Those golf clubs will be able to realize their customer experience strategy who invest in their employees and put them first. They will be able easier to retain their best talents too.
By investing in employee experience (EX) you will be able to drive employee engagement (=the output) too.
Forrester suggests
“In 2021, companies will need to bolster their EX initiatives even more just to keep their employees engaged as they enter the second year of the pandemic.
It’s fair to say that the quality of professional life and learning and development opportunities have a huge impact on employee experience (EX) and engagement.
This idea is supported by the Qualtrics’ 2020 Employee Experience Trends study. It found that opportunities for learning and development (60%) are one of the key drivers of employee engagement.
We should not stop at learning and development opportunities but to do more to support employee health and happiness. Diversity, equality, and inclusion should be a top priority in the future.
Recently, I have started toying with the idea that golf clubs/companies should move beyond managing the employee experience toward managing the life experience of their employees.
This came to my mind when I saw last year that golf clubs had – and still have to – to deal with such issues that were not on their HR horizon before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burhill Group – commitment to staff development
I thought to share these employee experience trends with you to better understand the significance of Burhill Group‘s latest investment.
Last year Burhill Group announced that it will spend an increased £60,000 in its apprenticeship training for 2020. In 2019, the company invested £42,000.
Recently, Burhill Group has made a strong move towards providing staff with the tools required to further their qualifications using online training as well as covering the cost of exams and courses – utilizing the increased access to online learning for many through Covid-19 restrictions.
Burhill Group CEO, Colin Mayes says
“By giving our staff the opportunity to develop their skills and qualifications, we are also providing them with an opportunity to grow and rise through the ranks in our business.
We believe in the people that we have working for us; we give them the tools that they need to develop and, in doing so, create BGL business leaders that will be integral for the success of our sites and our Group in the future.
Here are some examples:
- Group Operations Director, Guy Riggott: took on a fast-track residential course, studying for a Certificate in Company Direction from The Institute of Directors (IOD);
- Group Head of Marketing, Sophie Burke, has completed the first year of a two-year Chartered Status Plan with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM);
- Andrew Bennett, the Group’s Property Manager, has gained his Chartered Surveyor status;
- Sarah Blunden, General Manager at Wycombe Heights Golf Centre, and Stuart Perry, General Manager of The Shropshire Golf Centre, both completed level one of the Management Development Programme (MDP) for the Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE) which covered all aspects of management within a club setting.
- Bala Badiga, Group Procurement, and Food and Beverage Manager, has successfully completed a Supply Management Course with the Institute of Purchasing;
- Heather Pickerill, Group HR Manager, has gained a mental health training qualification.
Burhill Group – online education
There have also been a staggering number of other online courses taken and passed by members of staff across the entire Group through 2020.
Over the last 30 days, there have been over a thousand courses completed using the BGL Online Training Academy platform, which brings the total number for the last 12 months up to 14,265.