Propel Women’s Conference: 5 Key Takeaways 

Recently, S4labour had the honour of participating in the Propel Women’s Conference which celebrated women’s resilience, strength, and limitless potential within each of them. This was an inspiring event that beautifully weaved together stories of triumph and failure, candid panel discussions, and incredible networking opportunities.  

Reflecting on the rich insights gained at the conference, certain themes kept coming up repeatedly. 

Here are five takeaways from the event: 

Leadership is a privilege

The best leaders don’t just manage people, they give them a sense of purpose. A leadership role doesn’t inherently make one a leader. The true measure of leadership is the ability to inspire others to achieve things they thought impossible. Authenticity, vulnerability and the will to make a difference are the essence of leadership. 

People and culture first

A thriving business is rooted in its culture, where people form the heart and soul of the organisation. People are the biggest value that businesses have. It costs next to nothing to retain people, but thousands to hire and retrain. And it’s a culture grounded in honesty and clear communication that effectively unlocks the potential of the workforce. 

Lowering the ladder

Helping others seize opportunities is crucial for a thriving team environment. The utopia exists when every member feels motivated and empowered. Remember, there are no ‘bad’ employees – only those who may either be misplaced in their roles or lack motivation. 

Change is normal

In the aftermath of Covid, organisations faced significant challenges and had to adapt rapidly. The industry continues to face uncertainties, and change is an inevitable constant. The ability of a leader to guide their team through these waves of transformation is invaluable. 

Prioritising EDI

EDI should be a bigger part of business strategy and not just a tick-box exercise. Leaders need to ensure they’re fostering a culture of inclusivity. 

After the Propel Women’s Conference, there’s an undeniable sense of inspiration. Let’s carry forward the momentum and continue to support and empower each other. If the idea of fostering a culture that puts people first resonates with you, discover how S4labour can help enhance team engagement, improve retention rates, and empower people to be their best.

Book a demo now to find out more!

Oowee Vegan

Case Study

S4labour helps fast-food restaurant Oowee Vegan

Compay Name: Oowee Vegan
Business Type: Multi Site
Date: December 2022

Plant-based Fast Food | Oowee Vegan

Oowee Overview

Oowee has been a customer at S4labour for over a year. Their business is split into two concepts: Oowee Diner and Oowee Vegan, which operate in 8 locations across Brighton, London and Bristol.

They have a strong and successful brand and team, serving vegan and non-vegan fast-food at affordable prices, without compromising on quality.

Watch our case study video at Oowee Vegan, Brighton.

“There’s ongoing support from Veno who is fantastic […] any feedback I’ve had has been listened to.”

Lina Blythe

Operations Director, OOWEE Vegan

Challenge

One of the most important challenges for operators is creating a strong and well-organised team. Before S4labour, Oowee were relying on excel sheets and a mix of different systems to manage all the different areas of their labour. This made visibility and reporting difficult, as there was no one point of truth to work from. 

Oowee were looking for a system that could bring all of their labour costs, sales data and operational trends together on one screen and improve rota visibility and engagement for their team. 

Solution & Benefits

The solution to their problems arrived in the form of S4labour. After an in-depth system demonstration, S4labour was rolled out into their stores.

The launch of S4labour allowed their Operations Director, Lina Blythe, to get to know the system and how it would work for Oowee. Open communication with the S4labour implementation team allowed us to roll out a bespoke system package that would take care of all of their business’s needs.

Results

Since their decision to make S4labour a part of their business, Oowee have been able to reduce the amount of time spent on labour significantly. Their general managers are able to spend more time training and engaging their employees, which makes everything from a head office perspective, more efficient. 

For their teams, the features for writing the schedules and swapping shifts gave them visibility and flexibility to ensure a good work-life balance exists. 

Onboarding of new employees is now done through the app, where essential details are captured, making the whole process seamless. 

Oowee received ongoing support through monthly, and now bi-monthy, calls with their Account Manager, Veno.

Nisa

Case Study

Nisa Retailer Rav Garcha has complete visibility of costs with s4labour

Company: Nisa
Business Type: Convenience Store
Date: Feb 2023

Nisa Overview

Retailer Rav Garcha operates 4 convenience stores across the West Midlands, with sites in Shrewsbury, Birmingham, Walsall, Broadway and Sutton Coldfield.  Across the stores, the number of employees can reach up to 35 depending on the season.

Challenge

Before using S4labour, Garcha relied on Google Sheets for rotas and scraps of paper to track holidays and sickness. Managing labour in this way was disorganised and unsustainable, and Garcha needed a solution to implement across all of his stores that would look after rotas, holidays and sickness with clear visibility across all areas.

Slide 1

“So overall I think we have targeted 3 things with s4labour. Firstly, it’s a technological solution that brings us forward within our business, secondly and the biggy is efficiency and finally the technology has helped us invest in people.”

Rav Garcha
Nisa Retailer

Solution & Benefits

S4labour offered a solution that encompassed the needs of the business across multiple sites, all in one place. Praising S4labour’s visibility, Garcha said, “I think clarity is a big benefit, I think seeing what all the numbers actually are and how to plan according to sales, that’s really beneficial.”

Results

S4labour allowed the business to move forward by managing labour according to sales, with foresight into the upcoming months as well. Writing rotas and accounting for holiday and sickness pay became a seamless process that ensured a stress-free payroll for every store at the end of each month. Garcha said, “we are getting more consistency and accuracy in the numbers.”

Boardman Community Pubs

Case Study

Boardman Community Pubs

Compay Name: Boardman Community Pubs
Business Type: Mulit Site
Date: Jan 2018

Boardman Community Pubs Overview

Boardman Community Pubs joined S4labour in 2022, with 7 pubs across the UK, 5 being Greene King and 2 being Thwaites. The biggest site is The Peacock, near Chester. The Boardman Community Pubs include:

  • The Bird i’th Hand
  • The Oak Tree
  • The Cock and Bottle
  • The Ship Inn
  • The Derby Arms
  • The Sportsman Arms
  • The Peacock

In the first month alone we saved 27 hours a week.
Peter Boardman

CEO, Boardman Community Pubs

Challenge

The 7 strong list of pubs knows that poor service impacts sales. Before S4labour, they were using a manual time sheet, which just wasn’t up to scratch when it came to ensuring people were in the right place at the right time. Time sheets do not allow one point of truth for all staff, nor can they accurately record actual time worked. These types of inaccuracies lead to overspending on labour and inefficient deployment strategies, which could impact service.

 

Solution & Results

Boardman Community Pubs needed to find a labour management tool that could deploy people at the right time and provide clear visibility, so they could have more control over labour costs.

Since turning to S4labour, Boardman Community Pubs haven’t looked back. Their takings have risen because they have properly managed staff, and as a result, customers are receiving first-class service and spending more. 

Costcutter

Case Study

Multi-site operator Peter Patel gets the quickest payroll with S4labour

Company: Costcutter
Business Type: Convenience Store
Date: March 2023

Costcutter Overview

Winner of Convenience Chain of the Year in 2021, retailer Peter Patel has been trading as Zola Group for 15 years and under the Costcutter fascia for 5 years. He currently operates 6 convenience stores across the UK, with plans to open another four.

Challenge

Across his stores, Peter relied on a number of different systems which had its challenges. When it came to monitoring holiday entitlement, using a manual process meant it was a struggle for employees to know how much holiday they could take and how to book it in. Processing payslips was also an issue with the old systems, and it often meant that employees were not receiving them on time.

Slide 1

“S4labour create my payroll, it’s so simple, confirm the hours once a week and that’s it. Everything’s then automated thereafter.”

Peter Patel
Costcutter Retailer

Solution & Benefits

Pete was looking for one system to encompass rotas and payroll and, as a multi-site operator, a product that could offer clear visibility across all of his stores. Getting an app-based solution was preferred, as this would ensure staff could request holiday, check rotas and view payslips in one place.

Finding a solution for payroll was a big priority, as Peter needed to be able to process payroll quickly and accurately across multiple stores.

Results

After a seamless transfer over to S4labour, Peter had visibility of all his stores with the multi-site overview. The entire process of rota creation through to payroll was made much easier, saving a lot of time. Supervisor Alex Grace comments: “It’s a lot more time effective, I used to spend so long making paper rotas, when you’re trying to run a store, you want to try and have more time to do that rather than worry about other things.”

The S4labour solution has made Pete’s payroll process easier. All of this sits in one app and is made available to employees straight away, which not only saves a lot of time, but also ensures the numbers are accurate.

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