Career Advice
Rentokil MD: Ultimately We Look For People Who Are Grounded With High Levels of Initiative
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 6 Dec 2017
Today, Glassdoor announced The UK’s Best Places To Work 2018. So, we caught up with Phill Wood, Area Managing Director at 7th ranked company Rentokil to discuss what it means to be one of the best places to work in the UK and find out exactly how a people-focussed approach drove such a high position this year.
We also reveal that Rentokil look for informed employees with a high level of personal initiative and a desire to deliver great service to their customers.
MDT: How do you help build a great company culture?
PW: The values of Rentokil Initial are ‘service, relationships and teamwork’. Customer service in our businesses is highly dependent on individual field-based colleagues interacting directly with customers. Ensuring that all colleagues feel engaged, empowered and appropriately trained to give expert advice and service to customers is the “winning ticket”. This purity of business model does force you to put the frontline colleague and therefore the customer at the heart of all of your decision making. This can only happen if you have a grounded, listening, sharing and very open minded culture - there is no real place for hierarchy or being disconnected. Our business model of People - Service - Profit can’t just be words it has to be delivered on every single day and in every decision we make. That underpins the culture of our business.
What does leadership mean to you?
Our core management approach is one of open, accessible, responsible leadership. Alongside our senior management team we tour all of our regional branches and support centres twice a year (spending several months on the road). It is only by talking directly, and responding to colleagues, that we can continue to make sure this is great place to work. Some of the best ideas we have for new innovations and services come from our frontline colleagues and only by working as a team, and sharing in our collective goal, of ‘making our customers love us’ are we able to continually improve as a company. You have to listen - you have to respond - and you have to be both visible and accessible. In the cases when the feedback we receive is challenging - we don’t do hiding places.
What do you do to foster employee trust and engagement?
We don’t hide what is going on in the business from our colleagues - challenges and priorities are communicated regularly with them, and in a timely manner. We are big “bloggers “ (the biggest business user of Google+ outside of Asia), which allows us to constantly keep colleagues updated on the progress of our journey. It also allows two-way sharing right across communities within the businesses (and even across Rentokil Initial globally).
Every 15 months we undertake YVC (Your Voice Counts) - our colleague survey with all colleagues, and the results are reviewed on a country/business level to ensure that where possible, we respond to and address issues that are raised by colleagues. We then make commitments through our “Colleague Manifesto “ and are measured against that over the subsequent period.
Your employees love working here as we see the strong rating on Glassdoor - How do you make this a great place to work day in and day out?
I think we have a strong view of what we’re about as a business - and we actively look for people who have those traits. We want committed, driven and talented colleagues - with high degrees of personal initiative, who enjoy working alongside similar minded team members. In all our roles we define what is expected very clearly - but there is also a large amount of personal initiative, creativity, ownership and focus required, to deliver great performance. Our people thrive in that “team/strong individual” model and the personal space that it allows. We like to say “thank you “ and celebrate success and we like to do that regularly. We point remuneration at those performance measures - so clearly defined performance is rewarded and we invest in development for internal progression.
And at all times we try and have a laugh - joke and enjoy each other’s company.
What is the best part about working here?
Without doubt great people - we have talented, motivated and well trained colleagues. People with real passion, energy and enthusiasm for what we do, and whose potential we aim to fulfil. But one of the most important things is that we smile, laugh, joke and (most of the time!) enjoy the adventure of working here.
What do you look for in informed candidates?
A desire to deliver great service; whether internally (to other colleagues) or externally (to our customers), without this focus then an individual has very limited value to offer to a service-based business like Rentokil Initial. Ultimately we look for people who are grounded, have a ‘can do’ attitude, and enjoy having a real individual contribution to make towards the outcome - rather than being just a big cog in a machine.
How do you retain talent - what are some of your best practices?
By offering opportunities for continuous development - we deliver training days all year and every colleague has clear objectives and the opportunity to develop their career in a way that suits both them, and the business. As a business, we are expanding so this brings with it lots of opportunities to progress through the ranks - developing internal talent is a key focus for our business. Our management and leadership model is over 90% internally sourced - and is totally determined on objective performance measures.
What are some of the coolest or most unique perks and benefits you offer?
About 18 months ago we designed our ‘Reward Gateway’ creating a one-stop-shop where colleagues could access all rewards, recognition schemes and benefits that Rentokil Initial has to offer. Named ‘RI Rewards’, our reward site looks fresh and inviting, yet provides a personal, interactive experience for each user. Our aim was to “catch you doing things right “ and say thank you - all in one place. We reward performance on all metrics - Sales - Great Service - Support KPI’s - Health & Safety - Innovation - Long Service etc. Often - regular and timely - and it’s up to individuals whether they save them up and buy something special or use these rewards on an ongoing basis.
Reward Gateway also hosts our Shopping Discount Site - where colleagues can make savings at all the big name retailers - online and in-store. The average saving quoted is between £600 and £1200 per annum. We have extended this to “friends and family (2 of) “ for all Rentokil Initial colleagues as well.
We firmly believe in rewarding our people for their hard work and offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes:
- Childcare Vouchers
- Cycle 2 Work Scheme
- Service Awards
- Employee Referral Schemes
- Regular local and company incentives
- Company Sponsored Events
Glassdoor Team
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