Fashion group Morgan has launched a skills audit to uncover the hidden
talents of its workforce and create a culture of openness across the business.
The HR team launched the campaign to make the most of the skills within the
firm, as many accomplished workers join at junior level to try and get a break
in the fashion industry.
Lesley Cotton, personnel and development director at the group, said she
hoped it would reveal some useful talents and send out a message that the firm
was interested in its 600 staff.
"We felt the business didn’t really measure the skills of the staff.
It’s about the hidden talents of individuals and how to maximise them inside
the business," she said.
Employees were sent an e-mail asking what skills or talents they had that
the company didn’t know about. They were also invited to talk about what they
do outside work and about their hobbies and interests.
"We have to talk to staff to find out what they are good at and what
they enjoy," Cotton said.
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One company receptionist turned out to be a trained florist and took over
the flower arrangements at head office, which was previously supplied by an
outside company.
"This will help us manage skills better than we have in the past,"
said Cotton. "We are not saying all our PA’s will turn out to be
designers, but there is a lot of talent there, and staff can help on all sorts
of issues."
