Norland Managed Services Case Study

“When I joined Norland Managed Services, my first reaction was that it seemed odd that something as "personal" as induction was outsourced. However, Thales have consistently proved themselves to be totally at one with our aims and culture. The facilitator brings drive and energy to the event itself and ensures that our employees have a positive welcome to our organisation.” - Norland Managed Services

Norland Managed Services is one of the UK’s leading and fastest growing facilities maintenance organisations.  Established in 1984 the company now has over 1200 employees with nine regional offices within the UK including Bristol, Slough, Manchester, Leeds and Scotland.  Norland provides a range of specialised services to numerous blue chip organisations across the United Kingdom  including the DVLA, Selfridges, British Museum and Citigroup.

The issue:

Norland Managed Services was experiencing a period of such rapid growth that they were unable to allocate a resource internally for a full corporate induction for the number of new starters joining the organisation.  As a result line managers were carrying out a basic induction individually and this fragmented approach did not fit comfortably with Norland Managed Services’ commitment to the training and empowerment of its people.

As an outsourcing company themselves Norland Managed Services recognised the value that can be obtained by appointing a partner who is a specialist in their field, leaving them to focus on their core business strengths.

The approach that Thales Training & Consultancy took was one of partner right from inception; an initial research phase was conducted which consisted of interviews with existing Norland Managed Services’ staff to establish preferences and expectations of key areas to be included within the induction event and the manner in which this information needed to be delivered.  This stage was also about getting to know the organisation sufficiently well enough to become an integral face of Norland when delivering the programme.  There was then a further period of working together with the Norland HR team to define, design from scratch, refine and then deliver the event.

The outcome:

• 128 new employees attended the induction event over a six month period, receiving a clear and consistent message core corporate message
• 99% of participants said it has helped them to understand Norland Managed Services better with the most valuable specific aspect being an understanding of the vision and values of their organisation as well as its size and commitment to continued excellence.
• A majority of the participants thought that the allocated trainer and client account co-ordinator work for Norland Managed Services themselves rather than Thales Training & Consultancy – testament to the work done to ensure that a seamless approach be presented – a partnership that works so well it is invisible to the attendees

“"When I joined Norland Managed Services, my first reaction was that it seemed odd that something as "personal" as induction was outsourced. However, Thales have consistently proved themselves to be totally at one with our aims and culture. The facilitator brings drive and energy to the event itself and ensures that our employees have a positive welcome to our organisation.”" Terry Foster, Training & Development Manager, Norland Managed Services