Since 2019 Education Unlimited has worked with Allied Laundry Services Ltd strengthening numeracy, literacy and leadership capabilities within their 120-strong team. But last year an entirely different kind of training programme was called for. Allied Laundry management noticed a growing disconnect between the open harmonious culture they aspired to and what they were actually seeing on the plant floor. As a company genuinely committed to being a great place to work, they decided to take action, engaging Education Unlimited to create and deliver a programme that would analyse and enhance their workplace culture.

“The world is a changing place and we had quite a mix of cultures, age groups and length of service, which became a challenging environment for many,” explains Allied Laundry Services Chief Executive Mark Mabbett.

“We made the decision to provide a programme that would set the cultural tone for the organisation. And we made it compulsory for every single staff member to participate.”

After conducting an in-depth needs analysis, Education Unlimited General Manager Operations Maureen Hamahona and other members of the EU team developed a series of seven 90-minute workshops, expertly crafted to weave a positive workplace culture back into the business. Delivered over the course of nine months, the workshops delved into everything from the power of words and body language, through to diversity, having difficult conversations, and the impact of hierarchy.

“The programme challenged quite a few staff, including some management, and shone a spotlight on what was challenging and negative behaviour,” says Mark. “If organisational culture is defined as ‘what we do around here’, some of our cultural norms were negatively affecting the organisation, such as young men using unacceptable language and long-serving staff believing that length of service bestowed them with certain rights over and above others.”

It undoubtedly made for some uncomfortable conversations, but the benefits far outweighed the challenges. The programme boosted awareness of organisational culture, helped workers understand how their behaviour impacts others, and built a strong framework for respect. The programme that Education Unlimited delivered wasn’t the same as the initial programme they developed, but as Maureen explains, it’s this agility that helps make Education Unlimited’s training so effective.

“At Education Unlimited we pride ourselves on tailor made training,” says Maureen. “After developing this particular programme we piloted it with Allied Laundry management and administration staff and it worked well – but during the very first session with the rest of the staff I realised we’d have to change it. In the pilot we had willing participants, however many of the factory floor staff were not so willing. One guy sat facing the wall for the first three workshops because he didn’t want to be there. The people that were really playing up had a story and didn’t feel listened to so I had to go completely off script, building trust and providing a safe space for them to talk.

“The first activity involved post it notes,  but right away I identified that some learners couldn’t spell so I needed to change the activity. From there I got to see who was really keen to make a difference, who the talkers are, who wants to learn how to write. The most impactful activity was a video called ‘above the line, below the line’ – this was where they truly began to understand what behaviour was appropriate in the workplace (above the line) and what was inappropriate (below the line).”

And despite some initial reluctance, as the course progressed more and more employees got on board with it. Mindsets began to change.

“That’s one of the benefits of bringing in independent training facilitators – employees are much more willing to express what they really think to an outsider, so long as they know what they say will be confidential. At the start of the programme the average rating for Allied Laundry’s workplace culture was a three, which was pretty heartbreaking for management. By the fifth workshop it had shot up to a six. On top of that I like to think the programme inspired some pretty big self-reflection, prompting employees to think about their own actions, building self-awareness and helping them understand that not everyone is the same.

“Covid really made people tired. I believe the Allied Laundry team lost their sense of connection when everyone got separated. They couldn’t host the usual staff lunches and work parties that bring people together and this disconnect really highlighted the inner circles. 

“This type of workplace culture programme can benefit every organisation - it’s more important now than ever before. The majority of workplaces have had people working from home, staff divided into pods and teams – there’s been a massive shift in workplace culture for a large number of businesses.”

But once the training is completed, then what? How does the business continue to build its culture after the trainers have left the building? 

“When you do a change programme you want it to become sustainable so that the organisation itself owns it. In the case of Allied Laundry, I pinpointed a couple of staff members who I think would be amazing to keep driving the programme forward. We can do ‘train the trainer’ with them if need be – it’s all about knowing your people.”

It’s definitely about knowing your people, but it’s also about investing in them. And as the team at Allied Laundry have demonstrated, making the effort to build a positive workplace culture is an extremely worthwhile investment.