Culture of collaboration improves safety and efficiency at Travis Perkins

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to detail the award-winning approach to achieving gold-standard safety and efficiency used by the Travis Perkins Group, a UK chain of builders’ merchant and do-it-yourself stores. Design/methodology/approach – This paper focuses on company culture, teamwork, management style, communication, recruitment and training procedures. Findings – The authors describe how implementing a company-wide culture of collaboration and engagement with business goals has directly affected both safety and efficiency, including a number of success stories detailing how employee contributions have resulted in practical solutions to challenges. It has also resulted in the group’s building–trade supplier subsidiary company Travis Perkins, achieving gold level in Transport for London’s fleet-operator recognition scheme. Practical implications – This paper shows the positive and company-wide implications of fostering an inclusive, collaborative environment for employees. Social implications – The key role management plays in fostering employee engagement and the value of listening to, and acting on, employee feedback have been highlighted. Originality/value – A number of HR practices that aid communication and motivation among employees have been explained. This paper shows that strong training and communication processes have a positive effect on employee motivation and work ethic, leading workers at all levels to contribute ideas and feedback that, in multiple cases, have led to changes in procedures that positively affect workers, customers and profitability.