Coke's culture is the real thing

Zach Ferris (left) and Chris Litchfield in the Coca-Cola Auckland call centre. Photo / Ted Baghurst

What makes a really good employer? Chris Litchfield, managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil NZ (CCA) says it comes down to one thing — a great culture.

CCA has picked up an Aon Hewitt Best Employer award for the third consecutive year, and Litchfield says the company's secret formula is to build trust by listening — and then acting.

CCA has a mantra, "You should do the right thing by the business and by the people", and Litchfield says they're open to considering all suggestions. "If it makes good sense for us and the business, we do it. That sort of culture, I think, allows people to feel empowered and provides a good, strong cultural feel for the business."

Zach Ferris, outbound sales manager at CCA's national call centre, leads a tight-knit team that was last year placed first in the CRM awards in outbound calling. Ferris started his career at CCA in 2014 as a territory sales manager and then moved into the coffee team as a business development manager. Ferris was keen to lead a team and he says the development culture at CCA enabled and supported his move through various roles into a leadership position.

"Three core values form the backbone of our culture — stand together, take the lead and keep it real," he says.

"CCA places a huge emphasis on developing its people and giving opportunities to those who are successful in their roles and embody these values."

The business has invested in Ferris through workshops, training days, conferences, exposure to work outside his role and has even facilitated ideas he's had about charitable work with Youthline. He says this has driven his progression into a leadership role by helping to shape the way he thinks and works.

Ferris attributes the CRM win to business values and leadership.

"Being the best in the industry is an expectation that permeates our entire national call centre leadership team and the wider business. There is a strong culture of 'taking the lead and winning when it counts'. It's infectious and doesn't take long to buy into when you work here. Each of our team members understands the journey we're on as a business and we're passionate about winning CRM to show this."

As a high-performance role, outbound calling can be stressful and Ferris notes it's important to focus on the team's ability to cope with stress as well as ensuring they have opportunities for fun.

"Part-way through 2017 we received feedback from our team that stress was a major area of concern, so our HR department helped facilitate a mindfulness workshop. It became an outstanding four-part series with an external mindfulness coaching business. We now have a national contact centre mindfulness team that practises every day at midday, and we have a much more resilient team."

To further ease stress, the team focuses on celebrating wins and attending social functions, and encourages each other to bring their authentic selves to work every day.

What sets CCA apart from other organisations, believes Ferris, is the belief each employee has in the journey the business is on, the passion they have for the brands and the focus on doing what is right by their people, customers and community.

"We take a lot of pride in what we do, but that pride isn't just founded in the success of our business and brands. The business does a lot to give back to the community and is continually looking for ways to do more."

Ferris says being part of an organisation that has so generously created Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park, the Good2Great programme with Youthline, Coke Designated Drivers, Coke Gifting and more, really bolsters the sense of pride.

"We feel genuinely cared for and empowered to make a difference in the local communities that we care so much about."

Litchfield says organisations can improve culture and engagement with five actions:

• Build trust by listening and responding. Asking and listening is great but if you don't act, people will stop telling you and you'll lose trust.

• Empower people by considering anything that makes good sense for your people and the business. This culture facilitates great "outside the box" ideas from employees.

• Facilitate engagement. Ask, listen to what's working and what's not, create a plan to address, act, repeat.

• Be inclusive — ensure people are comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.

• Treat accolades and accreditations as a compass rather than the destination.