Workplace
Our aim is to be seen as an employer of choice, where people want to work and deliver their best for the Group.
We have a low level of employee turnover, with the average length of service currently more than nine years.
Summaries of key policies are as follows:
Equal opportunities policy
Victoria is committed to achieving equality in all our employment policies, procedures and practices. We value our employees highly and respect human rights and dignity. Victoria recognises the advantages of a diverse workforce and we do not tolerate any harassment of, or discrimination against, employees or potential employees, irrespective of their race, creed, colour, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, gender or marital status.
We demand the highest ethical standards from ourselves, our representatives and our business partners.
Family-friendly employment policies
As part of our intention that Victoria is seen as an employer of choice; within the UK, we have adopted a flexible approach to part time and non-standard hours of work for those employees who are returning to work after maternity leave or who become carers for close family members, wherever possible. In all cases, we ensure that maternity and paternity leave policies are met.
Training
The Group recognises the importance of employee development and acknowledges the indirect impact this investment has on customer facing service and product.
Training and the generation of a ‘learning organisation’ culture is now gaining gravitas, with evidence of tangible benefit already being seen at the operational level.
Our aim remains consistently to ensure continued focus of energies on the creation of an organisation which realises the benefits to be gained by internal development of our most precious commodity: Our people.
Victoria continues to provide development training in all vocational disciplines and we continually review our training schedule as the operational environment and customer demand develops.
Westwood Yarns was awarded the “Training Company of the Year” in both 2009 and 2010 by The Huddersfield Textile Centre of Excellence in recognition of it’s commitment to training and development of it’s employees.
Across our three sites In Australia, employees have undertaken training in a variety of courses including:
- Front Line Management
- Materials handling and ergonomics
- Textile Manufacturing
- Apprenticeships in Mechanical Engineering (textiles)
- Sustainability
Health & Safety
Victoria is committed to continual improvement in the welfare of our employees and the prevention of injury and ill health. We further recognise equal responsibility to all other persons who work under the control of the Group who may be affected by its activities or omissions. Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) ranks equally with all other Group objectives, such as production, quality and the environment, and is integrated into the fabric of our business system.
In the UK, the Group continues to control its activities in line with the principles of BSI 18001:2007. Legislative compliance is not enough and the Group continues to push towards best practice in its quest for excellence, generating a positive OH&S performance. Continual improvement in OH&S, the provision of resources to facilitate this continuum and making safety everyone’s business is at the heart of our intent.
The integration of our OH&S management system into the mapped business processes is now being driven forward. The promotion of a business model that includes, at its heart, the requirement for safe practice in all that we do is pivotal to our philosophy. Customer demand and expectation sits at the core of all we do and remains the focus for design of our business processes across the full sales, marketing, distribution and operational spectrum. Occupational Health and Safety ranks equally with all other Group objectives such as production, quality and the environment.
