Manufacturing is busy by nature. There are orders to keep moving, machines to run, deadlines to meet and plenty going on across the factory every day.
That’s exactly why we think it’s important to make time for the moments that aren’t about production. Once a month, everyone at Crompton Mouldings gets together for a team lunch prepared by people from within the business. It started as a simple idea, but over time it has become something the team genuinely looks forward to.
There is usually plenty of anticipation around what is being served, who has taken charge of the cooking and whether they have managed to outdo whoever cooked the month before.
We have discovered that there are some very capable cooks hidden among the Crompton team. For us, though, the real value isn’t simply what ends up on the plate.
A Chance to Catch Up Properly
During a normal working day, people are naturally focused on their own responsibilities.
Some are on the factory floor, others are dealing with customers, planning production, organising orders or making sure everything behind the scenes runs as it should.
Although everyone is working towards the same goal, there isn’t always much opportunity to simply sit down together.
Our monthly lunch changes that.
For a short while, job titles and departments don’t really matter. Everyone is in the same place, eating together, catching up and usually having a good laugh along the way. Those conversations might have absolutely nothing to do with work, and that is probably part of what makes them so valuable.
The Small Things Shape a Workplace
There is often a lot of discussion about company culture, but we believe much of it comes down to everyday experiences.
It is how people treat one another.
It is whether colleagues know each other beyond the jobs they do.
It is whether there are moments where everyone can switch off from the pressure of the working day and enjoy being part of the same team.
A shared meal is a very simple way of creating those moments.
Over time, those regular get-togethers help people build stronger relationships, particularly between colleagues who may not normally work side by side. They also make it easier for newer members of the team to settle in and get to know everyone.
Recognising the Work That Goes On Every Day
Rotational moulding takes a lot of teamwork. There are many stages involved in getting a product from an initial order through production and eventually into the hands of the customer. Keeping that process moving takes effort from people across the whole company.
Taking an hour out once a month isn’t a grand reward or some complicated employee initiative. It is simply an opportunity to recognise that effort and enjoy some time together away from the normal routine. And after doing it regularly for the past few years, it has become one of those traditions that feels very much part of Crompton.
There will always be plenty happening around the factory.
There will always be another job waiting, another order to complete and another mould ready to go onto a machine.
But every now and then, it is worth putting the tools down, pulling up a chair and seeing what has come out of the kitchen this month.
Because some of the strongest teams are built in the moments between the work.