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This time last week we welcomed nine new starters to our employee induction event held at LHC’s head office in West London. It was the second dedicated event for new starters that LHC has hosted, and what a welcome it was!

Attendees heard from members of the senior executive team and department heads on a series of topics including LHC’s history and growth plans, regional functions and our social value commitments to deliver benefits and positive long lasting impact to communities throughout the country.

Meets, greets and a warm welcome

The day kicked off with an ever-popular coffee and croissants welcome to accompany the mornings meet and greet session. Staff joined from each of LHC’s regional businesses across the country – including three new starters from head office and even two employees who were making a return  – creating the perfect opportunity to put ‘names to faces’ and meet each other away from the online confines of Teams and technology. The celebratory feel was in full force with all new employees receiving a gift bag full of welcome goodies, cupcakes and group photo opportunities.

After a brief ice-breaker exercise, where attendees learnt a little but more about each other – we have a manga artist, football club owner and an avid traveller in our midst – the first session of the day began.

Kicking off the day’s presentations Clive Feeney, Group Managing Director, gave a very warm welcome and an introduction to LHC’s history, vision and missions. Attendees heard how the company’s origin and rich history goes right back to 1966 where the very first meeting minutes outlined the need to ‘establish common social and technical standards’, something which is still at the very centre of what LHC stands for today.

Jennifer Castle, Chief Operating Officer, continued with an overview of the organisational structure and each of the five regions and how the roles of all of the attendees can contribute to the wider organisation and its goals.

The day continued with sessions about LHC’s Social Value Strategy, projects in the pipeline and brand and marketing, as well as hearing from each of the Regional Directors with a deeper dive into the businesses around the UK. Representatives from our Technical Procurement team also introduced themselves and opened up the floor for a collaborative discussion giving the opportunity to share experiences and ideas.

A growing team and equal opportunities

So far, this year, our employee numbers increased by over 20%, with more appointments in the coming months, indicating the momentum in growth and LHC’s continuous investment in people. In line with our growth, we are proud to prioritise equal opportunities and a diverse workforce which is reflected by our gender profile split of 43% male and 57% female across all levels – including board, senior management and regional teams – and 29% representing multiple nationalities and rich cultures.

Our people all share something in common; incredible talent and a drive and desire to truly improve the lives and places of people in local communities, traits that were seen in all our new starters when they were hired, and something which Clive Feeney also eluded to in his welcome speech.

Welcoming familiar faces

Amongst the new starters were two familiar faces who have returned to LHC. Director of Product Innovation, Shona Snow, re-joined after working as a consultant for LHC (Midlands, London and South East), and Boby Singh returns as Regional Manager, also for LHC (Midlands, London and South East).

Shona said of her return, "My induction day at LHC was so professional and slick, I was absolutely blown away with how the company has grown and evolved into this polished, forward-thinking organisation whilst still maintaining its family feel."

“I’ve always been inspired by LHC’s purpose-driven ethos, and the fact that it’s not for profit really appeals to me. I’m looking forward to properly getting underneath the skin of LHC and using my collaborative working style to draw out innovation and new ideas from the procurement team and wider organisation.”

Boby commented, “It is great to be back at LHC and see colleagues old and new. When I was last at LHC I had a lot of support to grow my professional career, and now coming back to the company I have an opportunity to make a difference and give something back. I'm looking forward to this new role as I can learn new skill sets and also use my experience to help and make a greater contribution to the company's success." 

Some of the other attendees also shared their thoughts about joining LHC.

Claire Quince, Business Coordinator at WPA said, “Even before starting, the amount of consideration given to me was incredible. The People and Culture team communicated consistently and everyone has been on hand to support me. Now, I’ve been here 10 weeks and well into into my role and that’s because of the fabulous team, not just in my region, but throughout the other regions because everyone supports each other. It is very much a family and hopefully one that I’ll be part of until I retire.”

Laura Cairns, Marketing and Communications Executive said: “The day was a great opportunity to meet and collaborate with fellow new starters in a relaxed and informative way, and to learn much more about the business and how my role fits into the bigger picture. I’m already enjoying getting stuck in, and am especially drawn to the idea of making a meaningful difference to people.”

Another illuminating sentiment of the day came from Mariann Hughes, SPA’s Procurement Assistant who said of her experience so far; “After being in a previous organisation for 22 years, I was looking for my next ‘work family’ and I feel I have really found it here.”

We wish all our new starters the best of luck as they begin their LHC journey and extend a very warm welcome to them all.