Colleagues

 

Training and development

Leadership capability 

Sustainable growth is reliant upon the direction of leadership. As such, it is critical that we have effective leaders in place equipped with the appropriate skills and understanding to drive the business forward. The skills of the Board of Directors are reviewed annually to maintain the necessary knowledge and experience that is appropriate for the business.

Board members receive regular corporate governance and industry updates and bespoke coaching is offered to senior management to enable further growth in expertise. To support the development of future leaders, in the UK digital business this year, we have launched an Internal Mentoring Programme specifically to support those individuals identified as high potential.

Development opportunities

Equipping people with the right tools to fulfil the duties of their roles and the mandatory training to operate according to best practice is a focus for every company. We have incorporated training opportunities into our recruitment strategy, including offering our six-week intensive training programme, Gaming Academies, for individuals that want to learn dealing casino games. We recruit people specifically for these courses, providing skilled employment and free training. The in-depth safer gambling training provided in partnership with GamCare this year has also resulted in positive outcomes for our employees, with many reporting an improved ability to carry out their roles and support customers.

To improve engagement, to motivate people to excel, and to be seen as a great place to work, offering career development opportunities is crucial. Our e-learning platform offers over 700 courses in professional and personal skills development and is available to all employees. Apprenticeships are used as a tool to upskill individuals within and prepare them for more senior roles.

We have a formal process through which colleagues can apply for support to undertake external training such as mini-MBAs and project management courses. By providing these opportunities we are proud to have continued seeing colleagues progress through the business.

Equality, diversity and inclusion 

We are committed to creating an equal, diverse and inclusive working environment where everyone’s needs are supported. We have four stated aims against which we have delivered a number of initiatives in the past year.

1) Deliver an inclusive and diverse environment that contributes to us being internally and externally recognised as an admired employer.

In May, we introduced the Career Accelerator Programme (‘CAP’), available to all female colleagues currently in or seeking to enter management roles. The importance of ED&I must be understood by every level of the business. This year, we delivered 7,200 hours of ED&I learning through a mixture of events, webinars, online learning and forums. Whilst we continue to educate our colleagues, we also regularly review our leaders and managers to ensure that they are acting and leading inclusively.

 

2) Create a colleague experience that both attracts and retains talent regardless of our location.

To ensure that the right support structures are in place for all our employees, we have begun an extensive review of our family support policies, with the aim to be equitable across different locations, improve accessibility, and ensure the values reflect our new EVP.

3) Ensure we continue to educate, grow, and develop our colleagues and that any perceived/actual barriers to career progression are removed.

To ensure there are no barriers to progression for individuals from under-represented groups, several initiatives are in place to support employees’ development. We create personal development plans (‘PDP’), which we review on a quarterly basis. To support the development outlined in the PDPs, we offer mentoring and enable individuals to undertake external courses.

4) Make equity integral to how we do business.

We have six ED&I colleague network groups – Wellbeing; Women; Racial Equality and Diversity; LGBT+; Families; and general ED&I (incorporating religious celebrations) – and host a calendar of events to celebrate and align with national and international events. This year, our EOS results showed improved internal perceptions on Rank’s ED&I performance, with the score increasing from 8.1 to 8.3. This was reinforced externally, where we ranked in the top 25% of Gaming/Gambling companies for ED&I through the All Index Benchmarking survey.

Engagement, Reward and wellbeing

Working in a dynamic industry such as ours is truly exciting, and we want to make sure that is reflected in every employee’s experience. Engaging with our colleagues on an ongoing basis helps us to monitor employee satisfaction and provide a key channel for feedback. Our Employee Opinion Survey (‘EOS’) is a valuable tool for assessing employee sentiment and is a Key Performance Indicator for the business. Our Executive Team are not a remote body, but continually interact with colleagues, listen to feedback, and respond to concerns. Directors and senior management lead our Town Halls, in which all colleagues can participate.

In order to deliver the best possible experience for our existing colleagues, as well as continue to bring talented individuals into the business, we have been developing Work. Win. Grow., our new Employee Value Proposition (‘EVP’). The new EVP is underpinned by our existing values but is focused on building a comprehensive global understanding of our business. Crucial to this has been reviewing the policies we have in place and compensation we offer, with the objective to ensure the benefits offering is equitable across our workforce. By undertaking this project, we are developing the culture of Rank to meet employee expectations, improving talent attraction, engagement, and retention.

Read our Gender Pay Gap Report 2022 here.