Stars in their eyes

10th March 2009, 4:14pm

The top performing site among Aramark's 700 in the UK has just been announced after a year-long corporate responsibility challenge to the workforce. David Foad visits Southampton Solent University to find out the secret of their success.

To describe Dawn Gillespie as 'driven' is to exhaust the meaning of the word and come out on the other side of it. She has been the motivator-in-chief of the team of 28 that has won the first Aramark Star Team challenge – a central plank of the contractor's corporate responsibility strategy.

She has been responsible for whipping up enthusiasm for the competition – even bringing her initially doubtful boss on board with the idea – starting a now wellestablished programme of involvement in the local community, raising awareness of environmental and sustainable issues and even persuading busy catering staff to consider their own health and welfare by taking up gym memberships and diets.

Such was her success in encouraging others to get involved that the unit responsible for student and staff feeding at Southampton Solent University central campus romped away with the pointsbased challenge.

"I wasn't bored at work, but I think I needed to do something a bit different, "explains Dawn.

"When we were told Aramark wanted to challenge sites to explore Corporate Responsibility I realised it was something that I really wanted to do. I found myself motivated in a way I hadn't before.

"I loved getting involved in local community projects and making a difference there. I got one of the biggest boosts from working with the young children at Oakwood Junior School."

And she believes the benefits of embracing corporate responsibility for the whole of the team have been enormous.

"It is something that has brought us all closer together; and we have started to do things together outside of work hours."

Aramark CR director Val Carter, who travelled down to Southampton to present the Star Team award, says: "From day one of the Star Team challenge last year Dawn made it clear she intended to win.

"The idea really grabbed her and she's thrown herself into it and come up with all sorts of wonderful ideas. More importantly, she has got her team enthusiastic about the idea and it has become a team effort."

She added that, when taken to heart, corporate responsibility benefited the team, the company, the client and the local community. "Because they work on this together it helps them as a team because they support each other.

"It does much more than that, though. They have strengthened the business relationship with Southampton Solent University and turned it into a genuine partnership. And by getting involved in schools and cubs groups they have increased links with the community in which they live."

Not that it was plain sailing for Dawn once she decided she wanted the site to get heavily involved.

Manager Nick Hayter admits he was initially sceptical about the whole idea.

"When Dawn told me about her ideas I just thought it was a distraction from our main business here and we had a few heated discussions about it.

"But she was determined to press on and, of course, I now see that far from being a distraction it is the essence of what we do. We have started something here with corporate responsibility and it's the focus of everything we do. We don't think of it any more as something separate or extra, it's simply now part of our everyday jobs."

The turning point came when, with the support and encouragement of the university, the decision was made to change a standard café outlet in the dining area to one that sold exclusively Fairtrade and organic products. Out went the crisps, coke and sandwiches and in came Fairtrade tea and coffee, fruit, Ubuntu Cola and Geo Bars.

"When we re-opened in March 2008 as Cafeology we doubled sales on a daily basis and that level has been consistent since then," says Nick.

In tandem with the decision to switch the vending partner to Dorset-based Revive, which specialises in Fairtrade and ethical vending 'to support farmers and families in the developing world', the university became the first to achieve Fairtrade status throughout. That pleased the client, as university hospitality services manager Lindy Jessup was ready to explain.

"We've been delighted with the enthusiasm and dedication shown by the Aramark team on campus in achieving the company's Corporate Responsibility incentive award.

"We were well aware of what they were doing and have been very happy to support the ethos behind it. As a result we've seen a growth in the feeling of caring and sharing."

The 'caring' factor is well illustrated in the work placement scheme that Nick and Dawn introduced to help give a lift to local unemployed people by offering two weeks work experience. The unit took on three people in 2008 and one of them – Tim O'Sullivan – impressed so much he has since started with them full-time.

Says Nick: "We plan to continue this through 2009, taking on one person every three months. All of them will get a certificate on completion of the fortnight, which outlines the experience they gain and may just help them get a job."

What happens next for the Southampton Solent University team?

First they have the pleasure of spending the £5,000 first prize on the causes that most touch them.

After consultation with the team, Dawn says that means £500 going towards kitchen equipment for the local cub pack, £2,000 to help pay for a new school stage at Oakwood and £2,000 towards an electric wheelchair for disabled children at the school.

"Finally, and this is very personal for me," says Dawn, "we're spending £500 to help a terminally ill boy who lives near me have the trip of a lifetime to watch Real Madrid play football in Spain.

"We don't know how much longer we've got so we'll be getting the tickets sorted out as quickly as possible."