Case Studies
Success Stories
Empowering a Small Business to Start Its Sustainability Journey
A small business faced challenges in identifying the best starting point for reducing waste and embarking on its sustainability journey, all while keeping costs low. The directors were keen to implement changes to minimise operational waste as part of their broader plan to eliminate non-value-adding costs and enhance profitability.
Nimble Legacy stepped in to assist by implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) aligned with ISO 14001 standards. This system enabled the business to analyse the costs associated with operational materials, services, electricity, and water usage. Within the first year, these efforts achieved a 15% cost saving.
To ensure long-term success, Nimble Legacy provided the business with a user-friendly template to help staff maintain the EMS. Key team members were trained to become “Eco Champions,” capable of monitoring and tracking the selected criteria. This training equipped them to promptly flag any spikes in resource usage to the directors.
By transferring EMS maintenance to the in-house team, the business successfully continued its journey toward cost reduction. This ongoing approach not only supported the organisation’s profitability goals but also delivered the added benefit of reduced energy usage, contributing to a smaller carbon footprint.
Staff Retention Challenges: A Cleaning Company’s Success Story
A cleaning company was struggling with staff retention despite efforts to raise wages and boost employee engagement. However, these measures provided limited improvement relative to their costs.
Challenges
- High Turnover Rate: Despite various initiatives, staff retention remained low, limiting operational stability.
- High Costs with Limited Results: Increased wages and engagement efforts did not yield a proportional improvement in retention.
Nimble Legacy’s Solution
Nimble Legacy worked closely with the company to design a tailored recruitment and training programme, targeting individuals more suited to the specific demands of cleaning roles. This bespoke approach included:
- Targeted Recruitment: Attracting candidates who align well with the job requirements.
- Effective Training: Implementing a structured training process to support new hires and ensure a smooth transition.
Results
Within one year:
- Retention Rate Boost: Staff retention rose from 40% to over 85%, a remarkable outcome even by corporate standards.
- Focus on Growth: With improved retention, the company was able to shift focus to expanding services and driving growth.
This successful intervention allowed the small cleaning firm to secure a stable workforce, paving the way for future development and long-term success.
Addressing Recruitment Shortages in a Highly Technical Engineering Firm
A stage and event tooling company supplying rigging tools to various event and staging organisers has seen a surge in business enquiries in recent years. The teams have been under constant pressure to meet demand, leading to the following challenges:
- Aging Workforce: The average age of staff across the organisation is over 50, and several key employees, including tool makers and designers, are concerned about the lack of young, motivated talent joining the company.
- Retention Issues: Management is eager to recruit new talent but faces difficulty retaining trainees. Most new recruits leave within two years, often for rival firms, increasing the burden on existing staff who must continuously train replacements.
- Increased Workload Pressure: The combination of high demand, training demands, and the constant loss of new staff has intensified workplace pressures.
Nimble Legacy’s Approach
Nimble Legacy’s response was to align solutions with the company’s overall strategy:
- Strategy Redefinition and Communication: We collaborated with management to redefine and communicate the strategy organisation-wide, ensuring everyone was aligned with long-term goals.
- Management Plans and Training Upgrades: Management plans were created to oversee strategy implementation, including transitioning to modern modelling software that was easier to learn and use.
- Upskilling and Mentorship: We helped upskill all staff and revamped the training programme for smoother integration of new apprentices. Each staff member was paired with a mentor or mentee, supporting knowledge transfer and skill development.
- Career Pathways and Employee Engagement: A clear career progression pathway was introduced, giving all employees a role in shaping the company’s future.
Results
Within 12 months of intervention:
- Software Upgrades and Training Improvements: The company successfully upgraded design software, improved training, and streamlined onboarding for new apprentices.
- Improved Workplace Morale: Overall morale improved significantly, with reduced workplace pressures.
- Enhanced Efficiency: Delivery backlogs decreased by 50%.
Nimble Legacy’s intervention helped build a more sustainable workforce, setting up the company for future growth.
Transforming Workplace Training for a Safer, More Efficient Supermarket
An independent supermarket in a university town, employing 15 staff members, relied heavily on informal, on-the-job training. As the business grew and the workforce expanded, the training process failed to keep pace. This gap came to light when a near-miss incident occurred, highlighting that the training provided was inadequate for ensuring workplace safety.
Nimble Legacy partnered with the supermarket to address this issue by implementing a robust training programme. We began by curating essential safety-focused courses from our e-Learning portal, covering topics such as manual handling, working at height, and more. To ensure sustainable improvement, we also introduced an ongoing training pathway for all retail staff. This pathway was designed to keep employees aligned with customer needs and equipped to deliver excellent service on behalf of the business.
The results were transformative. Staff awareness of their roles and their contribution to the organisation’s growth significantly improved. Workplace efficiency increased as employees felt more empowered and engaged, with their commitment naturally boosted by the structured training programme.
This case demonstrates what Nimble Legacy calls “Meaningful Change” – a proactive approach to creating safer, more productive workplaces while fostering staff development.
Revitalising a Struggling Logistics Company
Challenges:
A medium-sized logistics firm faced declining morale, high employee turnover, and inefficiencies in their supply chain processes.
Nimble Legacy’s Solution
– Conducted a cultural audit to identify gaps in alignment.
– Implemented a new organisational strategy focused on employee engagement and leadership development.
– Streamlined processes using Lean methodologies.
Results
– Employee turnover reduced by 40%.
– Operational efficiency improved, with a 20% reduction in delivery times.
– Staff engagement scores increased significantly.
Supporting Growth in a Tech Start-up
Challenges:
A fast-growing tech company struggled to maintain its innovative culture as the team expanded. Communication breakdowns and unclear role definitions hampered progress.
Nimble Legacy’s Solution:
– Designed a bespoke onboarding programme to align new hires with company values.
– Introduced regular cross-functional collaboration workshops.
– Developed career pathways to retain top talent.
Results:
– Clearer team structures and communication channels boosted productivity.
– New hire retention increased by 30% within a year.
– Employees reported higher job satisfaction and alignment with organisational goals.
Partner with Nimble Legacy to transform your organisation. Let’s create a resilient, innovative, and high-performing team that drives sustainable growth.
Why Choose Nimble Legacy?
At Nimble Legacy, we understand that every organisation is unique. Our tailored approach ensures that your sustainability and ESG initiatives align with your strategic objectives while delivering measurable value. By integrating sustainability into the core of your business, we help you build resilience, enhance profitability, and contribute to a better future.
An e-commerce client faced high costs from disposing of cardboard waste while purchasing new packaging materials for customer orders. By introducing a circular economy approach, we helped the client repurpose waste cardboard for use in fresh orders or convert it into void-filling packaging. This initiative resulted in a 90% reduction in waste collection costs and a 50% reduction in new packaging costs, delivering significant savings and promoting sustainability.
Waste to Wealth