The AF Group, based in Honingham Thorpe, near Norwich, is a farmer-owned, not-for-profit co-operative buying group.
Not only does the business value the farmers it liaises with, it also values its 105 employees, so it’s no wonder that The AF Group won the Employer of the Year award at last year’s Norfolk Business Awards.
The judges of this award, which was sponsored by Pure Executive and Birketts LLP, praised the “excellent” leadership skills and “visible improvement” shown by The AF Group.
They also said it is clear the company is committed to engaging with staff and it offers a “very well-rounded” benefits package and development opportunities.
Crissy Meades is chief people officer at The AF Group. She said that as well as offering learning and development opportunities and “fantastic” benefits, the business also focuses on staff engagement.
That’s something which The AF Group has placed more emphasis on since David Horton-Fawkes took over as chief executive three years ago.
Crissy explained: “I have been here for just over a year and an important part of our strategy has been to create a happy and engaging culture where everyone feels valued and is clear on the strategic direction and how they contribute to it.
“Ongoing learning and development form a key part of achieving this, making sure people have the right skills and knowledge to provide an excellent service to our members.
The AF Group holds regular engagement events throughout the year to promote relationship building across the teams.
“We have had a quiz night hosted by comedian Ben Langley, a lunchtime garden party for the Queen’s jubilee, and the night before Valentine’s Day we left cookies saying ‘AF Loves You’ on everyone’s desks,” added Crissy. “Things like that really make a difference.”
“We’ve focused on how we come together,” said Crissy. “We also focus on health and wellbeing, and have workshops planned such as menopause, men’s health and mental health first aiders’ training.
“That’s where I think we stand out, and people wouldn’t necessarily know that about us. That’s what we get the most staff feedback about.
“We invest a lot to make sure people not only understand the business and their role but also to ensure we support their wellbeing and that they enjoy their work.”
Crissy said they ask their colleagues what their career aspirations and goals are from the very beginning.
“Their manager will then try their best to support them to achieve this. We have many examples where someone has transferred teams to enable them to follow their chosen career path or to harness their skills where we identify they may be very suited to a particular position,” she added.
“We invest in ongoing learning and development because we want to be seen as the indispensable independent ally to our members by providing intelligent insights. Our learning and development programme includes our own in-house lunch and learn sessions, coaching, external training and collaboration with education providers, suppliers and peers to come together to learn about key relevant topics. We also work with universities to support graduate placements to bring in new knowledge and skills.”
If there was one piece of advice Crissy would offer to other businesses on how to improve how they work as an employer, it would be to take time to ensure that every individual is clear on what you expect from them and to get to know your staff members.
“It genuinely is really important you understand what motivates your staff, how they like to be managed, their strengths, development areas and what matters to them,” she said.
“We recognise what’s going on in people’s lives can impact their professional life, so we support people when it matters.
“People will give more when they feel valued for their individual contribution.”
For more information about The AF Group, please visit the website at af.farm
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