Hidrostal

Hidrostal first found fame with its 'impeller' pump, designed to help trawlermen unload their catch without damaging the fish. Now, 70 years later, the international company has a global customer base spanning many sectors including waste water, construction, industry and food processing. Its first UK office was established in 1980 and operations are now run from sites in Yorkshire and Newbury.

Hidrostal UK has been using Mentor's Health & Safety consultancy services since 2012. Last year, Corinne Roome, Operations Manager, and Annette Boulter, Financial Director, attended a free Mentor training taster session. “It was very enlightening,” says Corinne, “As in many companies, several of our managers have worked their way up within the business and not had formal management training. We recognised that Mentor training would be a good investment in our people and therefore the future of the business.”

Mentor offers a wide range of management training modules. Hidrostal chose three that would be of value to all staff as individuals (Communications Skills; Developing Resilience; Handling Stress) and three for customer-facing staff and managers (Difficult and Complaining Customers; Internal Service & Teamwork; Customer Service). The sessions were delivered in both the Yorkshire and Newbury offices and feedback was very positive. “The training enabled individuals to assess and reflect on their approach, but also created an opportunity to interact with colleagues in other parts of the business who they might otherwise not ever meet” comments Corinne.

Impressed with the quality of the training sessions, Corinne and one of her colleagues opted to enrol on Mentor's Management Development course. “I've not had formal management training,” she explains, “and although I'm confident in what I do, I wanted an external, objective assessment of my approach.”

The Management Development course is spread over six months and consists of four one-day workshops with one-to-one telephone coaching in between. Delegates come from different companies, which generates an interesting variety of perspectives, but the focus is on the individual and how their personality traits shape their management style. Corinne is finding it both helpful and enlightening. “Kelly Allen, the trainer and my one-to-one contact is brilliant,” she says, “She really knows her stuff, is very engaged and straight talking. I'm only part way through the course but I've already gained a lot of insight.”

Looking ahead, Hidrostal expect to talk to Mentor about future training opportunities, particularly as new staff are brought on board. As Corinne explains, “These training sessions are a good way to find out what makes people tick and they open up important conversations around the business.”