By James Wiliamson, NAAME
This week, NAAME Project Manager, James was lucky enough to catch-up with Daemmon Reeve, Group CEO at Treatt & Chloe Ludkin, Executive PA to Group CEO. Treatt recently delivered an outstanding presentation at West Suffolk Manufacturing Group, offering an insight into their response and resilience to the pandemic as well as the companies expansion plans. Here’s what they had to say:
Treatt Background
Treatt plc manufacture and supply a diverse and sustainable portfolio of natural extracts and ingredients for the global beverage, flavour, and fragrance industries. The business factory and facilities is based at Bury Saint edmunds.
Workplace Wellbeing
A healthy workforce is important to Treatt, and we acknowledge our duty of care in supporting our staff with their wellbeing. This year, we have developed a Wellbeing Committee and provided training to a team of Treatt employees who have become our Wellbeing Champions with the aim of providing a signposting service to our workforce. The Wellbeing team have carried out a range of activities throughout the year including talks from external speakers on Positive Thinking, Sleep Clinics and Nutritional Advice. For Mental Health Awareness Week in May, we offered further sessions for the benefit of our employees during the lockdown period. The programme was all delivered remotely in response to COVID-19 lockdown, offering us new opportunities in terms of the scalability and accessibility.
Throughout the pandemic, the safety and wellbeing of our global workforce has been our number one priority, both physically and mentally. To support this, we have conducted risk assessments across site which are frequently updated, we have always ensured 2m distancing and we have implemented one-way systems throughout the organisation. Team bubbles have been created to significantly reduce cross contamination risks, as well as create a robust process for managing potential virus cases. We have also offered free face coverings, increased our cleaning regime, and ensured constant provision of hand sanitiser. To protect our employee’s mental wellbeing, we have incorporated small acts of kindness such as grocery supplies, fruit and hot food deliveries to our on-site employees and home delivered cakes to our home-based employees. Best practice has been shared with our colleagues in the US, and vice versa, even though COVID-19 secure guidance moved at different speeds during the pandemic in each respective country.
New Ways of Working
New methods of working have enabled us to carry out virtual webinars for customers, hold weekly wellbeing check-in’s available to all staff, introduce virtual social activities such as bingo and quiz nights and stimulate global engagement through our wellbeing initiatives by means of video. Daemmon Reeve, Group CEO, has also held numerous informal virtual coffee catchups with staff across the group, enabling informal Q&A sessions with the CEO.
Treatt chose not to participate in the furlough scheme as we didn’t feel this was ethically right, and not intended for a business like ours. We have had periods of time where certain staff members have not been required to work during the pandemic, these staff were redeployed to other areas or remained at home and paid in full. Our Health and Safety Manager was released during the pandemic to support the NHS, due to his nursing background and we have also supported local care homes by producing hand sanitiser within our Manufacturing operation.
Treatt continue to partner with local organisations and schools to enhance the educational opportunities to the future working generation. An example of this includes two members of staff fulfilling the role of Enterprise Network Advisors, partnered to support a local High School in Bury St Edmunds which is pivotal in preparing children for the working world.
We are currently undergoing a substantial investment in the firm, with the development of a new global headquarters on Suffolk Business Park. This development renews our commitment to the town of Bury St Edmunds and the local community where we employ over 200 people. Our new headquarters is built and designed to increase the efficiency of our UK operations, whilst providing a significantly enhanced working environment where the Treatt community will flourish.
With special thanks to Chloe Ludkin & Daemmon Reeve for sharing their lastest insights with us. A great example of truly looking after your employees in a time of need, and fantastic to hear about their expansions plans and investment into the local economy.
Got a diversification story you would like to share with our members? Please get in touch with James: [email protected]
