Blog: SECBE Awards 2022 finalist - PiLON's People
24 March 2022
People Development sponsored by Cheesmur Building Contractors
PiLON's People
People Development Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2022 finalist
Pilon's passion and commitment to People Development are evident across all business areas. 2021 saw the formerly HR department rebranded and repositioned. The company's new Department for People and Culture is led by a team with extensive experience in people development who sit on the Senior Management Team, representing the voice of the employees and continuous improvement in personal development.
People Development begins with how and who Pilon recruits and informs every touchpoint with colleagues, including onboarding, training/education opportunities, 121s, Personal Development Plans, and all forms of communication. Additionally, the company proactively look for ways to embed People Development in as many business areas as possible, including a LinkedIn Staff Spotlight series, a new and improved Internal Newsletter, regular company-wide Business Updates, and encouraging people to shadow different roles.
Pilon's workforce is diverse. In addition to being an equal opportunities employer committed to a no-tolerance approach to discrimination, the company actively seek talent with experience from outside the sector. Pilon empowers employees at every level to share their innovative ideas and shape their processes, and positive feedback from outside the organisation proves that the team is getting noticed for 'doing things differently'.
The company's goal is for everyone at PiLON to fulfil their potential. They are providing all necessary resources and support to achieve this in areas that matter to its employees and the sector. January 2022 saw the PiLON Sustainability Working Group's first meeting, which is working with an external consultant to create practical yet ambitious targets for the coming years with 'People' as one of its three pillars of sustainability. 2021 saw Pilon win the British Safety Council's Wellbeing Initiative of the year award; they also launched the PiLON Wellbeing Committee in January 2022, which will drive future initiatives. The company is proud to have trained 15% of its employees to become qualified Mental Health First Aiders.
Upskilling its staff and providing them with the opportunity to develop their careers remains a core priority. Pilon is a CITB approved training provider, and its SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment, Quality) Manager Sid Clark delivers SMSTS, SSSTS, and Health & Safety Awareness training not just to the company's staff but also to its supply chain, clients, and their residents.
Key achievements:
1. Over the last 24 months, PiLON has spent £72,000 on certified training and education (no external funding). This equates to £827.60 for each of its 87 employees and is inclusive but not limited to:
- Multiple NVQ qualifications of various levels/disciplines
- iHASCO Short courses for all employees (Conflict Resolution, Customer Service, GDPR Essentials, Fraud Prevention, Lone Working, Safeguarding Adults)
- Mental Health First Aid Course (9 participants)
- BTEC Higher National Certificate in Construction and Built Environment (2 years)
- CIPD Level 5 Human Resource Management
- CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in People Management
- Construction Commercial Management MSc Course (2 years)
- Level 4 Certificate in Professional Marketing
2. To launch the company's new GROW Strategy, they created the Your Voice – Colleague Engagement survey. This anonymous Survey provided employees with the opportunity to provide feedback for the management better understand what motivates their teams, what PiLON are doing right, and where it has room to improve. PiLON's Senior Management Team have then created a detailed action plan against the resulting objectives.
3. The company inspires other organisations and leads the way to share best practice.
- PiLON held a Mental Health seminar for its employees and also had many clients and supply chain partners attend.
- PiLON shares its knowledge and experience with other organisations in sector forums and webinars.
- The British Safety Council requested PiLON to deliver a 45-minute presentation which was watched by over 450 people.
Find more about PiLON:
Find out who wins at the Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2022 Ceremony on Thurs 30th June 2022.
About the People Development Award (sponsored by Cheesmur Building Contractors):
People are our greatest asset and this award recognises organisations that appreciate and nurture their workforce to ensure they maximise the value of everyone’s contribution to the business. By creating inclusive workplaces which support people of all abilities through training initiatives, education, mentoring, support networks and innovative programmes, companies can demonstrate a significant impact on the future of their businesses and the wider construction industry. More info
>> Find out more about the other Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards finalists here