To accelerate Broanmain Plastics’ growth and internal transformation strategy, the Surrey-based technical injection moulder and toolmaker has appointed Eve Clennell in a newly created senior role. Reporting directly to managing director Jo Davis, Eve’s appointment comes at a pivotal time, when the pandemic and Brexit uncertainty has put employee wellbeing, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and workforce safety into even sharper focus for the successful SME.
Health and wellbeing has sat in the heart of Broanmain’s business plans for some time now. “With Eve’s appointment as people, culture & strategy manager, our aim is to further align these to the post-pandemic and Brexit landscape and address the uncertainty that our people have felt during these unprecedented times,” states Jo. Eve will manage all of the non-production departments within the business and focus on developing Broanmain’s culture of strong teamworking and collaborative spirit.
With such a diverse workforce, largely comprising EU nationals, one of Eve’s immediate priorities will be examining how team members can visit families over the Christmas period and safely quarantine without compromising client service on their return. Additionally, Eve will assist team members that want support completing their EU Settlement Scheme applications.
Eve already knows many of the Broanmain team personally in a consulting capacity. With extensive experience managing strategic people and culture programs across a range of industries and company sizes, Eve has earmarked culture and safety as one of her most critical priorities. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD), she has seen countless reports and indicators that work related stress, depression and anxiety is on the rise, the effects of which could run on for many months or even years.
She comments: “This has been an unprecedented year for everyone. Safeguarding physical and mental wellbeing is a core objective at Broanmain and it’s clearly evident that the team understands the correlation between how it impacts culture and productivity.
“The team has done some great work in this area already, including nominating two colleagues to complete Mental Health First Aid training so they can recognise and assess stress triggers. Another highlight is the flexible development plan the team created for Tom, an ex-AirForce SNCO who joined earlier this year through specialist recruitment firm CareerForces.” The company also offers all team members access to an external counselling service.
Among the range of support mechanisms Eve plans to refine to counterbalance this year of uncertainty include greater clarity about people’s roles and progression maps, forums to facilitate cross-team communication and address unconscious biases.
Expressing her excitement about the opportunity, Eve concludes: “Many believe culture is synonymous with the policies and procedures developed inside a company. It is not! It’s about camaraderie, the way people behave and how they respect and treat one another. It’s proven already that well mentored people who are listened to achieve their potential and more. And sometimes it’s the smallest things that can make the biggest difference.”
Eve started her new people, culture and strategy role at Broanmain on 9th November 2020. Welcoming her to the team, Jo adds: “Eve is an exciting addition to the Broanmain family and shares our strategic vision of being committed to our customers and their innovative projects. She has repeatedly demonstrated a flexible attitude as a regular consultant and will be the best steward for our future people and culture programs.”
