INVESTING IN OUR COLLEAGUES Our training and development programmes take ‘Friendly on board the Group’s focus areas presented to the business each year. As many of our programmes revolve around behavioural and leadershiptraining it is difficult to measure specific returnand helpful’ on training investment. However, overall, we monitor three key indicators: colleague retention, Across our store estate, we have been moving from a task- colleague engagement (colleagues are more likely focused to a service-orientated way of working for several years to feel settled and committed if they feel ‘invested – broadening our colleagues’ knowledge of what it takes to be part in’) and home-grown talent (the % of colleagues of a successful store – from delivery, through to tills and front-of- who have been promoted in the business). We are store hosting. By mixing and matching roles and skills, we can give also updating our online learning systems. This is more meaningful work to our colleagues and at the same time a considerable investment to help build colleague improve our customers’ in-store experience and satisfaction. skills more intuitively through a ‘user experience platform’. We learned during the pandemic the Early in 2021, following cross-team brainstorming, we invested in value of introducing more interactive, bite-sized training over 7,500 store colleagues in a new ‘friendly and helpful’ learning modules and the power of video, and programme – amounting to 25 hours of training per colleague – these will also shape future initiatives. keeping them engaged and motivated during the third lockdown. By focusing on three key areas: product knowledge, serving GRADUATE AND APPRENTICESHIP customers and understanding all aspects of our dunelm.com PROGRAMMES website, we aimed to improve our store colleagues’ confidence in Our graduate programme has been running recommending specific products, interpreting customer cues, and since 2016. Over 50 graduates have enrolled dealing with complex web-assisted queries. This training module since its inception, including ten new hires who is now a mandatory part of our induction process for all new store started inSeptember 2021. Reflecting where we colleagues. To keep it up to date, our design team introduce new need to bolster our skills for future growth, we and seasonal ranges via online sessions which are housed on have developed five two-year programmes (in our new learning and development hub. Technical, Data and Insight, Commercial, People and Operations, and Design) and a three-year programme in Finance. In summer 2021 we welcomed eight people on to our new internship MENTAL WELLBEING TRAINING programme – a structured, paid three-month AND SUPPORT experience offered in five different business We have a group of around 40 ‘Wellbeing Buddies’ areas. Additionally, we launched an internal – mental health first aiders, who represent different retail management programme, which started parts of the business. They are trained to listen to in September 2020, to ‘fast track’ skills and colleagues and make recommendations for further career development. We recruited ten graduate external support. Line managers have completed colleagues on to our two-year course to develop their first mental health awareness training future store managers and nine ‘early career’ sessions and are starting their second. Training is colleagues on to a 12-month trainee programme complemented by increased communication and to develop skills to equip them for leadership and topics on our ‘Home Comforts’ intranet – including trade roles. personal care plans and practical guides on how to talk to direct reports about health and financial Through the UK Government’s Kickstart funding wellbeing. Line managersare encouraged to scheme, launched in mid 2020, we have provided start their regular one-on-one updates with the around 100 16- to 24-year-olds with a paid six- first question being ‘How are things?’ and store month job placement and aim to increase this colleagues have participated in an online mental to around 200 people as this programme gains health training module. Eligible colleagues can momentum. After a three-month period, we give access mental health support as part of their attendees the opportunity to apply for level 2 private healthcare benefit and through the retail apprenticeships which aim to offer additional Retail Trust all colleagues can access free mental maths and English skills. Our apprenticeships wellbeing phone counselling 24/7 and up to six improve social mobility, plug skills gaps in areas face-to-face sessions. where it is hard to recruit people and allow us to target high-potential groups of colleagues. DUNELM GROUP PLCANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2021 67 0Su1v0ey wHerew o rr ecnodlyea agde sh etopdfaly? STRATEGIC REPORT GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSOTHER INFORMATION