850+
reactions on the feed in a single month (striking for a team this size)
60+ years
a family business, now on one feed
The Managing Director
among the most active posters
- Industry: Manufacturing and wholesale (tableware and catering equipment)
- Location: Erith, Kent, United Kingdom
- Size: ~75 people on Blink, family-owned since 1965
- On Blink since: 2019
- Interviewed: Andrew Neville, Managing Director; Tara Huntington-Thresher, HR Manager; and Employees.
Giving a family business one voice
Nevilles has designed and supplied tableware and catering equipment to the hospitality trade since 1965, a family-owned business based in Erith, Kent. Its people are spread across the warehouse, the sales teams covering the UK, Ireland, and Europe, and head office, so they rarely all cross paths.
The challenge
For years, company news traveled one way. Managing Director Andrew Neville wrote a monthly newsletter, and that was that.
"Before we had Blink, I was providing a monthly newsletter to all of our team members. It certainly wasn't interactive, and it didn't give an opportunity for more than myself to participate."
— Andrew Neville, Managing Director
The results
Everyone has a voice. The biggest change, for Andrew, was handing the microphone to the whole business.
"The great thing about Blink is that any team member, any manager, can at any point really easily upload and share a great moment. A new product launch, a new brochure, a great success with a customer, a new supplier we're bringing on board, new standards we've met. It's really allowed everyone to have a voice within the business, which I'm really pleased about."
Leadership you can actually see. HR Manager Tara Huntington-Thresher points to the MD's weekly briefing.
"It has a great impact, especially with Andrew's Friday briefing. Every Friday he sends out how we've done during the week, the challenges we've faced, and what we're looking at. People appreciate being told. There are no closed doors, always an open door, even to the senior leadership team. On Blink it's so much easier to feel connected when you're hearing the story of what we've achieved."
— Tara Huntington-Thresher, HR Manager
A dispersed team that feels close. For people who rarely see each other, the feed does something a newsletter never could.
"It's a good way to introduce yourself to other people and see what they're up to. There are a lot of people working on the other side and a lot working here, so it's nice to see what they're doing. We get the weekly rundowns on Friday, and people send photos of spotting our products when they're out and about. That's pretty cool to see."
— Chris, Warehouse Operative
The Hub for the everyday. Beyond the feed, the Hub is where the practical things live.
"The Hub has been a great success. You've got all the benefits, everything employees are entitled to. Staff can buy any of our products and get up to 70% off. It's all there, along with group life assurance information and health and safety documents, really easy for people to access."
From a one-way newsletter to a business where everyone, from the Managing Director to the warehouse floor, has a voice, Blink has helped Nevilles stay the close-knit family business it has always been.
