With research suggesting that the cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary¹, the cost of attracting and retaining staff is a cause for concern across many industries.
At Glossop Cartons, we have felt the same strain, with vacancies for Cut & Crease Operators and Assistants, and Gluer Operators advertised since September 2020 remaining unfilled.
With a great team at the forefront of what we do, we were looking to strengthen the workforce with like-minded staff – smart, dependable, open and honest workers who are passionate about what they do and driven by success.
Despite numerous CVs from multiple agencies, finding the right people for these positions was near impossible, and after moving to a three-shift operation in January, not filling the vacancy threatened to undermine the full potential of our production and operation.
So, a decision was made to upskill our workforce and make internal moves to fill one of the Cut & Crease vacancies, and also to invest further in staff training in order for us to shape our existing team to help fill the Gluer Operator positions.
It can take years to completely tutor someone through the process to become a fully competent gluer, so appointing someone in-house seemed like the most practical decision as they would already be familiar with the company, the team and our processes and procedures. They would also be much more familiar with the role’s requirements which would be a major advantage – to them and to us.
So we were very pleased to begin a fastrack training course for three members of staff to be trained as Gluing Machine Minders as part of Glossop Cartons’ succession planning strategy. Paul Wright is partway through his training, whilst Tony Wright and Ciaran Chadwick have just begun their training and are progressing very well under the supervision of our Gluer Trainer, Gavin Jones, and Supervisor, Gary Waterhouse.
It is hoped that the training will ensure all trainees will be up to speed within 12 months, and there are plans to place more apprentices in fastrack schemes later in the year.
Managing Director, Wayne Fitzpatrick, commented: “Succession planning is key to our success and future, and we hope to build on the back of Paul’s training by upskilling other members of the team too. Who knows, all being well, Paul could be training new staff members himself soon.”
Fastrack Case Study
With a noticeable skill shortage in the sector, many companies are now rejecting the traditional recruitment agencies for in-house training and upskilling, and Glossop Cartons is no exception.
Paul Wright joined Glossop Cartons in July 2015 as a Manufacturing Assistant. He impressed the senior team and his line manager, Glyneth Renshaw, with his drive and passion to learn new skills, and stood out as an ideal candidate for further training to enhance his skills to enable him to progress his career with Glossop Cartons.
With an objective to train Paul to become a fully competent Gluing Machine Minder within 18 months, Paul passed the first stage with ease, meaning he can now operate all machinery. The next stage is to provide him with more training and on-the-job experience to increase his speeds and output.
After upgrading his technical skills, Paul now operates the glueing machines with considerable confidence and pushed himself very hard to learn this skilled role, earning himself a well-deserved pay rise.
Paul will continue with the training scheme, which will further his skills and competence with the machinery, and he will receive another pay rise on completion of the training in January 2022.
Says Glyneth, “Speed is not the focus or priority during the training period as this will come with time. The focus is on safety and the quality and stability of the production line.
“We are all very proud of Paul. He has really pushed himself and demonstrated huge amounts of hard work and determination in order to progress his career. His success is very much deserved, and I look forward to watching him progress over the coming years.”
Clare Beswick, Head of HR said, “Here at Glossop Cartons, we firmly believe that our team is our greatest asset, and whilst we want to promote internally, we’re always on the lookout for new superheroes to start with us, as our business grows.”
If you would like to work for a forward-thinking, value-led company that invests in its staff, then please keep an eye on our website for vacancies as we would love to hear from you. Please email a covering letter alongside your CV to hr@glossopcartons.com
