s finally here and so is our monthly career Q&A with one of our lot. This month we’ll be chatting to our very own ray of sunshine, David. Don’t tell him we called him that, though. He’s easily embarrassed. He's been with us for twelve whole years which makes his career an official teenager. Luckily our David’s not one for slamming the bedroom door shut, but with that hair, he does look like he belongs in a boyband. Have a read as he talks about his time as a new dad, innocent’s culture, data and, somehow, zigzag scissors.
97% of people surveyed said they'd rather drink a smoothie through their nose than talk about mental health. Fine. We made that up, but it's mental health awareness week and it got us thinking. We hire personal trainers for our gym inductions, so why not do the same for our mental fitness too? That's why since 2019, we've been working with Charlotte Wiseman to give our lovely lot a helping hand in supporting themselves and others by giving them a mental health training session. We split our training up into two. The first bit is all about looking after yourself, with tools and tips to help, like the watermelon container. The watermelon container helps us to identify our stresses and think of ways to manage and cope with them. We've given you an example below so you can go forth and make your very own watermelon. The second bit is all about looking after others. Which is important as we spend most of our days working together. Charlotte teaches us how to spot if our nearest and dearest are going through a hard time and shows us how the subtlest of physical and behavioral changes can be a tell-tale sign. For all you people professionals and leaders out there, let's have a crack at saving some nostrils and making mental health easier to talk about. And if nothing else, listen to our pineapples this mental health awareness week. Listening and being there for people goes a long way. It's okay to not be okay.
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