At Ingram Micro, we’re particularly proud of the efforts that we make to support our associates in all areas of our business, enabling them to work in safe and productive environments. And it’s because of that focus on our employees that we’re delighted to have been recognised by Great Place to Work® as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces of 2022 in the Large category (between 251 and 1000 employees).
Great Place to Work® makes their judgement based on an extensive employee survey, and as assessment of employees’ daily experiences. On top of that, our culture was assessed rigorously to ensure that the employee survey results were an accurate reflection of the reality of day-to-day life within Ingram Micro.
Alison King, Ingram Micro’s HR Director for UK & Ireland and Nordics, believes that the open, transparent culture that runs throughout the business is what stands it out as a workplace to be proud of.
“For me, it’s all about collaboration,” she explains. “You feel able to be yourself in this organisation and I think we have an environment where people feel fearless and creative in their work setting. We promote diversity across the workplace, which I think is another key element: we’re now back in the office and we’re looking at how we create the right culture for our organisation, taking diversity into account.”
“This year, we’re really focusing on career progression, too. We’re looking not just at how people progress within their existing roles, but also how they progress across the organisation with Ingram Micro. There are opportunities within this company across the globe, and they don’t necessarily always mean relocation.”
In order to ensure Ingram Micro’s culture is as open as it possibly can be, Alison stresses that it’s important to keep the lines of communication clear and accessible, and that this communication starts at the top.
“What’s been quite impressive about our leadership team has been their culture of listening and focus on reaching out for feedback,” she recalls. “They’ve done a really good job of listening to what other people have to say, whether that’s different age groups, the DE&I committee, and even people who lived with their families during the pandemic but found their environment not conducive to home working. Our doors are open so people can come and talk to us, and we have monthly meet-and-greet lunches with new joiners.”
Alison also highlights the value of the Pulse survey that Ingram Micro carries out twice a year, assessing employee sentiment and feedback across a series of key issues, and identifying any potential areas for improving employee experiences. “It’s a reflection of what our people are thinking at that point,” she says. “it's how we continually look to improve.”
On a personal note, Alison takes pride in bringing a more human touch to the role that HR has to play. “HR can be seen as quite stuffy and process-driven sometimes,” she says. “I wanted to take all of that and turn it on its head, and create policies and standards that people can relate to. For example, we had a returners bonus for people who had gone on maternity leave, but did that actually benefit the people? We’ve now stopped the bonus and put in place enhanced maternity pay instead, because we listened, and felt that was more beneficial to them.”
Alison concludes by summing up the things that, from her perspective, makes Ingram Micro such an enjoyable company to work for: “It’s fast-paced and no two days are the same. I went into HR because I’m a people person, so being able to positively influence our HR agenda all over the world is something I really value.”