Team members at Squire’s Garden Centres Group Office have been experiencing various roles across the business. Each employee was allocated one of Squire’s 15 garden centres to work at, with the centre manager choosing the job that they should do for the day. Called ‘Feet On the Floor’ this programme came about following a suggestion in Squire’s annual employee survey.
Deputy chairman Sarah Squire commented: “It’s been a fantastic experience, definitely one that we will repeat again. I worked in the Café Bar at Squire’s in Shepperton serving customers and clearing tables. It was very refreshing to be out doing something different from my normal day job. I absolutely loved it.
“I asked to work in a café bar because I was a Saturday girl in my youth, so I had experienced working in the garden centre shop and plant areas over many years, but in those days we did not have restaurants so I was very keen to gain a hands on understanding of some of the challenges my colleagues face in the café bars.”
Finance director Mark Wilson was kept busy assembling garden furniture at Squire’s in Reigate while managing director Martin Breddy helped out with goods-in and stock replenishment at West Horsley, followed by a busy day in the Plant Area at Squire’s in Cobham.
Group marketing nanager Karen Smith worked in the Plant Area at Squire’s in Twickenham. She said: “Customers asked a range of gardening questions throughout the day and I was so impressed by the diverse knowledge of our team. What really struck me was how quickly stock moved. You take pride in doing a nice display and then two hours later it needs sorting out again, but our team was great at keeping the plant area topped up on a very busy day.
“It’s quite a physical job, and of course you have the challenge of the weather that you don’t have in an office role! It was great to gain some more horticultural knowledge and very satisfying to be able to help customers find the best plants for their garden.”
