Approved by you

Uniform, diversity, security and action planning were all discussed at the latest meeting of our People Panel.

Colleagues gathered at Tallents House in Edinburgh to help shape initiatives designed to make Royal Mail a better place to work.

In the morning session, Panel members were asked to contribute their opinions and experiences of local action planning, before reviewing the Group action plan, which the Panel helped build back in July.

Lindsay Beresford, head of employee experience, thanked everyone for their energy and contribution to the conversation.

‘It’s great to hear views from colleagues across the business,’ she said. ‘The insight we get from the People Panel is incredibly helpful.

‘We’ve seen how local action planning is making a difference, with some fantastic examples of how the new boards are being used in sites across the country.’

Other hot topics of the day included uniform, workforce demographics, diversity and inclusion, long service and the security of mail and our people.

Steven Clarke, a postman and CWU rep from Sheffield collections, said: ‘The People Panel has given me the opportunity to better understand the various challenges facing Royal Mail.

'It has become clear to me that some incredible people work at Royal Mail and are positive about change, want to be part of that change, and have the passion to drive the business forward.’

Rachel Gibson, administrator at Leeds mail centre, agreed: ‘We are here sharing experiences and inspiring each other. Regardless of who you are, your view matters.’

The People Panel meets three times a year at venues around the UK. To get involved or for more information, please email culture.engagement.team@royalmail.com.

Acting on your feedback

We review the feedback colleagues provided in the 2018 Employee Survey at a Group level as well as at a local team level.

As well as our People Panel, we have held more than 70 focus groups across the country to help us assess the overall results and build a Group action plan.

Our Group-wide actions aim to tackle some of the main issues highlighted in the survey, which included the need to feel valued and recognised, improving our culture, trusting each other more and the security of our people and customer’s mail.

Some of our key actions include:

• Better tools for recognition and saying thank you
• More support for new managers in building successful relationships with their teams and sharing best practice with fellow managers 
• Initiatives to ensure we remain focused on delivering a safe and secure culture.

It’s also the time of year to revisit your local Employee Survey action plan, see what progress you have made and what areas you still need to focus on in the coming months.