Engaged in Conversation with...Sharon Ashcroft, TrustFord - Engage Colleague

Engaged in Conversation with…Sharon Ashcroft, TrustFord

14 Mar 2022, posted in

It’s new podcast time! Now we’ve been wanting to get Sharon Ashcroft, TrustFord’s HR Director, into the Engage studio for a while – and when you listen to this episode you’ll understand why we were so keen!

 

Sharon is actually the first HR director we’ve had on the series and as TrustFord (the world’s largest dealer-owned motor group) is a regular in the Sunday Times Top 25 Best Companies to Work For list we really wanted to get some expert insights into what it takes to keep performing internally at such a high level.

As a long-standing client, TrustFord has also been incredibly supportive and plugged into our digital development; it’s fascinating to see how the ambition for colleague engagement and the achievements around the technology have combined to deliver such positive outcomes.

Sharon describes digital enablement as a ‘game-changer’ – but only if it is properly embedded into an organisation as a professional business discipline, one that merits board-level conversations and senior strategy making. As you’ll hear it’s very clear that engagement does have a seat at the top table within TrustFord, and a CXO-wide understanding of the dynamics between colleague  engagement, customer engagement and financial success.

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Top Takeaways:

  • For colleague engagement to be successful, it has to have a seat at the boardroom table, and to be championed by the C suite
  • There is a clear correlation between engaged colleagues, engaged customers and enhanced profits
  • Digital technology has been a game-changer when it comes to improving engagement levels in a highly mobile, dispersed workforce.

Quick Quotes:

“It’s really simple. ‘Happy staff’ equals ‘happy customers’ equals ‘happy profits’.”

“HR is really well respected within TrustFord. It comes from the top. We’re not seen as an admin and ‘pink and fluffy’ function, and I think it’s absolutely key that we do have a seat at the top table.”

“The app has created an equal playing field, everyone can access everything.”

“We have a level of two-way communication we’ve never had before.”

“The app is the HR initiative I am most proud of.”

Engaged in Conversation is available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts and other major podcast providers.

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