Treatt Daemmon Reeve, Group CEO

Who is answering these wellbeing questions?: Daemmon Reeve, Group CEO

Name of business: Treatt

Please outline the core function of your business and the sector your work within: Treatt is a natural extracts and ingredients manufacturer to the global beverage, flavour, fragrance, and consumer goods markets from our bases in the UK, the US and China.

Where is your business located: Headquartered in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, with offices in the USA and China.

How many staff do you have: Approximately 400 employees across the Group

Do your staff work on-site, multiple sites, a hybrid fashion (or a combination)?

Our investment in a purpose-built facility in Bury St Edmunds has been a big draw for regional talent, stimulating new ways of working and enabling agility. Our ‘Hub’ provides a space for employees from all disciplines to come together to eat, meet, rest and play, encouraging colleagues to work on-site and build strong connections with peers. We also encourage flexible working, as we understand that employees have activities and commitments outside of the office.

How significant is your approach to employee wellbeing within your business, and how is it demonstrated?

We encourage our colleagues to ‘think well, live well and be well’, and are committed to providing everyone with effective education, support, and signposting, to help them understand their own wellbeing and the positive part they can play in supporting their colleagues.

We actively encourage and educate our managers to look for signs of mental health concerns including depression, stress, and anxiety, so support can be put in place.

We work hard to create an environment where our people can have fun and believe this is important in supporting their motivation. We look for opportunities for teams to socialise together, with activities on offer in the workplace and after work.

Was there a particular time or significant event which sparked your desire to address wellbeing in a different or improved way?

Workplace wellbeing has always been of the highest importance to Treatt, well before the Covid-19 pandemic. We genuinely believe that good health and wellbeing is a core enabler of employee engagement and subsequently, organisational performance, and we take immense pride in having a healthy workplace that helps people to flourish and reach their potential.

How did you go about implementing your approach and policies toward wellbeing? Who was involved? How long did it take?

Having an open and inclusive culture is pivotal in embedding an effective workplace wellbeing strategy, moving away from ad hoc wellbeing activities to a holistic strategy that embeds wellbeing as part of a healthy and inclusive culture.

At Treatt, all employees are invited to open sessions on personal health topics, wellbeing, and subjects such as financial information on pensions and shares. Sessions are accessible for all, utilising multiple methods to share content. We focus on supporting the ‘whole person’ via our wellbeing pillars as follows:

• Purpose
• Financial Health
• Physical Health
• Relationships
• Emotional Health

Our people team are important in driving forward our workplace wellbeing strategies and initiatives, focusing on people’s real needs and ensuring wellbeing is high on the Treatt agenda.

In 2022, we carried out various initiatives to support colleagues across the Group, including:

• Sessions with an occupational health expert covering mental health, exercise, healthy eating, and hydration.
• Treatt wide walking group launched to encourage connection whilst supporting physical health.
• Financial wellbeing clinics, including pension workshops.
• Monthly coffee connections across the Group.
• Frequent community giving initiatives in the form of fundraising and volunteering.
• Pay it forward tree, gifting colleagues a free hot drink or sweet treat.
• The launch of a digital wellbeing pack including a wealth of resources for employees to access at any time.
• Menopause support groups to provide a safe space for employees to share their experiences.

Did you have to instruct external partners as part of this, and if so, how was that?

N/A

What challenges did you find, and were you able to overcome them with ease, or with some degree of debate and discussion?

N/A

How important do you think your approach to wellbeing has become in terms of recruitment and retention for your business?

In the wake of Covid-19, workers are re-evaluating what they want from their work and their employers. Not only are employees looking for a career, but they are also looking for a community where they feel supported and can thrive.

Our holistic approach to wellbeing, combined with our culture, has long been cited as an integral part of why some of the industry’s brightest minds join our team, and the worlds biggest brands partner with us time and time again.

How frequently do you reassess your approach to wellbeing, and are there particular amends or changes you intend to bring in in the coming months?

We continue to be flexible, listen and support the ever-changing needs of our workforce. This includes reassessing our approach to wellbeing and tailoring our calendar of wellbeing initiatives to keep our colleagues happy and well, all year round.

Has your approach changed – or will it – given the current situation concerning cost of living?

We are aware that it has been a challenging time for our colleagues, following the Covid-19 pandemic and periods of economic uncertainty. At Treatt, we have a duty of care to support our people who, after all, spend a significant amount of their time at work. Examples include targeted support in financial health, as well as our commitment to a culture that keeps people well and performing at their best.

What would your recommendations be for any leader or business owner looking at developing a new or improved strategy toward wellbeing?

When developing a wellbeing strategy, it is important that businesses understand the importance of being agile and adaptable to colleague’s needs through ever-challenging times. People’s emotional needs and feelings of security are constantly changing, and this means there is a growing need for businesses to understand how colleagues are feeling and implement initiatives to overcome these anxieties.

Workplace wellbeing is not a one size fit all approach, and what initiatives work for one business might not be correct for others, but through sharing best practice across Suffolk and demonstrating the returns on investment for businesses investing in workplace wellbeing, we can encourage happier and healthier workplaces across Suffolk.

Sum up your business’s attitude toward employee wellbeing in no more than five words:

Proactive and preventative.