Senior management at Hays Travel went ‘back to the shop floor’ to support staff in branches across the UK during the busy peaks period.
Directors and divisional/regional sales managers worked in branches, including chief operating officer Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, who spent the day in a Blackburn store.
Chief finance officer Ken Campling joined colleagues in Scotland’s Livingston branch and retail directors Jane Schumm headed to Abbeycentre in Northern Ireland.
Chair Dame Irene Hays joined branch manager Jackie Lovell and her team at Hays Travel Milton Keynes, meeting customers and supporting colleagues.
Dame Irene said: “Our colleagues in branches do an exceptional job caring for our customers all year, but at our peak period in January and February they move to amazing level.
“Spending a day on the ‘shop floor’ during this very busy time is a brilliant opportunity for our board members and sales managers to support and encourage our retail colleagues, hear about any areas for improvement, and gather direct feedback from our customers.”
Anita Luscombe, assistant manager of the Milton Keynes branch, said: “It was great to welcome Dame Irene into our branch for the day. She enjoyed interacting with our customers and sharing stories with them.
“She also spent time talking to everyone in our team and went home with a notebook full of ideas and suggestions.”
Schumm added: “These weeks at the start of the year are busiest for all our colleagues in branches, so it’s the best time to gather insight on what is working well and where we can improve our customer experience.
“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting customers, hearing all about their holiday plans and supporting our people and I know everyone who spent the day in branch felt the same.
“We were all welcomed by enthusiastic colleagues and rightly pushed out of our comfort zone, whether that was helping customers, posting on social media, or keeping everyone going with cups of tea.”
From left, in Milton Keynes: Tanveer Bhogal, Anita Luscombe, Jackie Lovell, Sarah Edgeworth, Jaime Farish, Kayley Boon and Saima Subhani, with Dame Irene Hays in the front