Norse flies high at East of England Business in the Community Awards
June 2010

Photo caption: (L to R) Tony Williams (Norse board member and councillor with responsibility for Commercial Services) Tricia Fuller (Norse HR Director) and Hilary Hale (Norse Corporate Learning & Development Manager)  with Stephen Howard (Chief Executive for Business in the Community)

Norse Commercial Services came away from the 2010 East of England Business in the Community with awards in three categories.
 
Norse was awarded ‘Big Ticks’, in the Employability and Skills in the Workplace Awards, coming in the top three in the county in both categories. On July 5th they go head to head with 2 other national companies in each category to win overall best in the country. The company also received the regional Award for the Best Business in the Community in the large company category.
 
‘Big Ticks’ are a national award where companies’ achievements are assessed based on a robust application process and judging criteria, and are part of the Business in the Community’s Awards for Excellence scheme for corporate responsibility. They recognise businesses that are integrating responsible business practice into their mainstream operations and delivering positive impacts on the environment and in the workplace, marketplace and community.
 
“These are prestigious awards,” commented Norse Human Resources Director Tricia Fuller, “and demonstrate that Norse is more than just a contractor, but a company that brings real added value to our commercial partners and our stakeholders, who include the people of Norfolk.”
 
The company operates a number of different employability programmes working with the long term unemployed, those with dependency issues, ex-offenders, the vulnerably housed and those with mild to severe learning difficulties. The programmes run by the company differ, however the principles remain the same and include:
 
· Work placements typically last between two and four weeks
· The programmes are managed by a dedicated Business Liaison Manager who co-ordinates and feeds back learning across the various programmes
· The provision of an onsite dedicated classroom
· Work buddies and coaches who support individuals during and after the placement
· Partner boards who set targets and evaluate the effectiveness of the outcomes
 
According to Tricia Fuller, the  success of these programmes has saved £5,500 per annum on recruitment costs through employability programmes, reduced annual overtime costs by £16,000 and saved £130,000 of the Government purse by employing people previously in receipt of benefits.
 
They have also enabled the company to reduce recruitment costs by £150,000, save £58,000 on training provision, reduce Health & Safety incidents by 6%, and save an estimated £67,200 on management time. 
All of which ultimately benefits taxpayers in Norfolk through the company’s profit sharing arrangement with Norfolk County Council.
 
In 2002 the company launched a small project designed to bring non-traditional learners into learning through informal training.
 
The project has evolved into the Learning and Development Training Academy, launched in 2009, which embeds training requirements throughout the whole organisation. Norse has since delivered high quality, flexible training to 2,321 employees and 1,250 members of the community, making learning cultures an integral part of the business.
In the words of the judges, “Norse Commercial Services has created a training environment that enables staff to recognise training and learning as part of their job, and managers to accept the essential benefits of having highly trained staff in a largely unskilled/semi-skilled workforce.”
 
Speaking about the successes Peter Hawes Managing Director commented
“It isn’t organisations that change things but the individuals within who can be passionate and energetic. When individuals create momentum, organisations are driven forward by at first small steps but increasingly giant steps.”
 
Norse Commercial Services' sister company - property consultancy NPS Group also scooped the East of England Individual Employee Volunteer award with David Buxton receiving recognition for his work within NPS and also in his own time for the anti-bullying children’s charity Red Balloon - which provides high school students with schooling when they can no longer attend mainstream education.     
 
David is a Trustee of Red Balloon, Norwich and is also one of their principal fundraisers committing much of his personal time to the charity. David was responsible for successfully raising the profile of the charity within NPS and has galvanised staff members at all levels into becoming involved in fundraising efforts.
 
He’s been instrumental in getting staff participation in events such as a Dress Down Day, Bagging Day, Golfing days, a Ball and securing Pro Bono help from NPS.  As a result of his promotion of the charity he’s succeeded in raising £6,500 through NPS.  
 
Run in association with the Financial Times, the awards recognise and celebrate those companies who have shown leadership and innovation, creativity and a sustained commitment to corporate responsibility.