Old School Business
We do our best to run our business in the most supportive and respectful way possible. Many businesses say they are a family business with old school values, (which is awesome), but what we would like is for there to be a new model - not considered old school, but considered the new normal.
Lets not kid ourselves - businesses are not families. Your family is a family, our business is a business. But there are certainly ways of creating a business which is supportive, respectful, encouraging and just plain fun. A business that enables its employees to truly enjoy the time they spend within it every day. They can build lasting friendships and learn valuable skills, they can put their clever little brains to use, they can work wonders with their hands, they can do whatever it is they are good at and thrive on. Businesses and Families are different, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't value the time we spend within each.
We encourage all staff to take personal responsibility for everything they interact with during their working days. We give them as much free reign as they are keen on, (and try to back this up with as much support and communication as possible!). Our manufacturing team set their own hours. As do all our senior staff. (Though its a little harder for the cafe crews to set their own hours!)
We are committed to Organics and the betterment of our community at large. (This sounds lofty and a bit waffley, and we don't see ourselves as social avengers - but the truth is most every decision each of us makes has some sort of impact on the communities we inhabit. And when you run a business with over 70 employees there is an opportunity to make a bigger difference, so why not try and take it?)
Our ideal is that our employees enjoy coming to work, and that they share this enjoyment with our customers and each other. In a purely selfish business sense, this means we are going to get the best out of our staff.
Win-Win!