Bartlett Mitchell creates new people experience director role

Bartlett Mitchell has created a new people experience director role in a bid to enhance the working lives of its employees and help tackle the staffing crisis faced by the industry.

Lauren Spencer will join the caterer in the role, which will encompass internal communication and engagement, training delivery methods, team experience, culture and brand protection, recruitment and retention, team support, succession planning, and the company's app.

Spencer will also work closely with Bartlett Mitchell's HR department to ensure training programmes are tailored to the specific needs of employees.

Wendy Bartlett, founder of Bartlett Mitchell, said: "We are very pleased to create this new role as it demonstrates how committed we are trying to do things differently to mitigate against some of challenges the industry will face over the coming years. One of the core values of the business when we first set it up 20 years ago was to ensure that coming to work was fun. Our strapline, FUNdamentally food, was all about this.

"Our industry employs one in eight people in the UK. We make a huge contribution to the wider economy. We want people to be proud of working not just for us but also as part of a fantastic industry.

"As a business, we have never believed in standing still so we are constantly looking at doing things differently. We're delighted to welcome Lauren to the team. She will not only bring a fresh perspective when it comes to how we do things, but she will also enable us to question why we do it."

Bartlett Mitchell was recently awarded the Princess Royal Training award in recognition of its development programmes.

Francois Gautreaux, managing director, Bartlett Mitchell, added: "Our BM family is really important to us and at the centre of every business decision we make. We know that the battle for talent is only going to intensify over the next few years so it's really important that we are doing all we can to enhance the experience that people have when working with us. This role will play an integral part in helping us to shape how we develop our teams in the future."

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