Introducing our next Employee Trustees
“We’re in an interesting moment for employee ownership at dxw, where we’re defining more clearly exactly what that should look and feel like”
Back in the summer, the dxw team voted for the company’s next Employee Trustees. dxw became employee owned in 2021, and every 2 years we’ve selected 2 Employee Trustees to sit on the Board, overseeing how dxw is performing and being run on behalf of its staff.
Leanne Garvie (Finance Manager) and Lola Harre (Product Principal) both put their names forward and were voted in by the rest of the team in August. I sat down with them to find out more about what Employee Trustees do, and what they’re looking forward to getting from the experience.
What is an Employee Trustee, and what do they do day-to-day?
Leanne: Employee trustees are, as you said, nominated by fellow employees to be their voice and representatives on the Employee Ownership Trust board. This comprises the sellers–as in, the owners of the company that are passing it on to the employees–an independent trustee, a couple of employee trustees, and a new role which is a management trustee.
Lola: All of the trustees are working together on that board to make sure that the company’s being run in the best interest of all employees, now and in the future. What that looks like day-to-day is we have four board meetings a year, and a lot of our work is around prepping for that. Making sure we have all the information we need to go through discussions and decision points as a group.
But there are also other, more ad hoc things that we think about. We try to reach out to others within the company, make sure we understand how people are feeling about certain things, what the big themes and topics are on people’s minds. We’re still figuring out exactly what we want that role to look like over the next two years as well. So I’m sure we’ll try different things and shape it as we go.
What made you want to apply to become an Employee Trustee?
Leanne: I was persuaded by my line manager and my finance director. They thought I’d be very good at the role, and I was slightly nervous about that. But I put myself forward after reading more about what it entailed and was like, ‘this is brilliant’. I’ve been here for a long time, and now I can give back. I’ve been on the commercial team, I know quite a lot about the business and about all the people that have been here and are currently here. So, I just thought it’d be a great way to give all that experience back to the company and all the other employees.
Lola: I’m relatively new to the company. I’ve just hit 3 years, so compared to Leanne I’m definitely a newbie. But one of the big draws of dxw for me was the employee ownership element. So, to be able to get involved in that and be hands-on with it just seemed like a really great opportunity.
What are you looking forward to doing in your time as Employee Trustees?
Leanne: I really enjoy hearing other people’s perspective on how the company is going. So I’m really interested in talking to everyone and finding out what drives them, what they need to do in their day-to-day. How to make everyone happier, more productive, and give their best for the company.
Lola: I’d echo that as well. And I think we’re in an interesting moment in time for employee ownership at dxw, where we’re defining a bit more clearly exactly what that should look and feel like. For me, being able to help with that process and make sure that everyone’s voices are heard is part of that as well.
Yes, it’s an exciting moment for the company and for the Employee Trustee role as well. Lastly, is there an area of the company that you’re looking forward to learning more about through this role?
Leanne: For me it’s definitely the management side of things, and how decisions are made. I want to be more involved in decision-making and it’s a great opportunity to be able to learn. From directors, the owner and everyone else that’s on the board, as well as all of the other people in the company. I’m very excited to take on that challenge.
Lola: Yeah, similarly I really think it’s not just one area of the company. It’s more how the business operates and how all of those parts interact to make sure that we’re being successful. I think building my understanding of that will be fascinating and really helpful.